Charles Barkley: ‘I Think We’re Going to Have to Shut Down March Madness'

CBS March Madness analyst Charles Barkley appeared on ESPN's "Get Up" and advocated for the cancelation of the NCAA Tournament as the coronavirus outbreak continues to rock the world.

As of right now, the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball tournaments will be played without spectators. The men's tournament will be played in 14 cities. The 68-team men's field is scheduled to be announced on Sunday before the tournament begins with the First Four on March 17th and 18th in Dayton, Ohio. The Final Four will be held from April 4th to 6th in Atlanta.

"I give Adam Silver a lot of credit, man. Let's shut this thing down and try to figure it out. I'm gonna say this and I'm probably going to get in trouble because I work for Turner, March Madness and CBS. I think Turner Sports and CBS need to close down March Madness, man...Because, even if there's no fans in the stands, you can't have these players breathing on each other for two weeks. Even if they had a hotel, they're going to be in different cities around the country. I hate to say it...like I said, I probably shouldn't say it because I work for CBS, I think we’re going to have to shut down March Madness until we know more."

Legendary college basketball analyst Dick Vitale echoed Barkley's sentiment on Thursday. 

"I wasn’t surprised with the decision by the NCAA to announce that the games would be played [without] fans but I am surprised that the games would even be played," Vitale wrote on Twitter.

Barkley's comments come the morning after the NBA announced its decision to suspend its season until further notice and Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. Gobert was reportedly feeling strong and stable despite the positive test. 

The World Health Organization declared a pandemic on Wednesday. The virus has infected more than 127,000 people in at least 111 countries.