NCAA Basketball Players' Reactions to March Madness Cancellation Are Heartbreaking

Though the NCAA ultimately made the right call in cancelling its college basketball tournaments, it's going to take some time to recognize that March Madness won't be happening this year. The domino effect of uplifting storylines that have been shattered-- Rutgers and Hofstra being deprived of a berth in the dance, to name one -- is genuinely dispiriting.

Another obvious mood-breaker is the fact that this year's brightest stars won't get the chance to showcase their skills and attempt to lead their team's to a championship. Countless players, a number of which who will be All-American's, took to social media in gutting fashion upon finding out the termination of the conference and the NCAA Tournaments.

First up is Michigan State senior point guard Cassius Winston, who played his last game at the Breslin Center earlier in the week.

Absolutely crushing. The Spartans, largely thanks to Winston's stellar play, were one of the country's hottest teams entering conference tournament play, winning four straight games, all of which were against ranked opponents.

Seton Hall senior bucket-getter Myles Powell offered up a bittersweet post on Twitter about his college career being over.

Powell was a force for a Pirates team that finished the regular season ranked No. 16 in the nation. The Trenton native averaged a whopping 21.0 points in his final year in South Orange.

Kansas star sophomore Devon Dotson kept thing relatively simple, offering up a word that most would use to describe the events that have unfolded within the last 24 hours.

It's not known whether Dotson will declare for the draft, but this is certainly not how he pictured his spectacular second season as a Jayhawk to end. After all, Bill Self's side was the prohibitive favorites to win the tournament.

Oregon phenom Payton Pritchard took to Instagram to thank Ducks Nation for their continued support over his four years in Eugene. The senior was impeccable for Oregon this season, averaging 20.5 points and 5.5 assists per game and willing the Ducks to a first-place finish in the Pac-12.

Like so many other players, Duke guard Tre Jones is still finding it difficult to come to terms with today's disappointing news. We can only imagine just how eager Jones was unleash his tenacious style of play in March.

As a sophomore, he'll have the option of returning to school in search of another shot at competing in the tournament.

Another senior, Michigan point guard Zavier Simpson, was heartbroken to learn that he played his final game for the Wolverines.

It's just impossible to urge these kids not to hang their heads and be proud of enjoying genuinely excellent careers. Though they surely know that the NCAA's decision was in their best interests, the pain they are feeling is raw and it probably won't subside anytime soon.