The ACC has canceled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments due to coronavirus fears. Florida State, the regular-season conference champion, will get the conference’s automatic bid in the event that the NCAA’s national tournament continues as scheduled.
“Following additional consultation with the league’s presidents and athletic directors, and in light of the continued conversations surrounding the fluidity of COVID-19, the Atlantic Coast Conference will immediately cancel the remainder of the 2020 ACC Tournament,” a statement from the conference read. “We are disappointed for our student-athletes, schools, and fans to have to make this decision; however, the overall health and safety of all involved is the priority.”
(Obviously not the most important thing, but does this mean that last night’s UNC game never really happened?)
March Madness games are still on—for now—but they’ll be played in mostly empty arenas. The NCAA announced yesterday that the remaining postseason games for all college sports will take place “with only essential personnel and limited family attendance.”
The National Basketball Association suspended its season Wednesday indefinitely after Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. College sports conferences like the SEC, the Big Ten, and the Big Twelve have also canceled their tournaments.
In addition, the USL, the league in which North Carolina FC plays, has suspended its season, too. The Carolina Hurricanes’ season might be over as well, at least for now. The NHL has scheduled a press conference at 1:30 p.m. to announce the league’s plan for the rest of the season.
UPDATE: The National Hockey League has paused its season. It’s not an outright cancellation — league officials say the ultimate goal is for teams to finish up the remainder of the season. That would be good news for the Carolina Hurricanes, who are sitting in a wild card playoff spot.
The Major League Soccer season has also been suspended for 30 days.
This is a developing story.
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