In response to the “evolving COVID-19 public health threat,” the NCAA has canceled all postseason winter and spring championship events, the association announced Thursday afternoon.

A decision was made “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,” the statement read.

The announcement follows 24 hours of continuous ripples cast across the sports world, beginning with the suspension of the NBA season after a player tested positive for the novel coronavirus and a teammate did the next day. Atlantic Coast Conference president John Swofford held a press conference this morning declaring that the ACC Tournament will remain as scheduled, albeit with limited fans present. Syracuse beat North Carolina 81-53 Wednesday night to advance to a matchup with No. 3-seeded Louisville. The game was scheduled for 9 p.m. Thursday prior to the cancelation in the early afternoon.

MORE COVERAGE: 

• NCAA cancels all postseason championship events in response to coronavirus
• A look the chaotic 2 hours that led to end of ACC tournament
• ACC cancels men’s basketball tournament amid spread of coronavirus
• Inside the confusion at the ACC tournament amid coronavirus restrictions
• ACC suspends spring sports amid coronavirus

While both the Syracuse men’s and women’s basketball teams were unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament, the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams ranked No. 1 and No. 4 in the country, respectively. Syracuse’s softball, rowing, tennis and track and field teams were also in the middle of their seasons, which were suspended by the ACC and ultimately Syracuse this afternoon.

As of 11:57 a.m., NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championship committee announced that a decision was made to not allow any fans, including family, into the venue — emphasizing the need to limit attendance to “1/3 of the venue capacity.” Syracuse men’s lacrosse had risen to No. 1 in the IL rankings for the first time since 2017 behind a five-game winning streak to begin the year. Loyola transfer Chase Scanlan and senior midfielder Jamie Trimboli paced the new-look Syracuse offense under Pat March with 18 and 15 goals, respectively. The women overcame an early-season loss to Stony Brook with a six-game winning streak. Emily Hawryschuk is second in the nation with 39 goals as well as a 4.88 goals per game average.