Duke basketball: Blue Devils may make NCAA Tournament after all

There’s a small chance Duke basketball may be able to play in the NCAA Tournament after all.

Duke basketball had to withdraw from the ACC Tournament after a player tested positive for COVID-19. At the time, Duke announced their season would be coming to an end and their chances of making the NCAA Tournament were squashed.

However, on Selection Sunday, the door has been left slightly open for the Blue Devils to make the NCAA Tournament field.

Duke basketball needs to get lucky to be one of the 68 teams in March Madness. But in order to be one of the chosen ones, they actually need to be one of the backup teams that get in if a team selected can’t play due to COVID.

Duke basketball could be a replacement team for the NCAA Tournament

A team needs five healthy players in order to play, so a roster would need to have more than half the team test positive or be sidelined due to contact tracing.

Teams in the NCAA Tournament have to notify the NCAA by 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday if they can’t meet the medical and testing protocols.

It’s unlikely, but not impossible as we saw Duke, Virginia and Kansas have to pull out of conference tournament games this week. And there were dozens and dozens of games called off during the regular season.

So channel the Jim Carrey gif from Dumb and Dumber, because you’re saying there’s a chance. It may be one in a million but there’s a chance, however small, that Duke basketball may be dancing after all.

Duke basketball has the second-longest active streak with 24 NCAA Tournament appearances, trailing the 30 straight by Kansas.

While unlikely, Duke basketball could pull an upset and slide in and take someone’s spot if they have COVID issues.

If picked as a replacement team, Duke basketball would need to show seven straight negative daily tests before arriving in Indianapolis. Then, once at the tournament site, would have to undergo daily testing inside the “March Madness bubble.”

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