DETROIT – The NCAA Tournament has become the latest major sporting event to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It seemed like only a matter of time before the college basketball tournament was officially shut down after conferences one by one canceled their own tournaments this week.
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NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships: https://t.co/p4vCzvzmvo pic.twitter.com/yqAHak4HO5
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) March 12, 2020
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The Big Ten allowed fans to attend the first-round games Wednesday before announcing the rest of the tournament would be played in an empty Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. But minutes before the first Thursday game between Michigan and Rutgers, Big Ten officials canceled the event altogether.
The NBA suspended its season Wednesday night after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for cornavirus. It was announced Thursday that teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive and that teammates thought Gobert had been “careless” in the locker room, according to ESPN.
Major League Baseball is expected to suspend spring training Friday, and the start of the regular season is likely to be delayed.
President Donald Trump announced a travel ban that includes 26 countries in Europe. The ban begins at 11:59 a.m. Friday and will continue for 30 days, the president said.
Colleges across the country canceled in-person classes due to the spread of the virus, citing a hope to create “social distancing.” Many are electing to proceed with online-only classes this month and beyond.