NCAA exec: No plans to play tourney games in empty arenas

NCAA senior vice president of men's basketball Dan Gavitt said Sunday there are no plans to bar fans from attending March Madness games due to growing coronavirus concerns.

"At this time, we are definitively planning on running the tournament at all 14 sites with fans, from the First Four in Dayton through the Final Four in Atlanta," Gavitt said on CBS. "We are certainly mindful of challenges nationally with COVID-19."

An NCAA statement Friday said that "the key is for all stakeholders and athletes to practice risk mitigation at all events."

The NHL closed its locker rooms to the media this weekend as a preventative step against the spread of the coronavirus, while the NBA is reportedly considering similar options.

Tennis officials canceled the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Sunday. This follows decisions in Europe to play soccer games in empty stadiums or limit crowds at public gatherings.

The NCAA tournament tips off March 17.