The NCAA dropped the hammer on the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday, announcing that no fans will be in attendance to help stem the tide of COVID-19. However, the effects won’t stop there. 

Several of the biggest programs in the state are taking aggressive steps to try and prevent transmission of the virus. Additionally, teams that are pushing spring break to an extra week will also need to push spring practices; teams cannot practice for football when school is not in session. 

The NCAA took the most drastic step on Thursday, cancelling March Madness, which came on the heels of virtually every conference championship being cancelled. Additionally, the NCAA cancelled all national championships for the remainder of the school year – including the College World Series, tennis and everything else. 

There are early reports that the NCAA has discussed a blanket decision to return a year of eligibility to the players who will miss out in spring sports. However, winter sports that played a season and simply couldn't play in postseason competition are still up in the air. 

On Friday, the NCAA declared that all on and off campus recruiting has been barred for the foreseeable future, or at least through April 15. 

Here's everything you need to know about how COVID-19 is affecting Texas college sports. 

SEC

The SEC has cancelled the remainder of its basketball tournament, effective immediately. All on-campus and championship SEC sporting events have been suspended until March 30, when things will be re-evaluated. Teams can use their own discretion about whether to hold spring practice. 

• Texas A&M: Classes are cancelled from March 16-20 and classes will move online from March 23 to April 28. Campus is still open to faculty, students and staff at this time. 

Big 12

The Big 12 has cancelled the remainder of its basketball tournament, effective immediately. All organized team activities have been suspended until at least March 29. All competitions for the rest of the school year are cancelled, whether in or out of conference. 

• Baylor: Spring break is extended another week and classes will resume March 23. All classes will be delivered online until at least April 3. Residence halls and dining facilities will remain open. 
• TCU: Spring break is extended through March 20 and online classes will take place until April 3. Students who left campus for spring break are asked to stay away from campus. 
• Texas: Spring break has been extended an additional week, but classes are expected to begin once again on campus on April 30. Some lectures will move online. Residence halls and facilities will remain open during the closure. 
• Texas Tech: Classes between March 23-27 are cancelled and classes will begin online on March 30. 

The American

The American Athletic Conference has suspended all competition indefinitely. 

• Houston: Classroom instruction is closed until March 23, at which point classes will be moved remote until April 4. The school has also instituted additional travel restrictions. 
• SMU: All classroom instruction will move online for the two weeks following spring break, starting March 23. The plan is for normal operations to remain on April 6. Students must request approval to stay on campus. 

Conference USA

The Conference USA basketball tournament at The Star has been cancelled. All spring sports have been suspended indefinitely. 

• North Texas: All in-person classes between March 16-22 are cancelled, but online and field experience classes continue. Classes will start again on March 23, but the university has yet to announce what form they will take. 
• Rice: Rice is moving to fully online classes on March 23. Residential colleges will be closed starting March 25. 
• UTSA: Spring break will be extended through the week of March 15, and classes will move online on March 23. Campus will remain open. 
• UTEP: UTEP is not making any changes at this time due to low risk assessment. 

Sun Belt

The Sun Belt basketball tournament has been cancelled, effective immediately. All Sun Belt sports will be suspended indefinitely. 

• Texas State: Spring break for students is being extended one week and classes will move online from March 30 to April 12. 

SWAC

The SWAC basketball tournament has been cancelled, effectively immediately. Additionally, all sports have been suspended indefinitely.

Southland

The Southland Conference basketball tournament in Katy has been cancelled, effective immediately. All spring competition has been officially cut until March 30, when things will be re-evaluated. 

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