# How should the NCAA be handling the the basketball tournament and the coronavirus? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 11, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271 "2020-03-11T15:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/21 "2020-03-12T16:47:12Z")
All the major basketball conferences (except the Big East) have cancelled their Men’s Basketball conference tourneys. The Big East tourney plays in Madison Square Garden in NYC - sort of nuts that that is still going on. They did have the earliest start today - I’m guessing that they cancel after this game. I’ll be shocked if the NCAA tourney isn’t cancelled or postponed. MLS, NBA and La Liga have all suspended operations for various periods of time. Expect the NHL to do the same later today - they did tell teams not to practice today. Not sure about MLB spring training games. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/22 "2020-03-12T16:50:16Z")
Jon Heyman is reporting that MLB is suspending spring training in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/23 "2020-03-12T16:52:54Z")
[Big 10 tourney’s been cancelled.](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2020/03/12/big-ten-tournament-cancellation-coronavirus/5031474002/) Actually, reading that story, it looks like several conferences have cancelled their tournaments. ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/24 "2020-03-12T16:53:54Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > All the major basketball conferences (except the Big East) have cancelled their Men’s Basketball conference tourneys. > The Big East tourney plays in Madison Square Garden in NYC - sort of nuts that that is still going on. They did have the earliest start today - I’m guessing that they cancel after this game. > > I’ll be shocked if the NCAA tourney isn’t cancelled or postponed. > > MLS, NBA and La Liga have all suspended operations for various periods of time. Expect the NHL to do the same later today - they did tell teams not to practice today. > > Not sure about MLB spring training games. Ifs an attendee at the Big East tournament later visits Grandma and passes her covid-19 — I’m sure her estate, through its lawyer, will request a huge amount of money. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/25 "2020-03-12T16:55:22Z")
> [@Tigers2B1](#): > > Ifs an attendee at the Big East tournament later visits Grandma and passes her covid-19 — I’m sure her estate, through its lawyer, will request a huge amount of money. Pretty sure they are playing without fans, but still, there’s got to be a lot of people there with four games scheduled at the Garden in one day. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/26 "2020-03-12T17:03:44Z")
And it looks like the one Big East tourney game that started at noon was cancelled at halftime. That’s it for major sports for a while, folks. I bet they cancel the PGA tourney before tomorrow (for now they said no fans starting tomorrow). NASCAR hasn’t cancelled their race for the weekend yet, but gotta imagine that is coming soon. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/27 "2020-03-12T17:15:38Z")
Huh. Looks like the MLB spring training games at 1:00 in Florida did start as scheduled. Surprised by that. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/28 "2020-03-12T17:41:22Z")
The NHL has suspended all games going forward. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/29 "2020-03-12T17:42:57Z")
NHL officially goes on hiatus. MLB suspends spring training effective tomorrow (why wait???). NASCAR says the next two races will be held without fans. What the heck am I going to watch on TV??? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/30 "2020-03-12T17:51:02Z")
Unless we want around 3% of the US population to die, we need to put a stop to large gatherings, or perhaps any gatherings for a while. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/31 "2020-03-12T18:02:33Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > NHL officially goes on hiatus. > MLB suspends spring training effective tomorrow (why wait???). > NASCAR says the next two races will be held without fans. > > What the heck am I going to watch on TV??? _Contagion_, _Outbreak,_ Zombie movies… ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/32 "2020-03-12T18:17:52Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > NHL officially goes on hiatus. > MLB suspends spring training effective tomorrow (why wait???). > NASCAR says the next two races will be held without fans. > > What the heck am I going to watch on TV??? There’s already spring training games in progress, they’re free on MLB tv. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/33 "2020-03-12T18:26:48Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > There’s already spring training games in progress, they’re free on MLB tv. Not for much longer. The Orioles’ bus just turned around a few minutes after leaving, and the Royals/Mariners game is the only game scheduled to go in the Cactus League (and I suspect it will be cancelled shortly). MLB front office announced a bit ago that they’re delaying the beginning the season, and I’d put money on spring training being cancelled by the end of the day. As for the NCAA tournament, Kansas and Duke have withdrawn from post-season play. It’s just a matter of days before the whole thing gets cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/34 "2020-03-12T18:28:41Z")
I really don’t get why the spring training games today are still going on. I know the early starts were before the announcement came out, but as one reporter wrote, “if they can cancel games for rain…”. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/35 "2020-03-12T18:29:46Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Not for much longer. The Orioles’ bus just turned around a few minutes after leaving, and the Royals/Mariners game is the only game scheduled to go in the Cactus League (and I suspect it will be cancelled shortly). I think some of the Cactus League cancellations were weather related? ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/36 "2020-03-12T18:33:12Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Unless we want around 3% of the US population to die, we need to put a stop to large gatherings, or perhaps any gatherings for a while. Oh, I totally agree. It’s just as a pretty rabid sports fan (if you want to know about which cricket matches have been cancelled, I can let you know) this is a fascinating, unprecedented time. I can’t seem to stop following the news about all this. I know sports are a tiny part of the big picture of what is going on, it’s just something that’s easy for me to relate to. Well, that, and whether my grandkids’ colleges are closing down (not yet)… ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/37 "2020-03-12T18:35:06Z")
Duke and Kansas have suspended all participation in all athletic events for the time being. That should put the nail in the coffin for the men’s tourney. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/38 "2020-03-12T18:55:12Z")
[The McLaren Formula 1 team has withdrawn from this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.mclaren-withdraw-from-the-australian-grand-prix-after-a-team-member-tests.1SdS7APKH9kjZRrrJ1RFJ3.html) after a team member tests positive for coronavirus. I’m surprised the race hadn’t been cancelled altogether, actually. The Bahrain Grand Prix will be run without spectators and the Chinese GP has been postponed indefinitely. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/39 "2020-03-12T19:41:51Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > Duke and Kansas have suspended all participation in all athletic events for the time being. That should put the nail in the coffin for the men’s tourney. Are they really going to cancel it? How many millions of dollars will be lost? Hey, Indian Wells must be hugely popular and it was cancelled. I couldn’t believe it. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271/40 "2020-03-12T20:18:59Z")
The tournament has been cancelled. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-ncaa-be-handling-the-the-basketball-tournament-and-the-coronavirus/849271.md?page=3)