Will the NCAA Tournament be canceled due to the coronavirus?
By Staff
Due to the concerns surrounding the coronavirus, it’s not out the question that an unprecedented move to cancel the NCAA Tournament happens.
Canceling the NCAA Tournament is an option amid concerns over the coronavirus. The NCAA is moving forward with the NCAA Tournament without fans being in attendance. According to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, the NCAA may not just take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but the entire tournament may be canceled.
Canceling the tournament is the worst-case scenario for the NCAA. No one wants that to happen and the outcry from players, especially those in the last year of their eligibility will be extreme. It’s already begun in the Ivy League where the men’s and women’s conference tournaments were canceled.
Stadium’s Jeff Goodman reported a little less than two hours after Dodd that a source tells him canceling the tournament and postponing it are options. Right now, it’s just continuing without fans, but things can change quickly.
A postponement that would delay the start, but potentially, allow the games to take place with fans in the stands appears to be the middle ground scenario. The logistics in play resulting in postponing 68 teams playing games across the country would be a massive nightmare. But it would keep everyone safe.
The morning after the NBA suspended the season, canceling March Madness is now the betting favorite, according to Bovada. Canceling the NCAA Tournament is getting -240 odds while it continuing is getting +175 odds.
Yahoo’s Charles Robinson tweets the NCAA has a massive “rainy day fund” in case the tournament is canceled.
Either decision is an unprecedented one.
While MLB fans have seen a season where the World Series was canceled due to a player strike and NHL fans have seen a season without a Stanley Cup winner due to a lockout, the NCAA Tournament could be the next major sporting event to end abruptly without a champion being crowned.
The novel coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes, first emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The virus spreads similarly to influenza, with sneezing and coughing as the primary vectors of infection. To date, more than 90,000 cases have been confirmed in more than 70 countries worldwide, including the United States. The World Health Organization declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Jan. 30 and countries have implemented curfews, travel bans and mandatory quarantines to help prevent its spread.
For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.
For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.