The potential spreading of coronavirus (COVID-19) has now impacted March’s college basketball calendar.
Below is a stream of the latest updates to conference tournaments and March Madness scheduling due to coronavirus.
UPDATES
Tuesday, March 10
The Ivy League has announced it will cancel its conference tournament entirely, awarding the conference’s automatic bid to Yale.
The Ivy League has decided to cancel the League’s upcoming Basketball Tournaments and implement highly-restrictive, in-venue spectator limitations for all other upcoming campus athletics events.
📰 » https://t.co/Y4nEjbsh0N pic.twitter.com/8zsrweXVXo
— The Ivy League (@IvyLeague) March 10, 2020
The NCAA has announced that it “will make decisions in the coming days” in regards to NCAA championship events.
Statement on COVID-19 and NCAA championship events: https://t.co/KAphcvmwjz pic.twitter.com/6a9Yuu0rcQ
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) March 10, 2020
The Big West has announced that its tournament will proceed without spectators.
🚨The Big West Conference has announced that the league’s basketball tournaments will be played without spectators as a precaution for preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
📰 » https://t.co/I0PtYUIqTP pic.twitter.com/Wkh8esQhzg
— Big West Conference (@BigWestSports) March 10, 2020
The MAC has announced that its tournament will proceed without spectators.
Official statement regarding upcoming MAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament pic.twitter.com/reCRnnd0ML
— #MACtion (@MACSports) March 10, 2020
Wednesday, March 11
The CBI has been canceled.
Statement regarding the 2020 CBI pic.twitter.com/5SPabjpC1V
— College BBall Invit. (@CBITourney) March 11, 2020
NCAA Tournament games in Ohio will be held without spectators.
The governor of Ohio further clarified: The state will issue an order that NCAA tournament games in Ohio, which included the First Four in Dayton, will be played without spectators.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) March 11, 2020
The NCAA has announced fans will not be in attendance for March Madness games.
NCAA President Mark Emmert statement on limiting attendance at NCAA events: https://t.co/GrPbmZx5N6 pic.twitter.com/PFFh9htixR
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) March 11, 2020
NCAA Tournament games will continue to be televised.
An NCAA spokesman tells @YahooSports the NCAA tournament games will still be televised, but the NCAA is “still working through (a decision on) other media.”
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 11, 2020
The Final Four could potentially be moved out of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Mark Emmert says the NCAA is looking to move the Final Four out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium into a smaller venue in Atlanta.
Regional sites could also be moved from the currently scheduled arenas to smaller venues in same cities.
The plan is to keep sites for the 1st round as is.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) March 11, 2020
The NIT will also proceed without fans in attendance.
The NIT will still happen but won’t have any fans in attendance, per NCAA.
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) March 11, 2020
CBS Sports and Turner plan to cover the tournament in full.
Joint statement just released by CBS Sports and Turner Sports regarding today’s developments:
“We support the NCAA’s decision to proceed without fans at the tournament venues. We will continue with our plans to fully produce and cover the entire event.”
— Kyle Boone (@Kyle__Boone) March 11, 2020
The Big Ten will not have spectators at its tournament.
Big Ten Conference Statement:https://t.co/NzJd0o9YPM
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) March 11, 2020
The Big 12 will also proceed its tournament without spectators.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby says fans will be prohibited from attending the conference tournament beginning tomorrow. Teams will have access to 125 tickets. Venue cleared after each game. No bands or cheerleaders or dance teams.
— Jason King (@JasonKingBR) March 11, 2020
The ACC tournament will proceed without spectators.
Limited attendance at the remainder of the ACC tournament. No general public. pic.twitter.com/GPIGyTWYmZ
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 12, 2020
The NABC convention at the Final Four has been canceled.
The basketball coaches association convention (NABC) that runs concurrent to the Final Four has been canceled.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 12, 2020
The women’s WAC quarterfinal game between Grand Canyon and CSU Bakersfield has been postponed.
The WAC quarterfinal game between Grand Canyon and CSU Bakersfield has been postponed “due to a medical situation,” according to the league. Uh oh.
— Brian Bennett (@GBrianBennett) March 12, 2020
Thursday, March 12
Several conferences have canceled their tournaments.
Big Ten, SEC, AAC all canceled thus far. My guess is every other league follows suit.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 12, 2020
The Atlantic 10 has cancelled their conference tournament.
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) March 12, 2020
Conference USA has officially announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 Air Force Reserve C-USA Basketball Championships, effective immediately. pic.twitter.com/tBrrJVhAFN
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) March 12, 2020
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 12, 2020
The Big East tournament is continuing for now.
St. John’s vs. Creighton just tipped at MSG.
— John Gasaway (@JohnGasaway) March 12, 2020
The Pac-12 tournament and ACC tournament have also been canceled.
Source: The Pac-12 Tournament has been cancelled.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 12, 2020
ACC tourney officially canceled.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 12, 2020
The Big East has canceled its tournament. St. John’s and Creighton had just finished the first half.
The Big East tournament has been cancelled. The decision was made at halftime of the St. John’s-Creighton game.
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) March 12, 2020
Kansas and Duke have suspended their athletics indefinitely.
A statement from @jefflongKU: pic.twitter.com/ZQNfTPAPZG
— Kansas Jayhawks (@KUAthletics) March 12, 2020
Duke Athletics Suspends Activities Indefinitely
🗞️ https://t.co/a2mx0n9QYR#GoDuke pic.twitter.com/y9UjTw8CDT
— Duke Athletics (@DukeATHLETICS) March 12, 2020
The selection committee is continuing its work as if the NCAA Tournament will happen.
Like all of you I expect the NCAA tournament to be canceled at any time. In the meantime, I’m told that the selection committee continues to do its work in New York as if the tourney will happen.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 12, 2020
March Madness is officially canceled for 2020.
NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships: https://t.co/p4vCzvzmvo pic.twitter.com/yqAHak4HO5
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) March 12, 2020
This story will continue to be updated.
Eli Boettger is a college basketball writer and founder of HeatCheckCBB.com. He has previously worked for Sporting News, DAZN and USA TODAY SMG.
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