Johns Hopkins University announced Thursday night that it would not admit fans to this weekend's NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament games on the university's Homewood campus, a precautionary step taken amid the evolving coronavirus outbreak. First- and second-round games will be played at Goldfarb Gym without spectators.
All games will be broadcast live online on HopTV.
The university released the following statement:
Johns Hopkins University is pleased to be hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament this weekend. However, in light of Maryland's recently confirmed cases of COVID-19, and based on CDC guidance for large gatherings, we have determined that it is prudent to hold this tournament without spectators. We are not making any determination about other JHU events at this time; while we await further guidance from public health authorities, we will be assessing large events on a case-by-case basis. We regret any inconvenience to the families and fans of the players.
The Blue Jays (24-3) are ranked No. 8 nationally among Division III teams and recently won the Centennial Conference tournament. Hopkins will face Penn State Harrisburg (20-7) in a first-round game today at 6 p.m. WPI (20-7) and Yeshiva (27-1) will meet in a first-round game today at 1 p.m., and the two winners will square off on Saturday at either 5 p.m. or 8:45 p.m.; the game time will be determined by the results of today's games. Complete NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament bracket
Individuals who purchased tickets in advance should contact the Johns Hopkins Department of Athletics at 410-516-7490 or kmwilson@jhu.edu during regular business hours (9 a.m.&endash;5 p.m.) to obtain a refund.
Posted in Athletics, University News
Tagged men's basketball, coronavirus
