Once Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren finalized his decision to cancel the men’s basketball tournament, he had to act quickly. Michigan and Rutgers, scheduled to tip off a second-round game at noon, were already on the court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse warming up.
Warren notified NCAA president Mark Emmert in what he estimates was a one-minute conversation to alert him of the plan. He spoke to the chancellors and presidents of Michigan and Rutgers and talked to their respective senior athletic administrators. The two athletic directors told their head coaches of the news, and they notified their players.