NCAA Cancels March Madness and more.

NCAA cancels men's and women college basketball tournaments due to Coronavirus

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In a statement released on Twitter, the NCAA announced on Thursday the cancellation of both the Men's and Women's College Basketball Tournament due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In addition to the basketball tournament, the NCAA has also canceled all remaining winter and spring championship events.

Ahead of the NCAA's decision, conference tournaments came to a halt Thursday morning, starting with Commissioner Mike Aresco — who canceled the American Athletic Conference tournament set to take place in Fort Worth. After making their return back to Houston, Cougars' head coach Kelvin Sampson said Aresco made the right decision.

"I really don't know how to react to this," Sampson said. "It's such a fluid situation. When something like this comes about, I think we are doing it the right way. The students that just got off the bus are my responsibility, and I am more concerned about their health then preparing for a basketball game."

Nearly all sporting events and leagues have already taken this action, starting with the NBA, following the news that the Utah Jazz's All-Star center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus Wednesday night. For the NCAA, NBA, and all other sports league, this was an inevitable decision to ensure safety for its athletes, coaches, and fans.

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The Astros have assigned left-handed reliever Matt Gage to minor league camp, which means Houston's pitching staff is likely to head into the season without a lefty in the bullpen.

Ronel Blanco and Seth Martinez are expected to be the last two pitchers in the Astros bullpen now that Gage isn't expected to fill a spot on the club. With the Astros playing so many games in the month of April, could we see Blanco or Martinez making some starts with Lance McCullers still on the shelf?

Plus, should the Astros check in on Yuli Gurriel for some depth considering his versatility and the loss of Jose Altuve for the first couple months of the season? Gurriel still hasn't been added to the Marlins 40-man roster, which means he can opt out of his deal on Saturday if nothing changes.

Based on how things played out for Carlos Correa, the guys aren't very confident the Astros would change their stance on Yuli. But you never know.

Be sure to check out the video above as we break it all down!

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