Sun Belt Conference cancels basketball tournament amid coronavirus concerns

The Sun Belt Conference has decided to cancel the remaining games of both its men's and women's basketball tournament. The announcement comes an hour after the conference decided to hold the tournament without fans in the arena. "After further discussion with the Presidents and Chancellors and Directors of Athletics and mounting concerns surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Sun Belt Conference has decided to cancel the remaining games of the 2020 Sun Belt Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships scheduled for March 14-15 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans," the conference said in a statement Thursday morning. The tournament began on Tuesday and Wednesday with games being played at the arenas of Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Texas-Arlington in Arlington, Texas. Troy's women's basketball team was the No. 1 seed, and the Trojans were slated to begin play on Saturday against Louisiana in the tournament's semifinals. The Sun Belt Conference joins a growing list of conferences, such as the Big 10, the SEC, and the Big 12 who have decided to cancel their post-season tournaments amid concerns of the coronavirus pandemic.