PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Everything changed in minutes.
The Villanova Wildcats were supposed to play in a Big East Tournament quarterfinal game Thursday night, but the coronavirus threat forced the Big East and all of the other conferences to cancel their tournaments.
When coach Jay Wright and the Wildcats arrived back on campus Thursday afternoon, the NCAA Tournament was scheduled to be played without fans in attendance.
By the time Wright concluded his interview with the media, the NCAA Tournament had been canceled.
"It's sad for them," said Wright. "But this is a big issue in our country. It's serious. I think it's the right thing to do."
There will be no March Madness for college basketball fans. No Cinderella double-digit seeds, no bands or cheerleaders and no brackets being filled out by fans across the country.
College basketball is hardly alone. The NHL and MLS also suspended play on Thursday while Major League Baseball canceled spring training and said the start of the regular season would be delayed at least two weeks.
This all followed the NBA ending its season on Wednesday after two Utah Jazz players tested positive for the virus.The Jazz had played at Madison Square Garden on March 4, the same arena Villanova was set to play in on Thursday.
"Thank God our players never got into the Garden," Wright said. "We've been safe with everybody, but none of our players were in the Garden. Everybody's asymptomatic. We're going to still monitor them. Our main objective is their health and their safety."
As the changes began, players, coaches and fans were stunned by the developments. However, reality began to sink in as the severity of the pandemic became apparent.
"We've been going through this for a while," said Wright. "They've been following everything and talking about it a lot. It's kind of like business as usual now as each domino fell. You saw the guys in the NBA. You saw no fans. We were preparing for them as these were all possibilities."
Sports are often a diversion during difficult times. The return of sports after the 9/11 attacks gave emotional lift to the country. This time, as stadiums and arenas go empty and silent, it's a time for fans to reflect on the priorities of life during a global pandemic.
"This is one of those things in life that's a great lesson for our players," Wright said. "Basketball is such a big part of our lives, but in the real scheme of things in the world and in life, it's not that big of a deal. There are so many more things that are important, like the health of our country and the people in our country."