Big Ten Conference announces winter, spring sports to be played with no fans

The Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday it would start limiting attendance at all Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament games beginning on Thursday.

Only student-athletes, coaches, event staff, essential team and conference staff, TV network partners, credentialed media, and immediate family members of the participating teams will be permitted into the games, according to

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Attendance at other Big Ten Conference winter and spring sport competitions will also be limited, the release states.

"The main priority of the Big Ten Conference is to ensure the safety of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all relevant information on the COVID-19 virus on a daily basis," the release states.

All tickets purchased for the 2020 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, including those to Wednesday night's games, will be refunded, according to the website. Fans are asked to direct ticket refund inquiries to the original point of purchase.