USC Women's Basketball
USC women likely to host March Madness, but NCAA says no fans over coronavirus fears
NCAA president Mark Emmert announced Wednesday afternoon that attendance for the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball tournaments won’t include fans and will be severely restricted in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus — only essential staff and limited family members will be allowed to attend games.
This will impact South Carolina women’s basketball — the team is widely expected to be named the No. 1 overall seed and a host for the first two rounds of the tournament. Now, games will likely be played in front of a mostly empty Colonial Life Arena.
“While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States,” Emmert said in the statement. “This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”
The Gamecocks are also expected to be placed in the Greenville regional, meaning if they won in the first two rounds they would advance to play the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The SEC women’s basketball tournament was hosted there last weekend, and the Gamecocks won in front of nearly 10,000 fans.
This year’s women’s Final Four is scheduled to take place in the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, but The Associated Press reported that Emmert and the NCAA are looking to move the men’s Final Four out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and into a smaller venue. It is unclear if they will do the same on the women’s side.
The entirety of the women’s tournament is set to be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, while the men’s tourney will be televised by CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV.
Coach Dawn Staley reacted to the news on social media, putting a thumbs down emoji on Twitter, then following with another tweet that read, in part: “My heart goes out to all of you who supported this year and leading up to this @NCAA tourney. The flip side is want #COVID19 to beat it as soon as possible. Until then we feel u FAMs”
Shortly before the NCAA’s announcement, South Carolina had announced it was canceling the “FAMdemonium” event scheduled for this upcoming Monday, where 1,000 fans were expected to join the women’s basketball team in watching the NCAA tournament selection show.
USC had also announced earlier Wednesday that in-season sporting events would continue as scheduled with fans, but pre- and post-game handshakes between players, opposing teams and fans were canceled. Fans were encouraged to stay home if sick and take extra precautions if healthy.
After South Carolina’s announcement, however, the NCAA’s COVID-19 Advisory Panel issued a statement recommending against any sporting events being open to the public, while saying events could be held with essential personnel and family attendance. As of Wednesday evening, South Carolina has yet to say whether this recommendation will lead to a change in its own policies.
USC’s men’s basketball team is currently in Nashville for the SEC tournament. After the NCAA’s decision, the conference tweeted that Wednesday’s first round games will proceed as planned, with plans for the rest of the tourney still being evaluated. The Gamecocks are not scheduled to play until Thursday night.
As of Wednesday evening, the NIT, which Frank Martin’s team likely will be a part of if it doesn’t win the conference tournament, was still set to be played. Fans would not be allowed at NIT games as well.
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