MVC cancels quarterfinal between Drake, Northern Iowa due to positive COVID-19 test

The Missouri Valley Conference canceled the third quarterfinal game of the 2021 MVC Tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test result within the Northern Iowa men’s basketball program.

The game was set to be played between No. 2 seed Drake and No. 7 seed Northern Iowa on Friday at 5 p.m.

Drake will advance to the MVC semifinal round and will face the winner of Missouri State-Valparaiso game at 3:05 p.m. on Saturday.

In a statement MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin said, “UNI and other institutions ultimately relied on Conference policies that have been in place all season and were thought to be applicable here at the tournament. It should be noted UNI followed those procedures during their participation in the event.”

“However, the City of St. Louis Board of Health Department COVID orders take precedence over MVC protocols, and none of our institutions were aware that this was in place. In all prior communication we had with St. Louis’ local health authorities, we had clearly indicated that the MVC adhered to C.D.C. guidelines and NCAA Resocialization Guidelines.”

“The MVC did not have the necessary conversations with local health officials to clarify that the administration of the tournament would be governed by St. Louis Health Commissioner’s COVID orders.
I apologize and take full responsibility for not resolving the administration of policies that are in place during this year’s tournament,” Elgin concluded.