March has never seen such madness.
The NCAA made the difficult and unprecedented decision Wednesday to ban fans from attending its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic. Essential staff and family will be permitted to attend the games, though the NCAA will continue to monitor the crisis and make changes as needed.
“While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. “This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes.”
Before the NBA announced it was suspending its season following the revelation of Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert testing positive for the virus, Emmert stressed the priority being placed on allowing teams to continue playing.
The men’s Final Four appears certain to move from the Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to a smaller venue, such as a nearby college arena, while the first- and second-round sites will not change. The regional sites — including Madison Square Garden, and Houston, where its mayor has canceled or postponed all city-related events this month — are also expected to remain the same, but every decision is subject to change in the rapidly changing environment.
Tickets purchased for the NCAA Tournament will be refunded.
“The one thing we have to make sure of is that these young men and women get to compete in a championship,” the NCAA president said to Sports Illustrated and The Athletic prior to the announcement the NBA would suspend its season. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime for them, and many of them will only get one crack at this. So if we can do the games without fans, it’s hardly ideal. But it’s way better than not having the championship games.
“As long as college sports goes on and college athletes get to play, and we can do it by controlling the environment as effectively as possible, we feel fine if we can continue to make that work. If that changes and the environment gets considerably worse, we will adjust.”
Who besides players, coaches and referees will be able to be at games? “Essential staff” includes at least a limited number of arena employees, security, medical personnel, CBS and Turner Sports’ broadcasting partners and an undetermined number of media members. Parents of players are certain to get clearance, but which other relatives may be allowed had not been decided.
“It is daunting, because of the scale of people whose lives are impacted directly,” Emmert said. “There’s casual fans and there are fans who can’t imagine not seeing their team play. But it’s also the case that we’re making a clear statement about public health. We know that we have a special responsibility … to take extra care.”
The NCAA had formed an advisory panel to assess the increasing danger and most conference tournaments began with no restrictions regarding who could enter an arena, though major conferences like the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC announced late Wednesday they would continue play without fans present.
Coronavirus was officially declared a pandemic on Wednesday, having afflicted more than 100,000 people worldwide in at least 83 countries, including more than 1,000 in the United States. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recommended against large crowds at sporting events while speaking Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
“Obviously it’s a little shocking right now, but I think they’re doing what they think they need to do to still run the tournament,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “I think they’re being proactive and let’s make sure we can run the best tournament possible.”
Even with the absence of the incredible atmospheres at each site, Villanova coach Jay Wright said he understood the decision and still expected great games.
“When we play those preseason scrimmages, Villanova’s playing North Carolina, it’s a pretty big game and the competition is still high level,” Wright said. “The fans don’t affect the competitiveness.”
For seniors like Myles Powell, the scene won’t be as he imagined. But the dream still remains.
“You gotta go out there and play. Fans in there or not, for you to move on you gotta win and I’m not trying to have my senior year end early,” the Seton Hall star said. “I know for sure I’m gonna have my guys ready to play. I don’t care if we gotta play outside in the park. We gotta be ready.”