The Big East Conference announced Wednesday night that the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden will continue under a restricted attendance policy. According to a statement released by the conference, attendance for the remainder of the tournament will be restricted to, “student-athletes, coaches, event-staff, essential team and conference staff, television personnel, credentialed media and immediate family of the participating teams.” The conference also said that each school will be limited to 200 attendees. Fans who purchased tickets to the tournament will receive a full refund.
“We have made this decision due to the rapid progression of COVID-19 and escalating developments nationally, as well as through guidance we have received from medical experts, local authorities and other sources,” Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said in a statement.
The St. John’s Athletics Department did not respond immediately to a request for comment
The news comes after St. John’s defeated Georgetown University in the first round of the tournament Wednesday night, in what would be the last time fans would get to watch this year’s tournament from the stands. With the Red Storm’s win Wednesday night, they will move on to the quarterfinals where they will face-off against Creighton University Thursday afternoon.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
