There will be no A-Day spring football games at Alabama or Auburn, no G-Day contest at Georgia and no Orange & White game at Tennessee.
The Southeastern Conference announced Tuesday afternoon that all regular-season conference and nonconference competitions are canceled for the rest of the 2019-20 athletic year, including all league championship events, due to continuing developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cancellations include all spring football games, some of which have drawn in excess of 90,000 spectators in recent years, and there will be no pro days for National Football League representatives conducted by SEC institutions.
"This is a difficult day for all of us, and I am especially disappointed for our student-athletes," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "The health and well-being of our entire conference community is an ongoing priority for the SEC as we continue to monitor developments and information about the COVID-19 virus."
One week ago, the SEC had completed its women's basketball tournament in Greenville, South Carolina, and was staging its men's basketball tournament at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. The league held two tournament games last Wednesday night, with Georgia defeating Ole Miss and Arkansas downing Vanderbilt, but then canceled the remaining 11 contests last Thursday morning.
Sankey initially announced the suspension of all athletic events through March 30 due to coronavirus concerns but then extended that through April 15 before announcing Tuesday's cancellation. Tennessee had several athletic officials address the league's latest decision during a news conference.
"The only way any of us can declare victory (over COVID-19) is if we prevent the overloading of our medical system," Volunteers athletic director Phillip Fulmer said. "That has to be the main priority for all of us, and we all have a part to play."
There were eight SEC teams ranked in the most recent D1 Baseball Top 25 poll and nine SEC members in the latest D1 Softball Top 25. Sankey announced Tuesday that automatic full ticket refunds to the league's baseball and softball tournaments would be made to those who purchased tickets through the SEC office or one of the 14 institutions.
The NCAA announced last Thursday afternoon that it was canceling its men's and women's basketball tournaments. Kentucky and Auburn were expected to receive solid seeding in the men's 68-team extravaganza, while South Carolina was expected to be the top overall seed in the women's 64-team field.
"Some of our guys just lost, what, a semester? Some basketball games?" Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Tuesday. "Other people out there have lost a lot more than that. There's a real world out there."
The Southern Conference followed suit late Tuesday afternoon in a unanimous vote of the league's Council of Presidents and directors of athletics. This includes competition, championships, organized practices and meetings the rest of the 2019-20 academic year.
For the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, that means the end of seasons in golf, tennis, softball, track and field and beach volleyball as well as spring football practice and football's Fan Fest.
"The current situation with the COVID-19 virus is concerning to all of us, and I fully support the SoCon's decision to end all competition, championships, organized practices and meetings for the rest of the spring semester," vice chancellor and athletic director Mark Wharton said in a release.
"I feel for everyone who is unable to enjoy the emotions of competition, but we all understand the role we must play to stop the spread of this virus."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.