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MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


News Brief

March 12, 2020MARYVILLE, Mo.

NCAA cancels winter and spring championships

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The NCAA canceled all remaining winter and spring sports championships due to the spread of the coronavirus through a statement Thursday afternoon.

"Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities."

That includes the 2020 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Central Region Tournament in Maryville.

Northwest Missouri State University head men's basketball coach Ben McCollum spoke about the news with KXCV-KRNW this afternoon.

"When it first came out yesterday, in my opinion, I wish they would've postponed at that point so that they could really dive into making a decision that they want to make," McCollum said. "I think once they eliminated fans, I think at that point we knew the direction it was going to go, just because there was no other real direction. So then to wait until this afternoon, we were in the middle of practice, then to cancel it is pretty disappointing. I understand it...I just feel bad for our seniors."

Northwest Missouri State University, the defending national champions and the host of the central region, officially ends the 2020 season with a 31-1 record, MIAA regular season title and MIAA Tournament Championship.