The Southeastern Conference, Big 12, and Big Ten have all elected to halt their basketball tournaments. The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament started on Wednesday at Sprint Center in Kansas City with two games. A decision was made to allow fans to enter the arena for those games. The conference then decided that the remainder of the tournament would be played with only “essential” staff allowed into the arena. The Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament was scheduled to begin play today at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
Here is the official statement from the SEC
Based on the latest developments and the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Southeastern Conference today announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville.
“We understand that this decision will be disappointing to our student-athletes and coaches who have been preparing all season to compete in this event as well as viewers at home,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “While this was not an easy decision, the health and well-being of our entire SEC community is of paramount importance.”
The SEC’s regular season champion, the University of Kentucky, will be awarded the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The SEC will provide additional updates on other scheduled SEC championship events as they become available. The SEC reminds everyone to be attentive to everyday preventive actions identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov).