ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas: Time to 'postpone the NCAA tournament or cancel it altogether'

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas believes the NCAA made the right call to host the NCAA tournament without fans because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Now he thinks the next step is obvious. 

"If I am the NCAA president, you postpone the NCAA tournament or cancel it altogether," Bilas told USA TODAY Sports by phone Thursday morning. "This is worldwide pandemic and something that could overwhelm our healthcare system. This is bigger than basketball, bigger than sports. I just don't see how we play. If we do, I'd like to hear someone make a case for why.

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't play a conference tournament."

Sporting events around the world have been affected by the virus. States and cities have banned large gatherings, and the NBA became the first major American sports league to suspend play because of the pandemic after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. 

March Madness is officially slated to begin next week, with the 68 teams to be announced on Sunday.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said publicly on Wednesday that canceling the NCAA tournament was considered and is still a possibility. 

NO TICKETS:Why fans are being kept out of the NCAA tournaments

NBA: Nightmare scenario forced league to make tough decision

"It was an intermediate step to prepare to play the tournament with no fans, and the NCAA still has time," Bilas said, "but the NBA has suspended play and colleges have cancelled classes. And you're going to have players from the same schools play in a tournament? It's hard to argue that's for athlete welfare if it does happen. The whole idea of playing is a hard optical sell right now." 

Bilas said that he felt the NCAA left its college basketball conferences in an unfortunate situation — games were in play at major conference tournaments with fans in attendance on Wednesday as the NCAA announced its decision for March Madness. Then the leagues, which operate separate from the NCAA, made their own decisions to host games with no fans in attendance Thursday, Friday and Saturday — following a domino effect. 

"There shouldn't have needed to be a (domino) effect," Bilas said. "When the NCAA made its decision, it would have been better to notify the conferences better before putting the decision out. Because the conferences, I get it are on their own, but the NCAA has a strong influence and they're playing games as a backdrop to everything that's happening."

Bilas said the onus is on Emmert in the coming days. 

"When he put out his statement Wednesday, he said 'I made the decision' to host games without fans. That means (Emmert) has the power to cancel or postpone games, too," Bilas said.

"There are a lot of important concerns and no one is minimizing those concerns. Healthcare officials have made it clear that this is a pandemic. But the move is not to panic. It's to take action in light of."