Tag: ncaa tournament

RELEASE: NCAA Tournament Canceled

The NCAA has announced the news that just days ago seemed impossible – there will be no NCAA Tournament in 2020.

The NCAA has announced the news that just days ago seemed impossible – there will be no NCAA Tournament in 2020.

Release from the NCAA:

Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.

After the NBA’s announcement on Wednesday night it seemed like this was the likely next step.  It indeed was as the association released the statement Thursday afternoon.

No NCAA Tournament, men’s or women’s and no championships for any of the remaining winter or spring sports. As expected as this news was it still is a shock to think there is no NCAA Tournament, one of the greatest sporting events in the world this year.

BREAKING: NCAA cancels men’s and women’s basketball tournaments

Over the last few days, the whirlwind of news surrounding college and professional sports due to the outbreak of the coronavirus has been unprecedented. The latest? The NCAA just announced on Thursday afternoon that the men’s and women’s basketball …

Over the last few days, the whirlwind of news surrounding college and professional sports due to the outbreak of the coronavirus has been unprecedented.

The latest? The NCAA just announced on Thursday afternoon that the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, also known as March Madness, had been cancelled.

Shams Charania, a senior lead NBA Insider for The Athletic, was one of the first to break the news:

The NCAA released a statement on all winter and spring championships as well:

It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances that led to the cancellation of several sporting events and seasons over the last 24 hours, but from all indications, it was a decision that was largely expected.

Stay tuned from more on this situation from Roll Tide Wire as more information is revealed!

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BREAKING: NCAA Tournament canceled amid coronavirus pandemic

The could be the first year without an NCAA Tournament since 1939.

What has seemed inevitable for the last half day is now official: The college basketball season is over.

The NCAA has announced that the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments have been canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NCAA announced the news in a release. It reads in full, “Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.”

The move comes as sports are being shut down across the United States and world. The NBA suspended its season after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The MLB and MLS followed suit Thursday morning, as has professional tennis. Conference tournaments have been canceled across the country, as have high school postseason tournaments. Arizona State, Duke and Kansas were among the first college programs to shut down all athletics, essentially withdrawing from any potential tournament. The entire Mountain West Conference suspended athletics mid-day Thursday. A number of schools have canceled spring athletics, including football games, practices, and recruiting efforts. Premier League matches in England have been postponed, as have Champions League matches. La Liga, Spain’s top soccer league, has suspended play as well. Italy has ceased most operations within the country, including sports.

This will be the first time the NCAA Tournament will not be played since its inception in 1939.

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Big 12 cancels men’s and women’s basketball tournaments amid coronavirus pandemic

The Big 12 canceled their conference tournaments held in Kansas City, following suit of Big Ten, American Athletic Conference, the SEC…

The dominos continue to fall.

The Big 12 canceled their conference tournaments held in Kansas City, following suit of Big Ten, American Athletic Conference, the SEC, and a handful of others.

Last night, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby made the announcement that Big 12 Tournament games would have limited access following in the steps of the NCAA who made similar stipulations regarding the NCAA Tournament.

Also last night, the two ‘play-in’ games took place with Oklahoma State beating Iowa State and Kansas State beating TCU in the men’s tournament. The women’s tournament was scheduled to begin tonight.

Both Oklahoma teams were set to play tonight. The three-seeded men were scheduled to play six-seeded West Virginia at 8 p.m. CT. The nine-seeded Sooner women were going to play eighth-seeded Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. CT.

As of right now, the NCAA Tournament is still a go without fans in attendance but as minutes pass by, the chances are not looking good.

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Big Ten Tournament canceled amid COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic

The Big Ten joins other conferences in canceling postseason tournaments.

There will be no Big Ten Tournament for the men this year.

The conference has officially announced that the remainder of the conference tournament will be canceled effective immediately.

The news broke just minutes before Michigan and Rutgers were scheduled to tip off in the first quarterfinals game in Indianapolis. Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Nebraska all played first round games Wednesday night. Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg was hospitalized after the game, and his team had to be quarantined in the locker room. Hoiberg later tested positive for influenza A, not coronavirus.

Michigan State had not yet left for the tournament according to Stephen Brooks of 247 sports.

The conference had originally planned to play games without spectators starting today. The first two games of the tournament were played in front of public crowds.

Late Wednesday night the NBA announced it was suspending the season amid the pandemic. Utah Jazz players Rudy Robert and Donovan Mitchell have tested positive for COVID-19.

Additionally MLS has announced they too will be suspending the season.

The ACC, SEC, Big 12, PAC-12, MAC, AAC, WAC, A-10, C-USA and Ivy League tournaments have all been cancelled as well. The Big East is still deciding on how to proceed, but a game is currently underway at Madison Square Garden. There is still no word as to whether or not the NCAA Tournament will be played. As of now the plan is to play the event without fans.

We will have more on this story as it develops.

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: Coronavirus Chaos

Reacting live to the latest Coronavirus news. And some MSU football recruiting talk.

Wil and Matt are recording while the news drops that the NBA has suspended the season. They talk about the potential coronavirus impact on college sports and then talk about MSU football recruiting.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Coronavirus: Charles Barkley calls for March Madness to be suspended

Should the NCAA tournament be suspended entirely due to the threat of coronavirus?

NCAA president Mark Emmert announced on Wednesday in a statement that all men’s and women’s NCAA tournament games would be played in empty stadiums to try and curb the spread of coronavirus – but in the wake of the NBA’s decision to suspend the season entirely following the positive test of a player, more drastic action may need to be taken to keep players safe.

