The NCAA has canceled the March Madness basketball games for men and women because of concerns over large gatherings with the coronavirus outbreak.
The organization issued a statement Wednesday afternoon:
Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.
The University of Kansas and Duke University had earlier announced that they had canceled all athletic travel until further notice.
The cancellation of all spring championships means there will be no regional baseball tournaments and no College World Series in Omaha this year.
