ACC, Big Ten, SEC Among Conferences to Cancel CBB Tournaments Amid Coronavirus

Several conferences canceled their men's basketball conference tournaments Thursday amid concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus.  

The following is a list of the conferences that have canceled their tourneys thus far, including all the Power 5 conferences:

• ACC
• Big Ten
• Big 12
• Pac-12
• SEC
• American Athletic Conference
• Atlantic-10
• Big East
• Colonial
• Conference USA
• MAAC
• MAC
• WAC

The ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC released the following statements regarding the decisions:

Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported on the A-10 cancellation, while CBS Sports reported on the AAC. Paul Myerberg of USA Today reported on the WAC, MAC, Colonial Conference and Conference USA canceling their tournaments as well.

The MAAC was one of the final holdouts before announcing it had canceled its basketball tournament, and spring sporting events will be canceled effective Friday.

The Big East tournament was continuing forward without fans until making the decision to cancel at halftime of the game between Creighton and St. John's.

The announcements came one day after the NCAA announced that the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments would be played without fans in attendance.

Of the aforementioned conferences, all but the AAC had already begun their conference tournaments. It is unclear how the cancellations will impact the selection of the NCAA tournament field.

Every conference in Division I basketball awards an automatic NCAA tournament spot to the winners of the conference tournaments, but most of the biggest conferences will not have a tournament champion.

The ACC and SEC announced that regular-season champions Florida State and Kentucky will receive their respective automatic NCAA tournament bids. Also, the Pac-12 announced that Oregon will receive its automatic NCAA tournament bid.

As of now, the men's and women's NCAA tournaments are set to go forward without fans in attendance, as NCAA president Mark Emmert announced in a statement Wednesday:

"While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States. This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed."

The NBA announced the suspension of its season Wednesday after the Utah Jazz announced that a player had tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, All-Star center Rudy Gobert is the player who tested positive. The Jazz announced that another player tested positive Thursday, and Charania reported that it was All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Among other major sports, the NHL has yet to suspend its season, but it advised teams to cancel morning skates, practices and team meetings Thursday.

NHL games are still scheduled to be played Thursday, but at least one of the games will be played without fans, as the Columbus Blue Jackets will follow a mandate by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for spectators to not attend sporting events.

The XFL is also scheduled to move ahead with its four-game slate this weekend, although the Seattle Dragons announced their home game against the L.A. Wildcats will be played without fans.

Per CNN, the coronavirus has been determined a pandemic by the World Health Organization, with more than 124,500 confirmed cases worldwide and over 4,600 deaths. There are over 1,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States.