March Sadness: NCAA Tournament Now Cancelled

GAINESVILLE, FL — March Madness has turned into March Sadness for college basketball fands.

After first saying it would host the annual March NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament but not allow spectators, NCAA officials has revised its stance and canceled the tournament Thursday.

The first and second round games of the 2020 tournament were scheduled to be played at Amalie Arena in Tampa Thursday, March 19, and Saturday, March 21.

The University of Florida Gators were already out of tournament contention after the Southeastern Conference canceled the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament March 11-15 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier Thursday.

The SEC's regular season champion, the University of Kentucky, would have automatically gone on to the NCAA Tournament.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the decision was based on the latest developments and the continued spread of the coronavirus.

"We understand that this decision will be disappointing to our student-athletes and coaches who have been preparing all season to compete in this event as well as viewers at home," said Sankey. "While this was not an easy decision, the health and well-being of our entire SEC community is of paramount importance."

The SEC consists of 14 universities including the University of Florida in Gainesville, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

The University of Florida was prepared for the announcement.

Provost Joe Glover sent a memo to academic deans Thursday recommending that instructors move their courses from face-to-face delivery to electronic delivery effective immediately, wherever possible.

"While this is not a requirement at this time, there is a strong probability that it will become a requirement before the end of the spring semester, and so instructors are encouraged to transition now," he said.

Online classes will begin Monday.

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Student athletes and other students who must remain on campus will still have access to Gator Dining, health facilities and other support services.

Home athletics events will continue to be broadcast and have media coverage.

The Gators Ticket Office will automatically refund all ticket purchases for events scheduled to take place March 13 to March 30. Refunds will be processed back to the form of payment used for the original purchase. All purchasers will be contacted once the refund is processed.

The Gators football team, which will begin spring practice March 13, will close its practices to the public.

"The university will make every effort to be considerate of instructor and student concerns during this unprecedented situation," said Glover. "Instructors are strongly encouraged to be similarly considerate of student concerns."

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