Big Ten men’s basketball conference tournament canceled due to coronavirus

The remainder of the Big Ten men’s basketball conference tournament, which started Wednesday night in Indianapolis, has been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The conference made an official announcement Thursday morning after the NCAA decided the day before that March Madness would be played without fans in the stands.

“The Big Ten Conference announced today that it will be canceling the remainder of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, effective immediately,” a statement reads. “The Big Ten Conference will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The 14-team conference tournament tipped off Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse with Minnesota beating Northwestern and Indiana taking down Nebraska. Four more games were slated to be played Thursday, including a matchup between Michigan and Rutgers at 11 a.m. CT.

Other conferences, including the ACC, SEC, Pac-12 and Atlantic 10, have also canceled their tournaments. The NCAA Tournament bracket is set to be announced Sunday before play begins next Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.