8 — Thursday, March 12, 2020
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

ALL ‘M’ SPORTING EVENTS, INCLUDING 
NCAA TOURNAMENT, TO BE PLAYED WITHOUT 
FANS AS COVID-19 SPREADS

EVAN AARON/DAILY

BEHIND 
CLOSED DOORS

Design by Jack Silberman

Michigan sporting events, NCAA Tournament to be played without fans

As part of its action to combat 
the spread of COVID-19, the 
University announced Wednesday 
that it will be canceling all events 
on campus convening over 100 
people through April 21.
Per 
an 
official 
athletic 
department 
release, 
the 
ban 

extends to all U-M home athletic 
competitions. Those competitions 
will “be played as scheduled with 
only student-athletes, coaches, 
officials, essential personnel and 
a limit of two family members 
per participant in attendance,” 
according to the release.
“This is a rapidly evolving 
situation,” 
the 
release 
said. 
“U-M 
officials 
and 
medical 
experts, in close coordination 
with the state and local public 
health departments, are closely 

monitoring for developments and 
will offer additional guidance 
and messaging as soon as it is 
available.”
In addition to games, the 
Michigan football team’s annual 
open spring practice and the 
annual Big House 5K have both 
been cancelled. The status of 
the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics 
Championships, 
scheduled 
for April 17-18, and the CWPA 
Championships, scheduled for 
April 24-26, are both uncertain.

Due 
to 
the 
Ivy 
League 
cancelling all athletic events 
for the rest of the school year, 
additional affected events include 
the rowing team’s meet vs. 
Harvard and Yale on March 28 
as well as the water polo team’s 
games 
against 
Princeton 
on 
March 28, Brown on March 29, 
Brown on March 4, Harvard on 
April 5 and Princeton on April 10.
However, 
practices 
for 
all 
in-season Michigan teams will 
take place as scheduled with only 

essential 
personnel. 
Essential 
travel will be “addressed on 
a case-by-case basis,” per the 
release, though that does not 
extend to off-campus recruiting 
trips, which will be halted until at 
least April 21.
Fans who held single-game 
tickets will be refunded by the 
University ticket office, while 
season ticket holders will be 
partially refunded.
Additionally, this weekend’s 
Big 
Ten 
Men’s 
Basketball 

Tournament 
will 
be 
played 
without fans starting on March 
12, contrary to previous plans that 
it would go ahead with fans. The 
NCAA Tournament will also be 
played without fans, starting as 
previously planned on March 17.
Michigan hockey’s Big Ten 
semifinal game in Columbus, Ohio 
on Sunday will also be played 
without spectators, after Ohio 
Gov. Mike DeWine announced an 
order that no fans will be allowed 
at games in the state.

Big Ten Tournament to be played 
without fans, locker rooms closed

This 
season’s 
Big 
Ten 
Tournament, taking place this 
week in Indianapolis, will be 
played with no fans. Rows of 
empty seats will greet this year’s 
conference teams in an attempt to 
slow the spread of COVID-19.
In addition, reporters will not be 
allowed to enter team locker rooms 
following games at this week’s Big 
Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, 
according to a statement from 
the Big Ten Conference. The 
statement, released Wednesday 
afternoon, confirmed that the 
tournament will “continue to 
be held as scheduled,” though 
postgame 
media 
availabilities 
will be held in a larger space in an 
attempt to avoid the close confines 
of locker rooms and fans will not 
be permitted to enter the facility.
The news comes amid a flurry 
of action in response to COVID-19 
— the virus just recently classified 
as a global pandemic by the World 

Health Organization.
Instead 
of 
locker 
room 
availabilities, postgame interviews 
will be held on the practice court 
at 
Bankers 
Life 
Fieldhouse. 
Following the game, coaches and 
players will be given a 10-minute 
“cooling-off period” in their locker 
room, during which they can 
decide to forego, use only a portion 
of the allotted time or remain in 
the locker room. Following the 
cooling-off period, each team is 
required to complete 20 minutes of 
media availability.
On a global scale, sporting 
events across the world have 
been either cancelled or played 
without fans due to the virus and 
the ensuing wave of alterations 
that has hit the U.S. The Big West 
and MAC announced Tuesday 
that their conference tournaments 
would be played with no fans.
The Big Ten has stated that 
the conference tournament will 
continue but will be played without 
fans and restricted media access to 
locker rooms at this time. The Ivy 
League canceled its tournament 
outright, along with spring sports.
“Our 
health 
is 
the 
most 

