The NCAA Board of Governors, led by president Mark Emmert, announced the cancellation of Division I men's and women's tournaments and championships for the remainder of 2020 season Thursday afternoon.
The cancellation is in response to growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19, or the new coronavirus.
"This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given the ongoing decisions by other entities," the statement said.
The cancellation will affect events such as the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments, the College World Series, the Women's College World Series, and the NCAA wrestling tournament as well as others.
The Pac-12 canceled its men's basketball tournament earlier Thursday morning.
For both the Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments, each was originally moving to continue their tournaments with only essential staff and limited family and friends, with the Pac-12 also allowing TV networks and credentialed media.
Earlier this afternoon, ASU athletics moved to cancel "all sport competitions, effective immediately, until further notice" in a statement released by the department.
Men's head basketball coach Bobby Hurley reacted on Twitter by requesting that affected teams receive "recognition for their season’s success" by announcing the would-be NCAA tournament brackets on Sunday.
Hurley said he respects the "decision to put everyone’s safety first."
Reach the reporter at jhorst2@asu.edu and follow @HorseySeven on Twitter.
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Jeffrey Horst is the digital editor-in-chief of The State Press. He previously served as the publication's sports editor and worked at Cronkite News and ArizonaSports.com.
