2020 CBI Tournament Canceled Amid Coronavirus Concerns

The 2020 College Basketball Invitational has been canceled out of concerns regarding the coronavirus. 

The Gazelle Group released an official statement on the decision:

This action comes after the Ivy League canceled both the men's and women's basketball tournaments in the conference. 

As of Wednesday, 31 people have died in the United States as a result of COVID-19 with 1,000 confirmed cases nationwide, per CNN.com.

A variety of sporting events have been canceled worldwide to prevent the spread of the respiratory illness, while others have been played without spectators.

No changes have yet been made to the Division I NCAA tournaments, but the governing body announced Tuesday it will make a decision in the coming days.

As Dana O'Neil of The Athletic noted, the NCAA runs March Madness and the National Invitation Tournament but not the CBI.

The College Basketball Invitational only began in 2008 and features teams that were not selected to either the NCAA tournament or NIT. The field often features a variety of small schools and larger programs, including those without a winning record.

South Florida is the reigning champion after beating DePaul in the best-of-three finals in 2019.