important thing,” Michigan coach 
Juwan Howard said Tuesday, “so 
we will sit down with our medical 
staff and see what’s the best way 
to move forward while preparing 
and preventing them from getting 
sick.”
The response to this disease is 
changing by the hour and the fate 
of the larger NCAA Tournament 
remains unclear. 
In attempts to quell the spread 
of the virus, experts suggest 
washing your hands with soap for 
at least 20 seconds, avoid touching 
your face and avoid close contact 
with people who are sick. In the 
case of players at this week’s Big 
Ten Tournament, similar person-
to-person adaptations will be 
made.
“I’m definitely going to keep my 
distance, not just fans but from a 
lot of people as far as the touching 
process,” senior point guard Zavier 
Simpson said. “I’m not sure who 
has it or anything. Just to be on the 
safe side, just wash my hands more 
frequently. Hopefully fans don’t 
take it as a negative if I happen to 
give them a fist instead of a high-
five.”

ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor

THEO MACKIE
Managing Sports Editor

JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Editor

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

Hockey team preparing for empty 
arenas ahead of Big Ten semi-finals

Michigan’s 
Big 
Ten 
Tournament semifinal game 
on Sunday against Ohio State at 
Nationwide Arena in Columbus 
will be held without fans in a 
precautionary measure to limit 
the spread of COVID-19.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine 
is expected to announce an 
order limiting spectators at 
all sporting events in the state 
within the next 24-36 hours, 
which includes the Wolverines’ 
game on Sunday. This move 
adds 
force 
to 
DeWine’s 
recommendation 
from 
Tuesday that large gatherings 
be limited or eliminated. 
The Big Ten also released a 
statement Wednesday evening 
announcing they’ll be limiting 
attendance at all remaining 
conference competitions.
“Yeah, 
it’s 
worrisome,” 
senior forward Will Lockwood 
said. “I don’t want our season 
to come to an end. I really hope 
it doesn’t. I hope it doesn’t get 

to that point. Obviously there’s 
a reason they’re doing it, 
there’s a reason they’re taking 
precautions.”
As teams around the country 
are suspending their seasons 
— Harvard and Yale have 
both pulled out of their ECAC 
Tournament 
quarterfinal 
series, ending their seasons — 
Michigan is faced with a great 
deal of uncertainty. At this 
point, it’s unclear what’s going 
to happen in the coming days 
— as this story was written, 
the NBA went from playing 
games on Wednesday night to 
the season being suspended 
indefinitely. 
It’s a rapidly developing 
situation, but as of Wednesday 
night, the Big Ten hockey 
tournament is set to go ahead, 
though all remaining games 
will be played without fans. 
“I hope we get to play,” 
Michigan coach Mel Pearson 
said. 
“That’s 
all 
I 
wish. 
It doesn’t matter if it’s in 
Nationwide in front of nobody 
or it’s full. We’re on a mission. 
We’re going somewhere. They 

just happen to be our next 
opponent. Like I said, doesn’t 
matter if we have to create our 
own atmosphere and intensity, 
we can do that.” 
As for playing in a completely 
empty arena, the Wolverines 
are looking at it as a positive. 
They may have to create their 
own energy, but the arena also 
won’t be filled with opposing 
fans.
“I honestly think it works 
to our advantage a little bit,” 
Lockwood said. “They won’t 
be able to have a home crowd 
advantage 
and 
have 
their 
fans there, not that it’s really 
impacted us. We’ve been pretty 
good on the road this year, but 
it’s something we can’t really 
focus on too much.”
Added Pearson: “We know 
it’s a huge challenge, but it’s a 
great opportunity for us and 
that’s how we’re approaching 
it. There’s so many things you 
can’t control. … We’re just 
focusing on being ready and 
being able to control our own 
destiny. That’s all you can ask 
for in sports.”

THE DAILY HOCKEY BEAT
Daily Sports Writers

