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Published Mar 12, 2020
SEC suspends all sports in response to coronavirus
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Andrew Hutchinson  •  HawgBeat
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All competition in the SEC has been suspended until at least March 30 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the conference announced Thursday.

The news comes less than an hour after the SEC announced the cancellation of the remainder of its men’s basketball tournament in Nashville and amid numerous other sports and leagues making similar decisions in light of the continued spread of COVID-19.

Previously, the conference announced Wednesday night that events would be played, but without fans in attendance.

Arkansas’ basketball team beat Vanderbilt in the opening round of the men’s basketball tournament and was scheduled to play South Carolina late Thursday. The baseball team was scheduled to open conference play at Mississippi State, while softball, men’s and women’s tennis, gymnastics and soccer teams were also set to compete this weekend.

None of those events will go on as scheduled.

At this time, the SEC’s decision does not apply to teams and individuals in NCAA championship competition.

That means the men’s and women’s track teams can still compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., this weekend. However, they’ll do so with no spectators, including family, in order to limit the attendance to one-third of the venue capacity, which was reached with coaches, athletes and necessary personnel.

If the NCAA Tournaments are played, the women's and men's basketball teams would be eligible for at-large bids. The women's team is a lock to make the field, while the men's team appears to be headed to the NIT with no more opportunities to boost its resume.

However, perennial powerhouses Duke and Kansas have announced they will not participate in the NCAA Tournament if it's held, so a cancellation seems imminent.

It is unclear what will happen when - or if - the sports resume play in April. There is also no word yet on the status of Arkansas’ spring football practices, which are scheduled to begin Monday, or the spring game scheduled for April 25.

In a press conference Thursday afternoon, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey announced that the conference has suspended all on- and off-campus recruiting for football. The decisions regarding spring football will be up to the individual schools for the time being.

Stay tuned to HawgBeat for the latest on a very fluid situation.

UPDATE: Auburn has extended its date without sports competitions through April 10. That includes a men's tennis match against Arkansas.

UPDATE: MLB has suspended all spring training games and will delay the start of the season by at least two weeks, following in the footsteps of the NBA, MLS and NHL. Several NFL teams have restricted travel for coaches and scouts, while the league has canceled its annual meeting scheduled to begin March 29.

UPDATE: The University of Arkansas is suspended in-person classes and moving to an "all-online or other alternative method of course delivery" beginning Monday and continuing through the end of the semester.

**UPDATE: The NCAA has canceled not only the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments, but ALL spring championships - which includes the College World Series.**

Impacted Events at Arkansas

Men's Basketball

March 12 - vs. South Carolina (SEC Tourney)

March 13 - SEC Tournament quarterfinals

March 14 - SEC Tournament semifinals

March 15 - SEC Tournament championship game

Baseball

March 13-15: at Mississippi State

March 17: at Oklahoma (in OKC)

March 20-22: vs. Alabama

March 24-25: at Troy

March 27-29: at Ole Miss

Softball

March 13-15: vs. Georgia

March 17: vs. Missouri State

March 20-22: at Missouri

March 25: at Wichita State

March 27-28: vs. North Texas

Men's Golf

March 16-17: Valspar Collegiate Invitational (Palm City, Fla.)

Women's Golf

March 20-22: MountainView Collegiate (Tucson, Ariz.)

Gymnastics

March 13: vs. Penn State

March 21: SEC Championships (Duluth, Ga.)

Soccer

March 14: vs. Nebraska

Men's Tennis

March 13: at Kentucky

March 15: at Vanderbilt

March 20: vs. LSU

March 22: vs.Texas A&M

March 25: at UCF

March 27: at Florida

March 29: at South Carolina

Women's Tennis

March 13: vs. Vanderbilt

March 15: vs. Kentucky

March 20: at South Carolina

March 22: at Florida

March 27: vs. Auburn

March 29: vs. Alabama

March 29: vs. UAPB