Entire March Madness Tournament to be Played in Indiana
Of all the events that were cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic, perhaps March Madness was the hardest to swallow - both because it was the first truly major national event to be cancelled and because of it's popularity and grand scale. It's cancellation gave us a stark new reality - life was going to change drastically for the foreseeable future.
As the NCAA has worked on plans for the 2020-2021 tournament, their plan all along has been to make sure the tournament can be safely played and played in its entirety. Today, they officially announced a plan.
The NCAA will host the entire tournament, from the First Four to the Final Four, in the state of Indiana, with most of the games being played in Indianapolis.
“This is a historic moment for NCAA members and the state of Indiana,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in the official press release. “We have worked tirelessly to reimagine a tournament structure that maintains our unique championship opportunity for college athletes. The reality of today’s announcement was possible thanks to the tremendous leadership of our membership, local authorities and staff.”
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Here's some additional information from the release, including where the games will be played and the testing protocols.
The NCAA is partnering with a local health provider to administer COVID-19 testing within the controlled environment for players, coaching staffs, administrators and officials. The Marion County Health Department has approved medical protocols shared by the NCAA and will continue collaborating with the NCAA leading up to and during the championship.
The tournament will be hosted by Ball State, Butler, the Horizon League, Indiana, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Purdue, which are lending their facilities and staffs to assist with tournament operations. The Indiana Convention Center will be used as a practice facility, with multiple courts set up inside the venue. Marriott properties, an official NCAA corporate partner, will house most of the tournament teams. The properties are connected to the convention center via skywalks and within a controlled environment. All teams will be housed on dedicated hotel floors, with physically distanced meeting and dining rooms, as well as secure transportation to and from competition venues.
Games will be played on two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena in West Lafayette and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Only one game at a time will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium.
CBS Sports and Turner Sports will continue to distribute all 67 games of the tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT, truTV and their digital platforms.
Over the years, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been part of 33 men's basketball tournaments. They've appeared in 11 Final Fours and won the 1960 National Championship. They have a record of 57-32 in the Big Dance.
Selection Sunday is scheduled for March 14 and the plan is still to hold the Final Four on April 3 and 5.
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