Big 12 basketball tournaments are canceled before Thursday’s games in Kansas City
The Big 12 entered Thursday intending to contest its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments without fans in the stands. Before the first tip off, the games were called off.
For the first time in the 44-year history of the conference’s postseason tournament, the event was canceled because of concerns related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The Big 12 was one of several major conferences to pull the plug on its tournaments Thursday. The men were beginning their second day at Sprint Center. The women were opening their event at Municipal Auditorium.
“I feel terrible for the seniors that are involved in this tournament,” commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. “I feel particularly bad for the players...
“In the interest in heeding the advice we were hearing ... cancellation was the right outcome.”
A day earlier, the Big 12 announced tournament games would be played without most spectators in the stands. Only family members and media would be in the buildings along with the teams.
But as events unfolded Thursday, the decision to cancel was being formed. The league was influenced by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who issued a state of emergency, forcing all events with more than 1,000 people to cancel.
Bowlsby said he expected that NCAA president Mark Emmert will follow the suit of the Big 12 and other conferences that canceled tournaments when it comes to the future of this month’s NCAA Tournament.
That became a reality later Thursday when the NCAA canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring championships.
“I suppose that it will,” Bowlsby said. “I just think it’s emblematic of the circumstances we find ourselves in.”
Bowlsby said there was a collective feeling of sadness when he discussed cancellation with Big 12 athletic directors.
“Everybody gets jazzed up for this tournament,” he said.
Bowlsby said he was not aware of any positive tests for Big 12 staff, coaches or players but said the conference can play a part in minimizing the spread of the virus by canceling the tournament. The Big 12 has suspended all conference championships through April 15 and all regular-season competitions, on- and off-campus recruiting, and out-of-season practices until March 29.
The tournament cancellation will be felt financially by the Big 12 and Kansas City. The league gains $6 million to $7 million annually on basketball tournament ticket revenue, Bowlsby said.
The economic impact on the city and region — mostly money spent on hotels, restaurants and bars — has been estimated at $13 million to $14 million.
The Southeastern, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, American Athletic, Atlantic-10, Conference USA, Mid-American and Western Athletic conferences also canceled their basketball tournaments Thursday. On Tuesday, the Ivy League was the first to cancel its tournament.
Before the NCAA Tournament announcement, Kansas and Duke were among schools that announced Thursday they were suspending all athletic activities. Blue Devils athletic director Kevin White is chairman of the men’s basketball selection committee.
The Big East Tournament tipped off New York with Creighton meeting St. John’s. But at halftime, the game and the tournament were canceled.
The Big 12 and several other leagues had announced plans Wednesday night to play tournaments without the general public in the stands. Later that night, the NBA announced its season will be suspended after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the virus.
College basketball wasn’t the only sport to suspend or cancel competition. The National Hockey League suspended its season as did Major League Soccer. Major League Baseball is expected to suspend spring training.
On Wednesday, the Big 12 men’s tourney opened with victories by Oklahoma State and Kansas State in first round games. On Thursday, Kansas, the nation’s top-ranked team, was supposed to play its first game against the Cowboys with the Wildcats taking on second-seeded Baylor later in the day.
For now, college basketball is off. And possibly for the 2019-20 season.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Big 12 basketball tournaments are canceled before Thursday’s games in Kansas City."
