Big Ten tournament to play remaining games without fans
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The Big Ten men’s basketball tournament will be played in front of no fans.
Less than an hour after tipoff between Minnesota and Northwestern, Big Ten officials reversed course and announced that games starting Thursday will no longer be open to the general public due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The decision came a little more than two hours after the NCAA announced it would play without fans at its annual March Madness tournament.
NCAA tournaments to be restricted to families, essential staff only
Beginning with the noon game between Michigan and Rutgers, the Big Ten tournament will be limited to players, coaches, event staff, essential team and conference staff members, TV network partners, credentialed media and immediate family of the participating teams.
A bottle of hand sanitizer sits on the media table before an NCAA college basketball semifinal game between Maryland and Indiana at the Big Ten Conference tournament, Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Indianapolis.[AP Photo/Darron Cummings]
The Gophers defeated Northwestern Wednesday night and will face No. 25 Iowa in Thursday’s second-round game.