March Madness 2020: Coronavirus Concerns Force Cancellation Of Ivy League Conference Tournament

The 2020 NCAA Tournament doesn’t start until next week, but the coronavirus is already having an impact on March Madness. The Ivy League announced Tuesday that it has canceled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

“With the health of students as well as the campus and the general community in mind, the Ivy League Presidents have decided to cancel the upcoming Ivy League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. The League’s regular-season champions, Princeton women and Yale men, are the automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Tournaments,” read a statement issued by the league.

“The decision has been made in accordance with the guidance of public health and medical professionals to discourage and limit large gatherings on campuses in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.”

The conference tournament would have given the top four teams in the Ivy League a chance to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Lavietes Pavilion in Boston was scheduled to host the Ivy League Tournament Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Princeton, Harvard and Penn are seeded No.2-No.4 in the men’s conference. Penn, Yale and Columbia are the second, third and fourth seeds in the women’s Ivy League.

“We understand and share the disappointment with student-athletes, coaches and fans who will not be able to participate in these tournaments,” Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris said in a statement. “Regrettably, the information and recommendations presented to us from public health authorities and medical professionals have convinced us that this is the most prudent decision.”

The annual Ivy League Tournament began in 2017.

The Men's NCAA Tournament begins on March 17 and March 18 with two games each night. The Round of 64 is set to start on March 19 with 16 games.

The Women’s NCAA Tournament starts on March 20.