March Madness, other Big Ten events cancelled

With escalating coronavirus concerns, Winter 2020 sports have been cancelled.

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With all of the escalating concerns over the new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19), it was just a matter of time before the big dance became a casualty.

The NBA and NHL postponed the remainder of their seasons, and just minutes before Michigan and Rutgers tipped off, the Big Ten Tournament was also cancelled.

While the NCAA had announced that the tournament would continue, just limited with essential personnel and no spectators only, given the other events, it was due to follow suit  with March Madness. And on Thursday afternoon, that came to pass, with the NCAA Tournament being cancelled in earnest, per a release.

But that’s not all.

The Big Ten, as well as the NCAA, is taking all sports off the hook, canceling games for the non-revenue and revenue athletics alike, with the B1G announcing that it would reassess at the end of the semester.

The Big Ten Conference announced today that in addition to the Men’s Basketball Tournament it will be canceling all conference and non-conference competitions through the end of the academic year, including spring sports that compete beyond the academic year, and participation in all NCAA tournaments and competitions. In addition, the Conference has announced a moratorium on all on- and off-campus recruiting activities for the foreseeable future.

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.

The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus.

The NCAA is taking all winter and spring championships off the table.

Thus concludes Michigan’s men’s and women’s basketball for the 2019-20 season. While it’s not optimal, the safety of the athletes involved certainly outweighs the risks of catching and potentially spreading a virus that has yet to be contained.