Considering the circumstances, the product placement at the Zag Shop was less than ideal.

Front and center stood racks of long-sleeved T-shirts. “Our Time,” they proclaimed in navy-blue lettering.

Other schools sell them too, but the message carried a little more weight at Gonzaga, which was poised to have men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament games in Spokane next week.

The NCAA, however, had the final word, canceling both tournaments in response to the growing coronavirus threat.

“It really is a bummer,” employee Andrea Reiner said. “Gonzaga has such an amazing community, which is why games at the Kennel are such a big deal.”

Business was slow – this is spring break, after all – and most fans had stocked up last week ahead of the West Coast Conference tournaments in Las Vegas.

The campus felt even emptier than usual – desolate, even, after the news from the NCAA.

On the intramural field behind the McCarthey Athletic Center, student Cabot Rolt was letting off some steam by playing soccer with a few friends.

“It’s frustrating,” said Rolt, a junior from Boston and a regular at GU men’s games.

“When you think Gonzaga, you think of basketball – that’s part of the culture,” Rolt said. “It’s definitely a big bummer, but it is what it is.”

At the nearby Hemmingson Center, students were absorbing the news along with their coffee. Most were too shocked to offer their views on the cancellation.

The exception was Brian Hayes, a sophomore from Spokane who admitted “not being the biggest basketball fan on campus.”

“It’s an unfortunate situation, but I think the people making that decision probably had the well-being of every on their mind, which is important,” Hayes said.

A few feet away, three women were focused on their laptops. Asked about the cancellation, two of them exchanged glances and looked at the third woman.

“I know all about it,” she said without giving her name. Frustration on her face, she returned to her laptop.

Outside, Rolt was also trying to look past the basketball crisis.

“Now the coronavirus is about school too, and whether we will go online,” Rolt said. “That’s our big worry now.”