Dick Vitale addresses NCAA tournament: 'There's no doubt' it should be canceled
At least one analyst believes March Madness should be canceled for the time being.
On Thursday, all major conferences canceled their ongoing basketball tournaments following concerns about the spread of COVID-19. As of now, the NCAA tournament is still scheduled to go on next week but without fans in attendance. However, it remains a possibility that a cancellation could happen.
During an interview Thursday afternoon with ESPN’s Rece Davis, Dick Vitale gave his take about the ongoing situation. According to Vitale, he admitted that he regrettably believes the tournament should be canceled for now.
“Never in my wildest dreams would think that I would say the NCAA tournament should be canceled, but it should be. There’s no doubt it should be,” said Vitale. “Health and safety is a priority. It’s gotta be the No. 1 priority…I think the NCAA has got to act and act quickly…The bottom line is it’s got to be about health and it’s got to be about safety.”
Though Vitale was certainly serious with a strong take on the issue, he did end on a more positive note. He encouraged everyone to be patient and follow the guidelines of health experts to get through this moving forward:
“You know what: Our country’s so strong, we’ll get through this,” explained Vitale. “People be patient, people sit back and listen and follow the advice of all the experts and I really believe that we can get through this.”