March Madness Canceled Over Coronavirus Pandemic

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The NCAA has canceled all winter and spring championships over the coronavirus pandemic.

The NCAA released the following statement:

"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 the spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decision by other entities."

NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships: https://t.co/qzKAS4McEI pic.twitter.com/G6XreZx35E
— NCAA (@NCAA) March 12, 2020

In addition to March Madness for the men, the cancellation includes the women's basketball tournament, College World Series and Women's College World Series.

Earlier in the day, every major conference canceled its league basketball tournament in a sweeping set of announcements. Conferences then began canceling participation of all spring sports on and off campuses.

The news comes after Duke and Kansas, two college basketball powerhouses, announced they would be suspending all athletic activities.

Originally, the NCAA announced it would be going fanless for its tournaments in an effort to limit coronavirus exposure.

But then came the cascade of regular season suspensions for pro sports league. It started with the NBA on Wednesday night, followed by the NHL, MLS and MLB on Thursday.