By Big West officials announced the 2020 conference basketball tournament will be played without spectators in attendance as a precautionary measure over the spread of the coronavirus.
The announcement comes hours before the tournament is scheduled to begin and the Big West stated that a full refund will be given to those who purchased tickets.
The first two rounds of the women’s tournament will be played Tuesday and Wednesday at the Walter Pyramid. The opening rounds of the men’s bracket will be played at the Honda Center in Anaheim Thursday and Friday. Both championships will be played Saturday.
“The Big West Board of Directors, comprised of the chief executive officers of the nine-member universities, strongly feel that this is a prudent way to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus while being sensitive to our student-athletes who have pointed towards playing in the tournament all season,” said Dennis Farrell, Big West Commissioner. “Many of our institutions are developing plans to minimize the interaction of individuals on their campuses that could include the downsizing of events.”
Tournament games will be livestreamed on ESPN networks.
For up-to-date coverage on coronavirus at CSULB, visit our live coverage page.
[…] the immediate future appears to be doom-and-gloom, especially with the attendance restrictions and the bracket’s reseeding format, the Beach (11-21, 6-10 Big West) is in a healthy position to […]