Due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the NCAA has canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments and all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships.
The NCAA also announced that is is granting another year of eligibility to thousands of college spring-sport athletes whose seasons were abruptly cut short. Spring sports include baseball, golf, lacrosse, softball, tennis and outdoor track and field.
The NCAA will discuss whether to extend the measure to winter sport athletes, who were nearing their postseason, if not already there. Those athletes missed out on participating in their marquee events but still competed in the bulk of their scheduled competitions.
Winter sports include basketball, gymnastics, ice hockey, wrestling and swimming and diving. The postseasons for those sports were scheduled for the coming weeks and into next month.
The ramifications of extending eligibility will be significant. Teams have scholarship and roster limits. The NCAA could adjust the number of scholarships allowed per sport, however, that would raise costs for schools' athletic departments.
The NCAA said details of eligibility relief will be finalized at a later time.
The TCU women's basketball team, with a 22-7 overall record and 13-5 conference record, was the Big 12's second-place team. The Frogs, who had been led by six seniors, were expected to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2009-2010 season. The team's six seniors are Jaycee Bradley, Jayde Woods, Michelle Berry, Kianna Ray, Ella Hellessey and Adeola Akomolafe.
The TCU rifle team, with a 12-1 record, was scheduled to participate in the NCAA Rifle Championship, March 13-14, in Lexington, Kentucky. The team has four seniors: Emily Haag, Rachel Kimbell, Casey Lutz and Caterine Miller.
At the tournament, the Frogs would have been the defending national champions and participating in the tournament for the 14th consecutive season. Lexington, Kentucky. Last year, the TCU rifle team claimed the overall and smallbore titles and were the runner-up in air rifle.
The TCU equestrian team (6-7, 2-4 conference) was ranked seventh in the country in the latest NCEA-Equestrain Top 10 poll. The team has 15 seniors. The roster is here.
The men's basketball team (16-16, 7-11 conference), with three seniors (Desmond Bane, Edric Dennis and Jaire Grayer), was not expected to earn an at-large berth in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The Frogs may have been selected to play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
Along with men's and women's basketball, these are the other 2020 Division I winter and spring championships that have been canceled:
- Baseball (Regionals and Super Regionals, and the College World Series)
- Beach volleyball
- Bowling
- Fencing
- Golf (men's and women's)
- Gymnastics (men's and women's)
- Ice hockey (men's and women's)
- Indoor track and field
- Lacrosse (men's and women's)
- Men's volleyball
- Outdoor track and field
- Rifle
- Rowing
- Skiing
- Softball
- Swimming and diving (men's and women's)
- Tennis (men's and women's)
- Women's water polo
- Wrestling
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