North Carolina coach Mack Brown issues COVID-19 update ahead of South Carolina matchup
North Carolina coach Mack Brown says the Tar Heels have completed testing for COVID-19 ahead of Thursday’s Mayo Bowl matchup vs. South Carolina.
Brown told reporters the Tar Heels have “minimal to none” COVID-19 positives and don’t anticipate any further issues prior to kickoff.
UNC HC Mack Brown says the Tarheels have completed their final COVID testing.
Says medical officials have discouraged him from giving specifics, but that they have "minimal to none" in COVID positives and he's confident they'll be able to play tomorrow @wachfox pic.twitter.com/aLF0LPqJkw
— Matt Vereen (@MattVereen) December 29, 2021
This is welcome news following a tumultuous week in the ACC. The conference has already lost four bowl games this postseason to COVID-19. Boston College, Virginia and Miami all had to withdraw from bowl season due to the virus.
NC State lost its opportunity to play in the Holiday Bowl due to an outbreak at UCLA. The Wolfpack learned of the cancelation just hours before kickoff, so it’s encouraging that UNC isn’t dealing with a widespread outbreak this week.
North Carolina is favored by 9.5 points in this matchup, according to DraftKings. The Tar Heels will be led by quarterback Sam Howell, who is playing in this game before presumably heading to the NFL this offseason. Meanwhile, South Carolina is dealing with multiple opt outs going into this matchup.
Kick off is at 11:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.