Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg was taken to the hospital after getting sick during his team’s 89-64 loss in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, but was released later on Wednesday night and diagnosed with influenza A.
Hoiberg left the game with about four minutes remaining in the half. He had been feeling ill all day, but was cleared to coach by Nebraska prior to the game:
jesus christ fred pic.twitter.com/WNEf1Jr8aN
— Big Ten Geek (@bigtengeek) March 12, 2020
Nebraska did not attend a postgame news conference, but they were allowed to leave the arena around midnight ET.
Every major conference to date has banned fans from the arena for the remainder of their tournament games. Earlier on Wednesday, the NCAA announced that fans will not be allowed to attend NCAA tournament games. The NBA cancelled their season on Wednesday night after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.
“I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement, “including the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance.”
The COVID-19 Advisory Panel put in place by the NCAA also released a statement on the matter, saying that they “recognize the fluidity” of the situation and they “recommend against sporting events open to the public.”
“We do believe sport events can take place with only essential personnel and limited family attendance, and this protects our players, employees, and fans,” the panel’s statement said.