KC Roos cancel men’s basketball game at Seattle University, citing coronavirus
The Kansas City Roos have canceled their men’s basketball game at Seattle University, scheduled for Saturday night, citing “concerns related to the coronavirus.”
The game would have been the regular season finale for both teams, members of the Western Athletic Conference. The Kangaroos’ game at Utah Valley, scheduled for Thursday, will be played.
According to the Seattle Times, 28 people in Washington state have been diagnosed with coronavirus as of Wednesday morning, including 10 people who have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Earlier in the day, the Chicago State men’s basketball team announced it won’t travel to its final two WAC games at Seattle on Thursday and at Utah Valley on Saturday, citing the spread of coronavirus. Also, Chicago State’s women’s teams will not host games against the same opponents this week.
The KC Roos women are still scheduled to play home games against Utah Valley on Thursday and Seattle on Saturday.
Chicago State said in a statement that it was making the move with the “health and well-being of the campus community in mind.”
The cancellations are believed to be the first by a major sport in the United States because of the virus.
According to the Associated Press, the canceled games will be recorded as a “no-contest” per NCAA guidelines.
“While disappointed that the situation has evolved as it has, I fully respect the right of any member institution to determine what it believes to in the best interest of its student-athletes,” WAC commissioner Jeff Hurd said in a statement. “From a conference standpoint, the necessary adjustments will be made according to NCAA policy in order to bracket the conference tournament scheduled for March 11-14 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.”
In a statement, Seattle said there has been no recommendation to “suspend campus operations, including athletic contests, or restrict travel in the United States at this time.”
“We respect Chicago State and Kansas City’s decisions and understand their concerns. We share a commitment to ensuring the health and safety of our communities, fans and all who attend university-sponsored events,” the school said. “Seattle University is actively monitoring and responding to this rapidly evolving situation and continuing to follow the guidance of public health agencies and make decisions based on the most up-to-date information available.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 1:51 PM.