Wolfpack Fans Leaving ACC Tourney Before Their Team

The ACC has announced that starting with Thursday's quarterfinal sessions, no fans will be allowed in Greensboro Coliseum for the rest of its basketball tournament because fears over the spread of the coronavirus

GREENSBORO -- Darren Nix has been waiting five years for the ACC tournament to return to Greensboro so that he could attend the event and cheer on his NC State Wolfpack.

He spent $800 on a pair of ticket books, took time off from work and drove in from Clayton to see State score a 73-58 victory against Pittsburgh in its tournament opener Wednesday afternoon.

But while the Wolfpack advanced to play again Thursday in a quarterfinal matchup against Duke, Nix -- along with everyone else holding tickets -- will be on their way home after the ACC announced that it is closing the doors to Greensboro Coliseum to fans for the rest of the tournament.

According to a statement issued by the confererence, the decision was made as a health precaution over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

It's a decision that didn't sit well with Nix and others like him in the stands Wednesday for the final tournament session with fans in the stands.

"I haven't been able to go to the tournament for five years because it's been in New York and other places and now I'm not going to get to see the rest of the tournament," said Nix, a life-long Wolfpack fan who attended Jim Valvano's basketball camp and worked at Reynolds Coliseum as a youngster. "I'm pretty upset about it. It's frustrating. I think they're over-reacting, really."

The ACC is one of several major sports entities to enact emergency measures in light of the spreading health crisis.

“In light of the rapidly changing landscape regarding COVID-19, the latest developments nationally from health authorities and today’s announcement by the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel, the ACC will alter the remainder of the ACC Tournament,” the league announced in a statement issued just before the start of Wednesday's game between North Carolina and Syracuse. 

“After consultation with the league’s presidents and athletic directors, it was determined that beginning Thursday, March 12, all games will be played with only essential tournament personnel, limited school administrators and student-athlete guests, broadcast television and credentialed media members present.”

The ACC will alter the remainder of the #ACCTourney https://t.co/CxyECij26E

— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 11, 2020

More than 1,200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 37 deaths, have been reported across the U.S. as of Wednesday afternoon. Eight of those cases have been reported in North Carolina.

Coronaviruses are a family of hundreds of viruses that can cause fever, respiratory problems and in some cases, as gastrointestinal symptoms.

They are spread through human contact, usually thorough droplets of saliva carried in the air for up to six feet when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Viral particles can be breathed in, land on surfaces that people touch or be transferred when shaking hands or sharing a drink with someone who has the virus.

ACC and Greensboro Coliseum officials took measures to try and prevent the spread of the coronavirus among fans attending the tournament by installing extra hand sanitizing stations and wiping down seats between each session.

But by Wednesday’s second session, with the NCAA having already announced that fans would not be allowed to attend games in its national tournament — which starts next week at eight regional sites — the ACC quickly fell in line.

According to NCAA president Mark Emmert, the decision to play the games without fans was made in the interest of public health.

“The decision was based on a combination of the information provided by national and state officials, by the advisory team that we put together of medical experts from across the country, and looking at what was going to be in the best interest of our student-athletes, of course. But also the public health implications of all of this,” Emmert told the Associated Press, adding that a cancellation of the tournament was also discussed. “We recognize our tournaments bring people from all around the country together. They’re not just regional events. They’re big national events. It’s a very, very hard decision for all the obvious reasons.”

No information has been given yet pertaining to refunds for ticket holders to either the ACC or NCAA tournaments.

That's not as big a concern to Wolfpack fan Tony DeBlasio as it is to Nix, since the Raleigh resident only bought tickets to Wednesday's session on the secondary market. He did, however, express sympathy for Nix and those like him.

"I feel sorry for the people who flew in on airplanes, got hotels or took off work," he said. "A lot of people are going to be inconvenienced by this."

DeBlasio said he wasn't surprised when the announcement closing the rest of the tournament to fans was made.

"When the NCAA made their decision to do the same with their tournament," he said. "I guess it was already in the works for this one."