NCAA

Hope you've stocked up on vats of blue cheese and ranch ...

Experts say with the NCAA Tournament's cancellation last month ... there's now a massive, national surplus of chicken wings -- but sales of the delicious treats are nearing an all-time low!!

ALERT: THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!

Poultry experts told The Washington Post this week that chicken wings are down to nearly $1 per pound after "millions of pounds" of the goods went uneaten due to March Madness' cancellation.

This all comes just a few months after the price for the wings was nearly $2 per pound during the Super Bowl.

"The basketball, it’s for real," one expert told the WaPo. "The basketball didn’t happen. People are not going to restaurants and there’s a lot of excess."

According to the report, just before the annual NCAA Tourney was canceled last month ... poultry farmers sold over 1.2 MILLION pounds of wings.

Last week, however, they say those sales dipped dramatically ... with only 433,000 pounds being sold.

You've seen virtual birthday parties. Virtual weddings. Even a virtual bris!

But, have you seen an entire college marching band come together from their own homes to jam out their school's FIGHT SONG?! Well, you have now!

Check out the Ohio University Marching 110 -- AKA, "The Most Exciting Band In The Land" -- performing a virtual rendition of "Stand Up and Cheer" despite the quarantine keeping the musicians' miles apart.

It's really amazing stuff -- and even made its way to the desk of Ohio governor Mike DeWine who dedicated the performance to "all our wonderful healthcare workers and first responders across #Ohio."

FYI ... the Marching 110 has a knack for going viral -- you may have seen them busting out  renditions of "Gangnam Style" and "Party Rock Anthem."

The new performance isn't just inspiring -- it also made us hyped for football season ... which immediately made us sad that it might not be happening in 2020 thanks to that stupid virus.

Regardless, shout out to the Marching 110.

Good news, bad news from the NCAA. Good news -- spring sport athletes who can't compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic will get another year of eligibility.

And, the bad news?? The winter sports -- including basketball -- athletes will NOT get an extra year of eligibility ... which will be a huge bummer for seniors who didn't get to finish their final season at the college level.

"The Council's decision gives individual schools the flexibility to make decisions at a campus level," M. Grace Calhoun of the D1 Council said in a statement.

"The Board of Governors encouraged conferences and schools to take action in the best interest of the student-athletes and their communities, and now schools have the opportunity to do that."

The decision came down Monday afternoon ... but another major discussion will have to be had soon about the status of the fall sports schedule.

Of course, there are people like Kirk Herbstreit who would be shocked if the NCAA football season happened in 2020 due to the coronavirus scare.

Losing part or all of the football season would be a huge hit to the NCAA and the schools that depend on that revenue to fund other programs.

This is bad for football fans ... ESPN star Kirk Herbstreit says he'd be "shocked" if there was NFL or college football in 2020 -- explaining it's just too dangerous with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The "College Gameday" host went on ESPN radio late Thursday and spelled out why he's so pessimistic about seeing America's biggest sport on the biggest stages.

"I'll be shocked if we have NFL football this fall, if we have college football. I'll be so surprised if that happens," Kirk said.

"Just because from what I understand, people that I listen to, you're 12 to 18 months from a [coronavirus] vaccine. I don't know how you let these guys go into locker rooms and let stadiums be filled up and how you can play ball. I just don't know how you can do it with the optics of it."

Kirk said if he was the NFL commish or in charge of the NCAA, he would shut it down ASAP -- "Next thing you know you got a locker room full of guys that are sick. And that's on your watch? I wouldn't want to have that."

"As much as I hate to say it, I think we're scratching the surface of where this thing's gonna go."

Kirk also says he doesn't think people realize how much time college and NFL coaches need to properly prepare their teams for the long season.

"You don't all of the sudden come up with something in July or August and say, 'Okay we're good to go' and turn 'em loose!"

So much for your bracket ... March Madness is CANCELED.

The NCAA made the announcement moments ago -- saying they're pulling the plug on the biggest college basketball tournament of the year ... just days before it was set to tip off.

"This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities," the NCAA said in a statement.

Both the men's and women's tournaments are affected -- as well as every other Winter and Spring NCAA championship including the College Baseball World Series.

Not too shocking considering every other major sports organization is either canceling or postponing events ... from the NBA to the MLB, even NASCAR and pro tennis.

The announcement comes in the wake of influential stars like Charles Barkley putting pressure on the powers that be to cancel the tourney. Chuck said it's just too great of a health risk to the players ... even if they play in empty arenas.

"I think we're gonna have to shut down March Madness until we know more."

That's Charles Barkley saying -- in no uncertain terms -- the powers that be need to CANCEL the most famous basketball tournament in the world over the threat of coronavirus.

Sir Chuck called in to ESPN's "Get Up!" and made his case for cancellation -- despite the fact Barkley works for the companies who broadcast the tournament.