NBA legend Charles Barkley, who serves as a college basketball analyst during the tournament, bristled at the idea of keeping fans out of stadiums and the idea of canceling the Olympics in an interview with Dan Patrick just a few days ago. As the threat level continues to rise, however, Barkley has shifted his stance considerably, and during an appearance on Get Up, Barkley called on his own employers to move toward suspending the NCAA tournament “until we know more.”

“I’m going to say this and I’m probably going to get in trouble, because I work for Turner and March Madness and CBS. I think Turner Sports and CBS got to close down March Madness, man. You can’t have these players – even if there’s no fans in the stadium – you can’t have these players breathing on each other for two weeks. Even if they’re at a hotel, they’re going to be in different cities around the country. I hate to say it. I probably shouldn’t say it because I work for CBS. I think we’re going to have to shut down March Madness until we know more.

…. I just think the right thing to do is say ‘hey guys, let’s break this thing off.’ [Windhorst], you had a great point. We might pick it up in a couple weeks with March Madness, but right now we need to take a pause, let the doctors do their thing. But the first thing we need to do is see who all is infected! That’s the thing that’s scary about this whole thing. Nobody knew Rudy Gobert was infected until 24 hours ago, and he’s been in six or seven states the last two weeks. We need to get everybody – [including] the TV announcers who travel with these NBA teams and these college teams – we need to take a step back and say ‘hey guys, before we do anything, we’re going to test every single player in college and pros, and then we’ll get back to you on what’s next.'”

Several conference tournaments announced on Wednesday that doors will be closed to fans (after opening the tournament in front of crowds), including the ACC, SEC, Big East and Pac-12 – and it’s possible that some of those tournaments could be cancelled entirely on Thursday.

ESPN’s Jay Bilas also called for the tournament to be suspended, noting that it would be a bad look for the NCAA to have players on the court when the NBA has suspended its season.

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University of Texas to ban all fans from attending sporting events

With the recent pandemic concerning the COVID-19 (coronavirus), the Big 12 conference and the University of Texas released rulings.

With the recent rulings by the NCAA concerning the tournament amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Texas has also made their announcement.

This comes on the heels of the Big 12 limited fans from attending the Big 12 tournament currently taking place in Kansas City, Missouri. Per Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowles, schools will be limited to 125 fans per school.

Texas President Greg Fenves released an announcement regarding Spring Break.

I am writing to announce that I have decided to extend spring break for students by one week in response to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Classes will resume on campus on Monday, March 30, and students should plan on returning prior to that date.

The university will remain open, and the additional week of spring break will provide UT faculty and staff members time to prepare to increase “social distancing” on campus. As recommended by public health officials, social distancing provides guidelines through which individuals avoid group settings and mass gatherings, maintain a safe distance from others and follow good personal hygiene practices whenever possible.

COVID-19 represents a serious public health concern. UT is committed to the well-being of our community members and slowing the spread of the coronavirus while also supporting our students’ educational goals and the needs of staff and faculty members and students during these challenging times.

You can read the full release from President Fenves here.

The school pushing back spring break to March 30th brings into question the start of spring practice. The original start date was set for March 25th. The ban of attending home sporting events would last to the 22nd so that would not have factored in. However, the extension of spring break does.

We will monitor the situation and report the facts as they are made available.

NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will not have fans in attendance due to coronavirus

NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will not include fans due to coronavirus concerns.

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA has announced that the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be held next week, but without fans in attendance.

Statement from the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel on NCAA events

The NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel recognizes the fluidity of COVID-19 and its impact on hosting events in a public space. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in the United States, and behavioral risk mitigation strategies are the best option for slowing the spread of this disease. This is especially important because mildly symptomatic individuals can transmit COVID-19. Given these considerations, coupled with a more unfavorable outcome of COVID-19 in older adults – especially those with underlying chronic medical conditions – we recommend against sporting events open to the public. We do believe sport events can take place with only essential personnel and limited family attendance, and this protects the players, employees, and fans.

Notre Dame Plays on ACC Tournament’s Last Normal Night

Notre Dame began its ACC tournament run against Boston College on Wednesday with fans in attendance at Greensboro Coliseum.

Notre Dame began its ACC tournament run against Boston College on Wednesday with fans in attendance at Greensboro Coliseum. The crowd was sparse, which is expected during the early rounds of these conference tourneys, especially when marquee programs aren’t involved. That’s not a knock on the Irish, but let’s just say the basketball program has a long way to go to catch up with the football program in prestige.

At the same time, it’s fair to say the coronavirus pandemic might also have affected the crowd size. And it’s that very pandemic that likely will prevent any fans from attending the rest of the tournament. As of this writing, no official word had come down yet, but speculation on Twitter suggests the ACC will follow the Big Ten, Big 12 and others in banning fans from the rest of their tournament games.

Coupled with no fans being allowed at the NCAA tournament at all, this surely was the last night of normal college basketball of the season at the Division I level. Even if the Irish receive an NIT invite and a home game, the prospect of fans inside Purcell Pavilion for it is looking less likely. They should be likely they had the opportunity to play Wednesday’s game in front of anyone from the general public.

We’re undoubtedly living in the most uncertain time to be a sports fan in our lifetimes. Thursday and beyond will confirm that. It’s unfortunate it had to happen during the time of year everyone is focused on college basketball. Alas, as the song goes, que sera sera.