2020 Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament canceled over coronavirus outbreak
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The 2020 Mid-American Conference men’s basketball tournament will determine which team gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The 2020 Mid-American men’s basketball tournament began March 9 and was set to run through March 14 in Texas but was canceled over the coronavirus.
Each of the conference’s 12 teams made the tournament, though the tournament was canceled.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COLLEGE BASKETBALL COVERAGE
“We have been meeting all morning with our directors of athletics, with our presidents, talking about what is the appropriate path forward. We've also been paying attention to what is going on around us both in the world at large and the sports world, and as you started to see this morning, you've seen another -- a number of conferences have made the decision to cancel. We have come to the same conclusion and we are canceling our event,” MAC commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher said in a statement.
“It is incredibly disappointing in terms of the kids having a chance to compete further because I know this is a pinnacle event and is something they look forward to, but simply from a public health standpoint, this seems the appropriate course of action.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The NCAA later canceled the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments over the coronavirus pandemic that has swept the globe and put all of American sports on lockdown.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
“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 decisions by other entities,” the NCAA said.