NCAA tournament games to be played with no spectators as well as A-10 tournament

DAYTON — UPDATE: 

The A-10 Tournament in Brooklyn, New York will be played without spectators for its remaining games, according to a release from the conference.

All remaining games will be restricted to teams, network television, working media, essential personnel and team affiliated families/guests.

INITIAL:

An order will be issued from the state that will impact the NCAA games scheduled at the University of Dayton Arena as part of the First Four, Gov. Mike DeWine announced.

“The order will be that there cannot be spectators there,” DeWine said.  “We’re not going to have the large crowd.”

DeWine said the order is still being drafted by state officials and more specific details were not immediately available.

The NCAA released a statement Wednesday afternoon, announcing there will only be essential staff and limited family attendance for men and women’s NCAA tournament games across the country:

“The NCAA continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 in consultation with public health officials and our COVID-19 advisory panel. Based on their advice and my discussions with the NCAA Board of Governors, I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance. While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States. This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”

One of the Associated Press’s reporter tweeted that the NCAA is looking to move the Final Four and other regional sites to smaller venues.

News Center 7’s James Rider reached out to StubHub to see how already sold tickets will be handled.

“Our policy is to provide a full refund with fees if an event is canceled,” said a StubHub spokesperson.

The NCAA issued the following statement on their website, "If you ordered your tickets from an official NCAA Championship vendor online or over the phone, you will be refunded. No additional action is needed."