MEAC basketball tournament makes adjustments because of the coronavirus outbreak
.JPG "North Carolina Central’s Jibri Blount, left, strips the ball from Norfolk State’s Alex Long during an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, Saturday, March 16, 2019, in Norfolk, Va.")
The MEAC tournament in Norfolk will go on as scheduled on Thursday, but after that, the teams might be playing in front of a sparse crowd.
The league issued a statement Wednesday night in wake of the spreading the coronavirus (COVID-19), that the quarterfinals will go on as scheduled for the first and second sessions.
The semifinals on Friday and championship game on Saturday will be played with restricted attendance. Only players, coaches, officials, event staff, essential institutional staff, MEAC staff, credentialed media and guests of the student-athletes will be allowed in the Norfolk Scope Arena.
This announcement comes out after the NCAA announced that no fans would be allowed into venues during the NCAA tournament. Shortly after that, the ACC tournament, being played in Greensboro, released a statement that no fans would be allowed inside the Greensboro Coliseum for the remainder of the tournament. The quarterfinals start on Thursday for the ACC tournament. N.C. State and Duke are set to tip off at 2:30 p.m.
In the MEAC, North Carolina Central, the top seed, advanced to the semifinals by defeating Delaware State on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals, advancing to Friday’s semifinals against the winner of Morgan State and Bethune-Cookman. North Carolina A&T, located in Greensboro, also advanced to the semifinals.
The NBA suspended the remainder of the regular season after a player, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, tested positive for the coronavirus.
MEAC fans who have purchased tickets to the semifinal and championship sessions on Friday and Saturday are asked to contact the venue through which they made their purchase for refunds.
