LOOK: Inside Bridgestone Arena ahead of tonight's first round games

Greetings from Bridgestone Arena, where the first game of the SEC Tournament is about to tip off and everyone is freaking out over the NCAA’s decision not to allow fans at March Madness due to the coronavirus outbreak. Tonight’s games will go on as scheduled; however, whether or not fans will be allowed in the stands for the remaining sessions remains to be seen.

So, that’s fun. While we wait to hear what happens, here are some pictures from behind the scenes…

The press conference podium:

Media can’t go into locker rooms, so reporters can also speak to players and coaches in this auxiliary setting, which is nice, but off to an awkward start since no one announces they’re coming:

Ashton Hagans and Nick Richards are on the wall. I’ve yet to spot SEC Player of the Year Immanuel Quickley, which tells me these graphics were made a few months ago.

 

…empty seats? Hand sanitizer? Insert your jokes here.

One of the many signs about COVID-19:

As always, shoutout to the SEC for the tea station:

At first, I could only spot one bottle of hand sanitizer in the media area, but additional hand sanitizing stations have been brought in:

More to come throughout the night! Catch the fever, but not really.