NCAA cancels March Madness

March 12, 2020
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

There will be no March Madness in 2020.

It was announced Thursday afternoon that both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments had been canceled in response to growing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

The move comes a day after the NBA suspended its season and on the same day in which MLB, MLS, the NHL and other pro leagues suspended operations. Earlier on Thursday, the Big Ten and other major conferences canceled their conference tournaments. The Big Ten went on to release a statement that canceled all sports activities for the remainder of the spring semester.

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez released a statement in response to the Big Ten’s decision.

“It goes without saying that our department is taking the COVID-19 situation very seriously,” Alvarez stated. “The safety and well-being of our student-athletes, staff and fans is our highest priority. We fully support the Big Ten Conference’s move to cancel conference-related sports events and activities for the remainder of the school year.”
 
On Wednesday, the university itself announced it was suspending face-to-face classes on campus beginning March 23 — the day classes were due to resume after spring break. That will continue until at least April 10.

As for the Wisconsin basketball team, it finished the season 21-10 and on an eight-game winning streak. The Badgers claimed a share of the Big Ten title for the first time in five years. They are expected to return the entire rotation except for senior Brevin Pritzl. Coach Greg Gard will also add the No. 3 recruiting class in the Big Ten that is made up of six players, including four-star forward Ben Carlson.