Northern Iowa-Drake Canceled Due to Covid-19 Issues

Northern Iowa withdrew from the matchup due to a COVID-19 issue with the program.

The Drake and Northern Iowa matchup in the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament quarterfinal has been canceled, the conference on Friday.

According to Stadium's Jeff Goodman, the game was canceled due to a COVID-19 issue with Northern Iowa. Drake will advance to Saturday's semifinal round and will face the winner of the Missouri State-Valparaiso game.

The Missouri Valley Conference has cancelled the third quarterfinal game of the 2021 State Farm MVC Tournament. Drake will advance to Saturday's semifinal round & will face the winner of Missouri State-Valparaiso at 3:05 pm CT.

Official statement forthcoming.

— MVC Basketball (@ValleyHoops) March 5, 2021

Official details regarding the cancellation have not been released but the conference says a statement is forthcoming. 

Per the rules for conference tournaments, the team that has a violation of protocols or a positive test in the Tier 1 personnel are removed from the tournament. The remainder of the tournament and bracket proceed as if the game was forfeited. 

Drake is the No. 2 seed in the tournament and has not played a game. Northern Iowa, the No. 7 seed, defeated Illinois State 65-60 in the opening round on Thursday.

The Panthers finish their season at 10-15, 7-11 in the MVC. Drake (24-3) finished the regular season second in the conference behind Loyola Chicago.