The Behind-the-Scenes Decision to End the Big East Tournament Mid-Game

The Big East tournament was cancelled after only playing one half of basketball.

Laken Litman reports it’s been a crazy day at the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York. Earlier today, around noon, news started breaking that all major conferences were canceling their respected tournaments. The SEC did it, the Big Ten, the Big 12—everyone—from coast to coast.

While all that was happening, though, St. John's and Creighton were still playing in the quarterfinal game at the Big East Tournament. Everyone was wondering why the Big East didn't pull the plug when their peers did. After the game, Commissioner Val Ackerman provided insight into what was happening behind the scenes.

The Big East officials eventually did cancel the game and the whole tournament at half-time. Ackerman said she was going by official directives from the City of New York, which had not told her that it was banning large gatherings as so many other cities around the country had already done.