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It was not the ending that Villanova Basketball fans expected back in October. The NCAA announced earlier on Thursday that all Winter and Spring Championships had been canceled.
After limiting crowd exposure on Wednesday, St. John’s and Creighton began their Quarterfinal game in the BIG EAST Tournament. Following 20 minutes of play, the conference made the call to cancel the Conference Championship. A bit later, the NCAA issued its release.
On the heels of the NBA’s, MLS, and MLB’s decisions to suspend games, the NCAA had no other option.
Villanova head coach Jay Wright had the following to say...
Here is Jay Wright’s reaction to just finding out news NCAA tournament is cancelled
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 12, 2020
“Wow. Wow. This is so historical”
“It’s sad for them (his players).
This is a big issue in our country.
It’s a serious issue.”
“I think it’s the right thing to do”
More with Jay next NBC10 pic.twitter.com/voNRU02ODw
Jay also spoke with ESPN.
The Wildcats finish 24-7 (13-5) and ranked #11 in the most recent AP Poll.
Fortunately, ‘Nova has no scholarship seniors on the team and are looking to add transfer Caleb Daniels and freshman Eric Dixon- both who redshirted this season.
However, the ‘Cats could lose sophomore Saddiq Bey. The BIG EAST All-First Team player is being projected as a late-first/early second round selection and will most likely test the NBA Draft waters.
The rapid global spread of the coronavirus is causing cancellations of many entertainment and sporting events around the world. The World Health Organization has confirmed over 125,000 cases of COVID-19 globally and over 4,600 deaths.
It wasn’t the ending to the Villanova season that Wildcat Fans were expecting, but it is the right call in light of this pandemic.