UPDATED: No Fans Allowed At NCAA Tournament and Big Ten Tournament

NCAA and Big Ten Conference announcements mean Illinois will play its remaining postseason games in front of a mostly empty arena.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament will be played in front of a majority of empty seats due to concerns of COVID-19 novel coronavirus epidemic that has seen events involving large crowds to be postponed or cancelled.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon that upcoming championship tournaments and events will be played “with only essential staff and limited family attendance.”

Emmert’s statement reads as follows:

"The NCAA continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 in consultation with public health officials and our COVID-19 advisory panel. Based on their advice and my discussions with the NCAA Board of Governors, I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance. While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States. This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”

Hours before Emmert’s statement barring fans from NCAA tournament games, Ohio governor Mike DeWine said he would issue an order barring spectators from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament First Four games in Dayton and first round games in Cleveland scheduled for next week.

(UPDATED): The Big Ten Conference initially announced its men’s basketball tournament slated to begin Wednesday night would “continue to be held as scheduled” with fans allowed to attend but with media restricted from locker room access. However, just a few hours after the NCAA announcement, the Big Ten released a second statement saying the conference tournament would be “limited to student-athletes, coaches, event staff, essential team and Conference staff, TV network partners, credentialed media, and immediate family members of the participating teams" starting Thursday. 

Illinois head men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood said Wednesday he would consider it “extremely disappointing” if NCAA tournament games were restricted to fans and, as of Wednesday morning, hadn’t been in contact with officials at the Big Ten Conference or Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman about information over travel or participating in games in large venues during public health concerns over COVID-19.

An informational sign on Coronavirus is posted in a restroom at the Purcell Pavilion before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Virginia Tech Hokies :: Matt Cashore/USA TODAY Sports

Illinois (21-10, 13-7) is projected to receive an at-large berth in the 2020 NCAA tournament. Emmert’s announcement and the announcement of the Big Ten Conference mean the Illini will play the remaining of its postseason games in front of a mostly empty arena.

“I would be extremely disappointed for the fans if that were the case but those decisions are way, way above my level of understanding,” Underwood said. “It’s one of the greatest sporting events in the world so it would be very disappointing for those who couldn’t attend or watch.”

Illinois sophomore guard and leading scorer Ayo Dosunmu was asked Wednesday morning playing NCAA tournament games, which would be his first NCAA postseason in his college career, with limited fans and compared it to an “open gym”.

“It will be like open gym, I guess,” Dosunmu said. “I never really thought about that. I’d still try to go out there and try to win the game. I love the fans, but we’ve got to play regardless."