On Thursday, NCAA president Mark Emmert announced the cancellation of the Division I men's and women's 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as the remaining winter and spring NCAA championships due to the evolving COVID-19 public health threat.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma released a statement through the team's Twitter account in reaction to the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament, after previously addressing the situation on Wednesday.

"This is incredibly disappointing in so many ways for so many people. The players, first and foremost, as well as every fan in the country. This is especially disappointing for our five seniors. They have been working so hard for this opportunity. We've been playing our best basketball these past six games and I'm sure they were looking forward to their final March Madness.

"Having said that, I absolutely agree 100 percent with this decision. The welfare of our student-athletes supersedes any missed opportunity to compete in any sport. Sacrificing what's good for a few for the greater good of many is what teamwork is all about."

UConn finished the season 29-3 and won the AAC tournament on Monday night, beating Cincinnati 87-53.

Auriemma mentioned the disappointment he has for the five seniors on the team -- Crystal Dangerfield, Molly Bent, Kyla Irwin, Evelyn Adebayo, and Batouly Camara -- with their collegiate careers coming to an abrupt end.

The Huskies were prepared to host the first and second rounds next Friday through March 22 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. The NCAA Women's Final Four was scheduled to take place April 3-5 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

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