Major conferences around the country, including the AAC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC and Atlantic 10 -- among others -- have canceled their league basketball tournaments on Thursday amid growing concern over the coronavirus. In some cases, such as with the Big Ten, players had already begun warming up for their games before the decisions were made.
"The Big Ten Conference will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic," said a league statement released roughly 20 minutes before Michigan and Rutgers were set to play a second-round game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The wave of conference tournament cancellations comes as the NBA has suspended play after two Utah Jazz players tested positive for coronavirus. The NCAA, as of noon ET on Thursday, had not issued an update about the NCAA Tournament, which is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, without fans in attendance.
But individual conferences were quickly taking action before their first wave of tournament games began Thursday. All the major conferences had already closed their events to the general public, following the lead of the NCAA, which announced Wednesday that the NCAA Tournament will be played without fans amid concern over the coronavirus. But the step of canceling the conference tournaments altogether constituted another unprecedented step in the national effort to prevent spread of the virus.
"We understand that this decision will be disappointing to our student-athletes and coaches who have been preparing all season to compete in this event as well as viewers at home," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "While this was not an easy decision, the health and well-being of our entire SEC community is of paramount importance."
Conferences, including the ACC and SEC, announced that their regular-season champions will be awarded the automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament that are usually awarded to the conference tournament champions.
One major conference continued playing Thursday, however. The Big East Tournament's quarterfinal round began with St. John's and Creighton tipping off just after noon at Madison Square Garden in New York City without fans in attendance.
Here's a closer look at what has already been announced and what else is in the process of happening as it pertains to college basketball. Follow below for live updates on how the coronavirus is affecting March Madness.
NCAA Tournament
- NCAA Tournament -- every game closed to public: Shortly after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday that an order will be signed prohibiting mass gatherings throughout the state, which will be hosting two rounds of the tournament, the NCAA announced the entire tournament will be played without fans.
- Games on the move? With large arenas and massive staffs no longer necessary, NCAA Tournament host sites may move to smaller venues in the same respective cities, according to multiple reports.
- Refunds will be provided: The NCAA has clarified that refunds will be provided for all fans who hold tournament tickets. Here are additional details.
Other events
- College Basketball Invitational -- canceled: The postseason tournament, which accepts teams that do not make the NCAA Tournament or the NIT, will not be played this year. The CBI's founders, the Gazelle Group, called it "the most prudent course of action."
- National Invitational Tournament -- closed to public: The second-biggest men's basketball postseason tournament outside the NCAA Tournament, the NIT, will be held but closed to the general public, according to the NCAA's Andy Katz.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiigFodHRwczovL3d3dy5jYnNzcG9ydHMuY29tL2NvbGxlZ2UtYmFza2V0YmFsbC9uZXdzL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXVwZGF0ZXMtbWFqb3ItY29sbGVnZS1iYXNrZXRiYWxsLWNvbmZlcmVuY2VzLWNhbmNlbC1sZWFndWUtdG91cm5hbWVudHMvbGl2ZS_SAY4BaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2Jzc3BvcnRzLmNvbS9jb2xsZWdlLWJhc2tldGJhbGwvbmV3cy9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy11cGRhdGVzLW1ham9yLWNvbGxlZ2UtYmFza2V0YmFsbC1jb25mZXJlbmNlcy1jYW5jZWwtbGVhZ3VlLXRvdXJuYW1lbnRzL2xpdmUvYW1wLw?oc=5
2020-03-12 16:07:00Z
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