Within the narrow and relatively trivial confines of the college basketball universe, March 12, 2020, was the worst day ever. It was the day the sport stopped its best month, cold, with no restart. Conference tournaments were halted in a flurry of cancellations that morning, and the NCAA tournament was called off that afternoon.
The cancellations triggered by the coronavirus outbreak were all necessary, of course. They also were colossally sad. Careers were ended, a season was lost, a cherished piece of sporting Americana just disappeared. In the days since, we have all been steeped in those heartbreaking stories.