MAC and Big West Will Play Conference Tournaments Behind Closed Doors Over Coronavirus Fears

While schools, businesses and large gatherings are closing down to impede the spread of COVID-19, better known as coronavirus, athletic conferences are falling in line right as conference tournament season fully takes hold.

Following direction from Ohio government and public health officials, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland will be closed to the public during the Mid-American Conference basketball tournament going forward, per an official announcement Tuesday evening.

The tournament has already started and will continue as planned, but the stands will be empty from the second round onward. Tickets will either be refunded for credit to next year's MAC Tournament or fully refunded to buyers. But the Mid-American isn't the only conference making the decision to play its tournament behind closed doors.

The Big West's men's and women's tournaments at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California will follow suit, with their official announcement also coming in Tuesday evening.

In addition to it all, the NCAA Tournament's First Four games are likely to be closed to the public as well. The Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, announced that all indoor sporting events in the Buckeye State should be closed to the general public.

The NCAA First Four games are due to be played in Dayton. Cleveland is also set as a Tournament host city.

As fear grows over this highly contagious virus, we are trending towards a NCAA Tournament with empty stands. It could make for an unprecedented and very strange viewing experience -- to say nothing of the playing environment -- if arenas are still closed by the time the Big Dance begins.