The Sun Belt Conference on Thursday canceled the remaining games of its 2020 men’s and women’s basketball championships, citing growing concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19). The decision affects South Alabama and the rest of the league’s member institutions.
The conference said the move followed further discussion with its presidents and chancellors and its directors of athletics. The remaining games had been scheduled for March 14-15 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Part of a Wider Wave of Cancellations
The Sun Belt’s announcement came shortly after the Southeastern Conference said it was canceling its own men’s basketball tournament, which was being held in Nashville, Tenn.
Conference tournaments across college athletics have been under review this week as public health officials and universities respond to the spread of the virus.
NCAA Tournament Status Uncertain
The fate of the NCAA basketball tournaments remained unclear Thursday. A day earlier, the NCAA said its championships would go forward, but with attendance limited to essential staff and media. The latest round of conference cancellations has raised new questions about that plan.
What It Means for South Alabama
South Alabama competes in the Sun Belt Conference in both men’s and women’s basketball. The Jaguars play their home games at the Mitchell Center on the university’s Mobile campus.
Further updates on the postseason and on the status of other spring sports were expected from the conference, the NCAA and South Alabama athletics in the coming days.
Update: All Sun Belt Competition Suspended
Later Thursday, the Sun Belt Conference announced that regular-season competition and conference championships in all sports are suspended indefinitely because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The move affects all South Alabama spring sports.
The conference said the decision was made in consultation with its presidents, chancellors and directors of athletics to protect the health and wellness of student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans.
The NCAA also canceled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments Thursday.
Earlier Thursday: Plan for Limited Attendance
Before the cancellation, the Sun Belt had announced earlier Thursday that the semifinal and championship rounds in New Orleans would go on with attendance restricted to student-athletes, coaches, essential staff, officials, broadcast network staff, credentialed media and limited immediate family members of the participating teams.
Under that plan, the conference and the Smoothie King Center said they would follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, discourage high-risk individuals from attending even if they qualified for the exception, clean and sanitize common areas, locker rooms and media areas frequently, post CDC prevention information throughout the arena, use the videoboard and public address announcer to remind fans about social distancing, hand washing and sanitizer stations, keep locker rooms closed to credentialed media, and keep emergency medical services on site.
