Sports Desk- Sports games are being suspended worldwide after the World Health Organization declared coronavirus (COVID-19) an epidemic. Now NCAA has canceled the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The NCAA announced Thursday that the NCAA Tournament has been canceled amid concern over the coronavirus.
NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division 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 the spread of the pandemic.
NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships: https://t.co/qzKAS4McEI pic.twitter.com/G6XreZx35E
— NCAA (@NCAA) March 12, 2020
The decision followed earlier decisions by college basketball’s major conferences to cancel their tournaments. Duke and Kansas said that they were suspending all athletic competitions indefinitely; the ACC conference did the same.
The NCAA had previously announced that the basketball tournaments would take place only in front of essential staff and limited family members – no crowds. But conferences around the country, including the AAC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC and Atlantic 10 (among others) began canceling their league basketball tournaments Thursday morning amid growing concern over the coronavirus.
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