BREAKING: NCAA Tournament Cancelled

Due to the ever changing COVID-19 pandemic, NCAA President Mark Emmert has cancelled the men's and women's NCAA tournament as well as all championships in all spring and winter sports.

In an unprecedented, yet unsurprising move, NCAA President Mark Emmert has cancelled the NCAA tournament.

The NCAA tournament has been a mainstay in March and April since 1939, but there won't be one in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The tournament was created in 1939 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and was the idea of Ohio State coach Harold Olsen. Played mostly during March, it has become one of the most famous annual sporting events in the United States. That's why the news of it being cancelled this year is so hard to swallow for fans.

But imagine being Zavier Simpson or Jon Teske. Their Michigan and collegiate careers are now over. Just like that. There are seniors across the country in their shoes but Simpson and Teske are your Wolverines. Teams grind out long, grueling seasons to make it to the dance and now, it's just gone. I can't imagine how that feels.

Juwan Howard's first season as Michigan's basketball coach is now officially over. The team finished with a 19-12 overall record and a 10-10 mark in the Big Ten. Let's not forget about the women's basketball team, which finished 21-11 overall and 10-8 in conference play. They were gearing up for a tournament run and are now also done for the year.

As a member of the media, I'm struggling to figure out what I'm going to write about or talk about. Obviously this specific topic is going to be discussed ad nauseam, but what about actual sports content. There isn't any. Not only is the basketball tournament cancelled, all other winter and spring sports have essentially been cancelled as well. 

There are so many layers to this that's it's hard to sort through right now. I keep thinking of new and different angles to discuss but it all boils down to one big bummer. Obviously the health of the nation is the most important thing, but this is such a disappointing development. March Madness is absolutely awesome. Student athletes in their respective sports are passionate and wired to love what they do — and now they can't. It's a lot to digest right now, but this is our reality right now.

What are your thoughts about it all? What discussions are you going to have over the next several weeks? Comment below!!!