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