"I'm gonna say this and I'm probably gonna get in trouble because I work for Turner and March Madness and CBS ... Turner Sports and CBS need to close down March Madness, man."

Barkley explained ... "Even if there's no fans in the stadium, you can't have these players breathing on each other for 2 weeks, even if they stay at a hotel, they're going to be at different cities around the country."

"I hate to say it and I probably shouldn't say it because I work for CBS, but I think we're gonna have to shut down March Madness until we know more."

Barkley says he knows the players DO want to push forward and play, but Charles says it's bigger than that.

"I know these kids want to play. Think about it, these kids are sweating, breathing, leaning on each other ... that's crazy! Even if you lose, you go back home, you don't know if you've got the virus for a week or two."

So far, the NCAA has NOT canceled the tournament -- they've banned fans from attending games. But, the situation is fluid and can change at any moment ... especially after the NBA made the decision to suspend the regular season for the time being.

Fred Hoiberg does NOT have coronavirus ... Nebraska announced all he's got is a bad cold -- which is great news, considering the head coach looked awful on the team's bench Wednesday.

The scene was scary as hell at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis ... Hoiberg was clearly ill on the sideline of the Huskers' game against Indiana.

He was rubbing his forehead and looked to be in a pretty good amount of pain ... and with the hysteria caused by NBA star Rudy Gobert's positive coronavirus test earlier in the evening, Hoiberg was rushed to the hospital.

But, he and the Huskers got great news late Wednesday night ... with officials saying he tested negative for COVID-19.

"Hoiberg was diagnosed with influenza A (common cold)," the Huskers said in a statement. "He has since been released and has returned to the team hotel."

It's a huge sigh of relief for Nebraska ... its players were actually quarantined at the arena over fears Hoiberg had the dangerous virus.

Of course, it's unclear if there will be a season to return to for Hoiberg and the Huskers when they feel better ... the NBA has suspended its season and there's talk the NCAA could follow suit.

For now, NCAA president Mark Emmert says the plan is for March Madness to be played in fan-less arenas.

The OKC Thunder vs. Utah Jazz game has been officially postponed after the match-up was allegedly delayed over Rudy Gobert's illness ... and the scene is straight-up bizarre.

The players were seconds from tip-off at Chesapeake Energy Arena in OKC on Wednesday ... when the refs quickly sent everyone back to their locker-rooms.

The fans were left waiting for an explanation for the delay -- the Thunder broadcast claimed it was due to Gobert's health status and the officials were waiting for the go-ahead to play.

But, that didn't happen ... as the PA announcer officially told the fans to head home "due to unforeseen circumstances" ... adding "we are all safe."

The fans were audibly upset ... booing at the announcement.

The NBA has been working like crazy to keep its players safe during the Coronavirus scare ... even banning the media from the locker-rooms and creating barriers for practice interviews.

It's worth noting -- Gobert (who was listed as questionable due to illness for Wednesday's game) completely disregarded the league's set-up and touched every reporter's recorders at practice just 2 days ago.

NCAA President Mark Emmert just announced fans WILL BE BANNED from both the men's and women's basketball tournaments this month ... and it's all 'cause of coronavirus.

"I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance," Emmert said in a statement.

It's shocking news from the org. ... but Emmert said after his consultation with public health officials and the NCAA's COVID-19 advisory panel, it's necessary.

"While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports," Emmert said, "my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States."

"This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes."

The announcement comes just a few hours after the Golden State Warriors said they will play with no fans in their home arena for at least the next two weeks.

The Seattle Mariners, meanwhile, said they will NOT play at home at all in the month of March over fears of the virus.

A March Madness without the madness?!?!

That's exactly what one players' advocacy group is asking NCAA officials to consider ... saying the org. should STRONGLY think about holding both the men's and women's NCAA tourneys this month at crowd-less venues over coronavirus fears.

"There should be a serious discussion about holding competitions without an audience present," the National College Players Association said in a statement over the weekend.

As we previously reported, coronavirus has rapidly become a growing threat to Americans ... with more and more cases being officially diagnosed in the U.S. daily.

Because of this ... the NCPA is urging officials to possibly hold their biggest events -- the NCAA Tournaments -- without fans to protect players.

"In the wake of the emerging Coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA and its colleges should take precautions to protect college athletes," the group said.

In addition to the possibility of crowd-less tourneys ... the group is also advocating schools cancel meet and greets and press events to reduce athletes' risks of contracting the virus.

In a statement to CNN, an NCAA spokesperson said of the NCPA's recommendations, "NCAA staff continues to prepare for all NCAA winter and spring championships, but we are keenly aware of Coronavirus and will continue to monitor in coordination with state/local health authorities and the CDC."

The spokesperson added, "The NCAA Sport Science Institute sent two memos recently to NCAA members directing schools and conference offices to Center for Disease Control and Prevention resources on the issue."