The Big Ten Conference announced today that it will be canceling the remainder of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, effective immediately.

In a press release, the Big Ten Conference said they will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As you make these decisions, which are not easy, you have to always ask yourself, What is the right thing to do?," said Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren. "I just felt very strongly that the right thing to do for our student-athletes and for our fans and for the media and for our families, our coaches, our administrators, was to make sure that we cancel the Big Ten men's basketball tournament."

The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus, the statement from the Big Ten read.

Illinois was the No. 4 seed in the tournament and was set to play the winner of the Iowa - Minnesota game on Friday. The UI Athletic Department issues a brief statement early Thursday afternoon.

"Several outlets have reached out to Illinois Athletics representatives looking for statements on the unfolding events surrounding COVID-19. Obviously things are moving very quickly. None of our student-athletes or coaches will be available to the media at this time. "

Rutgers and Michigan were on the court at the at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for an 12 p.m. CT tipoff when the cancellation announcement came in.

Warren was asked during the press conference why a decision wasn't make earlier before the teams arrived at the arena.

"These are big decisions," he saiud. "They have major ramifications as far as scheduling, all the other different things. So those things take time to be able to do it with people's schedules. You don't want to rush these decisions. It would have been great if it could have been two hours earlier this morning, but it wasn't."

Illinois put together it's best season since 2013, posting a 21-10 record, 13-7 in the Big Ten Conference play. With the cancellation of the conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament in limbo, that season is at a standstill.

Warren also announced that the Big Ten will not crown a single champion. Maryland, Michigan State, and Wisconsin tied at the top of the league at 14-6.

"As I sit here today, it is difficult to crown a champion if you don't compete," Warren said. "We do have three champions from the regular season. That's the other thing, when you think about it, we were blessed with an incredible Big Ten basketball season, the number of teams that played well. We have those memories to really think about as we sit here today. "

According to a report from CBS, NCAA officials are meeting on Thursday to decide the fate of the 2020 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The expectation is that an official announcement will be made on Friday.

The NCAA had previously decided to play the games without fans and only essential persons in attendance.