As conferences cancel tournaments, NCAA Tournament could be postponed

Due to ongoing concerns about the coronavirus, most of the conference tournaments were canceled ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

While the NCAA waits to decide what to do with moving forward with the NCAA Tournament, conferences are taking matters into their own hands and canceling them.

The Big Ten, SEC and AAC got the ball rolling with their announcements on Thursday morning and was quickly followed by most other conferences, with the exception of the Big East who saw St. John’s and Creighton in action.

Many conferences released statements early Thursday announcing the cancellation of their end-of-season tournaments, which results in an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, with concerns of the coronavirus escalating and the NBA suspending their season, the decision was made to exercise caution.

With the cancellation of the conference tournaments, the concern is now the NCAA Tournament will be postponed.

With major leagues like the NBA and Major League Soccer canceling or postponing their seasons, it’s no shock to see the NCAA and its conferences taking preventive measures.

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.

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