Entire NCAA men's basketball tournament being played in Indiana
The NCAA announced Monday it has relocated all 13 preliminary rounds of the 2021 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship games to Indiana due to the pandemic.
NCAA staff are in talks with Indiana and the city of Indianapolis to host the 68 team tournament in the metropolitan area in March and April.
The Final Four was already scheduled to be held in Indy from April 3-5.
“My committee colleagues and I did not come lightly to the difficult decision to relocate the preliminary rounds of the 2021 tournament, as we understand the disappointment 13 communities will feel to miss out on being part of March Madness next year,” said Mitch Barnhart, chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and University of Kentucky athletics director. “With the University of Kentucky slated to host first- and second-round games in March, this is something that directly impacts our school and community, so we certainly share in their regret. The committee and staff deeply appreciate the efforts of all the host institutions and conferences, and we look forward to bringing the tournament back to the impacted sites in future years.”
By keeping the tournament in a small geographic area, they believe it will limit travel and provide a controlled environment with competition and practice venues, medical resources and lodging near each other.
“We have learned so much from monitoring other successful sporting events in the last several months, and it became clear it’s not feasible to manage this complex championship in so many different states with the challenges presented by the pandemic,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball. “However, we are developing a solid plan to present a safe, responsible and fantastic March Madness tournament unlike any other we’ve experienced.”
Here's the schedule for this year’s tournament:
- Selection Sunday: March 14
- First Four: March 16-17
- First Round: March 18-19
- Second Round: March 20-21
- Sweet 16: March 25-26
- Elite Eight: March 27-28
- Final Four (national semifinals): April 3
- National Championship: April 5