SALT LAKE CITY — The Pac-12 announced Thursday that the conference has decided to cancel the remaining three rounds of the men’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas because of the coronavirus. Additionally, all other Pac-12 sports competitions and championship events have been canceled, effective immediately, until further notice.
“This decision has been made in consultation with our member universities in an effort to limit the spread of the virus and in the interest of the health and safety of our student-athletes, campus personnel, working and event personnel, and all those who attend Pac-12 events,” read a statement from the conference.
The University of Utah issued its own statement later in the day.
“In accordance with the Pac-12 Conference’s decision to cancel the remainder of the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament and all Pac-12 sport competitions and Pac-12 Championship events, all scheduled University of Utah athletics competitions — conference or nonconference, home or away — have been canceled, effective immediately, until further notice,” read the announcement.
The NCAA announced Thursday afternoon that all remaining winter and spring championships have been canceled.
“This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities,” an NCAA statement said.
Teams affected by the decisions include:
BASEBALL: Utah (6-7) was scheduled to open Pac-12 play Friday through Sunday at seventh-ranked Arizona State (13-4).
BEACH VOLLEYBALL: A planned trip to Tucson, Arizona, next weekend included matches against Arizona Christian, Arizona, Cal State Northridge and Pacific. The Pac-12 title was scheduled to be decided April 23-25 in Los Angeles.
FOOTBALL: The Utes practiced for one week before taking time off for spring break. They’re scheduled to resume camp next week. An update on the status of spring camp has yet to be announced.
GOLF: Utah was set to participate in this weekend’s National Invitational Tournament in Tucson. The Utes were also scheduled to play in tournaments in Washington and Arizona before the Pac-12 Championships April 27-29 in Seattle.
GYMNASTICS: The undefeated Red Rocks were supposed to celebrate senior night on Friday at home against Utah State. Utah was also slated to host the Pac-12 Championships March 21 at the Maverik Center. The NCAA finals are slated for April 17-18 in Fort Worth, Texas.
LACROSSE: Utah (3-3) had games scheduled for Friday at UMass. The Utes have a home game scheduled against Hampton on March 21, followed by road dates at Cleveland State (March 28), Boston (April 4) and Virginia (April 11). The remaining slate includes a home contest against Marist (April 14) and trips to Georgetown (April 18) and Duke (May 3).
MEN’S BASKETBALL: The Utes (16-15) were eliminated from the Pac-12 Tournament with a 71-69 loss to Oregon State on Wednesday in Las Vegas. They held slim hopes for an NIT berth.
MEN’S TENNIS: Utah (12-5) had matches set for Dallas this weekend against The Citadel and SMU. The Utes were to open Pac-12 play March 20 at home against Arizona State. The conference championship was scheduled for April 22-25 in Ojai, California.
SKIING: Defending national champion Utah was in second place after Wednesday’s first day of competition at the NCAA championships in Bozeman, Montana. Races were scheduled through Saturday.
SOCCER: Next up on the spring schedule was a doubleheader at home against Utah Valley and Utah State on March 28.
SOFTBALL: The 21st-ranked Utes (14-4) were supposed to begin Pac-12 play this weekend at No. 2 Washington (23-2).
SWIMMING & DIVING: Swimmer Audrey Reimer qualified for the NCAA women’s championships, March 18-21 in Athens, Georgia. Diver Regan Caufield also made nationals. For the men, Rahiti DeVos and Liam O’Haimhirgin made the field for the NCAA men’s championships, March 25-28 in Indianapolis. Diving qualifiers include Luke McDivitt and Tony Chen.
WOMEN’S TENNIS: Utah (10-5) had home matches set for this weekend against Pac-12 foes Arizona and Arizona State. The conference championships were slated for April 22-25 in Ojai, California.
WOMEN’S TRACK: The next competition was set for March 20-21 at Cal Poly. The Pac-12 and NCAA championships were scheduled for May in Oregon and Kansas, respectively.