College Basketball Players, Coaches React to Cancellation of March Madness

NCAA basketball players and coaches react to the news of the 2020 March Madness NCAA tournament being canceled.

The 2020 men's and women's NCAA tournaments have been canceled, along with all remaining winter and spring championships, the NCAA announced Thursday.

The men's tournament has been played every year since 1939. The women's tournament debuted in 1982.

The decision comes one day after the NCAA announced its plan to hold the tournament without fans in attendance. Thursday saw a wave of leagues suspending their seasons, including Major League Baseball, the NHL and Major League Soccer. Every remaining Division I college basketball conference tournament also canceled, many abruptly as games were about to tip-off.

News of the cancellations sent a wave of shock throughout those in the sports world, most notably from college basketball players themselves who had been expecting to participate in this year's NCAA tournaments.

Kentucky coach John Calipari: 

San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher:

San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher, whose Aztecs were in the mix for a No. 1 seed:
“Who knows where we’d be a month from now. Look at what happened over the last 48 hours. I think it should have been postponed and see where we are at in a month, but I understand them canceling it.”

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 12, 2020

Gonzaga coach Mark Few: 

Few: "Extremely disappointed. I think all of us felt we could postpone and even postpone into May, and if we needed to cancel we could cancel then. But if that’s what they’re doing then I guess that’s what they’re doing."

— Jim Meehan (@SRJimm) March 12, 2020

Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton: 

Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton:

“Seniors, if they want, should have another year. Special permission on scholarship numbers for an unprecedented circumstance. Next year only.”

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 12, 2020

Kansas's Devon Dotson:

Nightmare ...

— Devon Dotson⚡️ (@d_dotson1) March 12, 2020

Man no wayyyyyyyy😪

— Devon Dotson⚡️ (@d_dotson1) March 12, 2020

Duke's Tre Jones:

Doesn’t seem real still... 😪 https://t.co/PUMxThVMgC

— Tre Jones (@Tre3Jones) March 12, 2020

Duke's Cassius Stanley:

Heartbreaking but the right thing to do😕 https://t.co/c0FBcChNZB

— Cassius Stanley (@cassius_stanley) March 12, 2020

Maryland's Jalen Smith:

Woww......this can’t be real at all😪💔

— Jalen Smith (@thejalen_smith) March 12, 2020

Oregon women's coach Kelly Graves:

It appears our ‘unfinished business’ will remain just that. Disappointed but I completely understand. I love & I hurt for my team❤️ pic.twitter.com/jL5LZ6ZwVT

— Kelly Graves (@GoDucksKG) March 12, 2020

Rutgers' Geo Baker:

1991/2020 ❤️🤞 pic.twitter.com/obFwCU3Ais

— Geo Baker (@Geo_Baker_1) March 12, 2020

Northwestern women's basketball:

Incredible year. Special team.

Thank you for everyone's support. 💜#LockedN x #GoCats pic.twitter.com/Npf6sYaW3E

— Northwestern Women’s Basketball (@nuwbball) March 12, 2020

Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis:

Im sick, not just for myself but for the seniors on the team who worked so hard for this. They deserve more @ChefBoyArGreen @DDavis2016

— TJD (@TrayceJackson) March 12, 2020

Louisville's Jordan Nwora:

😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞

— Jordan Nwora (@JordanNwora) March 12, 2020

This is tough for real 💔

— Jordan Nwora (@JordanNwora) March 12, 2020

Louisville's Dwayne Sutton:

4 years gone by way too fast. Unthinkable ending. Louisville forever ❤️✍🏽 pic.twitter.com/0UWlrxI8Bn

— Dwayne Sutton (@DwayneSutton) March 12, 2020

Seton Hall's Myles Powell:

Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton:

2020, you’ve been awful. But you won’t win, we will persevere. Believe that🙏🏽

— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) March 12, 2020

Kentucky's Tyrese Maxey:

😰

— Tyrese Maxey (@TyreseMaxey) March 12, 2020

Indiana's Devonte Green:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Devonté Green (@chefboyargreen)

Kentucky's EJ Montgomery:

😢 pic.twitter.com/DQ0JQv5JVn

— EJ Montgomery (@EJMontgomery23) March 12, 2020

SEMO women's coach Rekha Patterson:

This moment 💔

SEMO women's basketball coach found out the NCAA tournament was canceled in the middle of an interview.

Her team was set to play in their first tournament in more than a decade. (via @AdamKingKFVS)pic.twitter.com/OapeJ5RPy9

— espnW (@espnW) March 12, 2020

Villanova coach Jay Wright:

So sad that we can’t enjoy March Madness with the Nova Nation . Thank you for your passion , loyalty and support . Let’s all pray for those affected by the virus and for the health services personnel treating patients .

— Jay Wright (@CoachJayWright) March 12, 2020

USC's Onyeka Okongwu:

😪💔

— Onyeka Okongwu (@BigO21_) March 12, 2020

Baylor coach Scott Drew:

Baylor coach Scott Drew just released this statement. pic.twitter.com/rCcZRVKFbV

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 13, 2020

This post will be updated.