The first round of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis is as far as the men’s basketball competition will go as the conference announced Thursday that the rest of the tournament has been canceled because of the coronavirus.
The Gophers defeated Northwester 76-56 in Wednesday’s opening round and were scheduled to face Iowa around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Here’s the Big Ten’s statement:
“The Big Ten Conference announced today that it will be canceling the remainder of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, effective immediately.
“The Big Ten Conference will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus.”
Had the games continued, fans would not have been allowed inside the arena.
It had already been announced that the NCAA tournament for both men’s and women’s basketball would be played without fans, so the future of those tournaments now appears in jeopardy as well.
