Big East Plays One-Half of Quarterfinal Game Before Canceling Tournament at Halftime
The Big East has canceled its men's basketball conference tournament due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The league's decision was shared at halftime of Thursday's quarterfinals game between St. John's and Creighton at Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm held a narrow 38–35 lead over the Bluejays.
When the public address announcer at MSG shared the decision, fans were upset over the news.
The decision comes after the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC all canceled their respective tournaments on Thursday. The MAC, WAC and American Athletic Conference were also ready to kick off their respective tournaments on Thursday without fans in the stands, but those plans changed just before noon ET.
The Big East wasn't the only school to still hold games on Thursday despite other conferences canceling their tournaments. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference continued to play women's games as well.
The coronavirus outbreak has impacted sports around the globe, and the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on Wednesday. The virus has infected more than 127,000 people in at least 111 countries.
