As college basketball is in game mode, the anticipation of March Madness is here! The 2021 NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament would be different from any March Madness that has come before.
All games will be played in Indiana, most of them in Indianapolis. The NCAA announced at the beginning of January that all 2021 men's basketball championships would be played in Indiana, with most of the tournament's 67 games being played in Indianapolis. Selection of Sunday is scheduled for March 14, with the Final Four scheduled for April 3 and 5.
Games will be played – one game at a time – on two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium: as well as Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Indiana Convention Center will be used as a practicing facility, with several courts set up inside, for the teams. Both teams will be accommodated on designated hotel floors with physically separated meeting and dining spaces, as well as safe transportation to and from competition venues.
The NCAA's relationship with Marriott properties will play a role in logistics. Most of the tournament teams are expected to stay at Marriott hotels, which are linked to the Indiana Convention Center via skywalks.
For the health and safety guidelines, the medical guidelines shared by the NCAA were accepted by the Marion County Health Department. COVID-19 testing for players, coaching staffs, coaches, and officials will be administered by the NCAA in collaboration with a local health provider.
The NCAA announced in December 2020 that San Antonio was in discussions to host the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament as a single-destination event. They want to hold the tournament with 64 teams and in a similar time frame as previous NCAA tournaments. The 2021 Final Four will be hosted by Incarnate Word, Texas-San Antonio, and the San Antonio Spurs.
In consideration of fans, they will be able to watch this year's March Madness in person, but attendance will be severely decreased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NCAA announced on Feb. 19 that it would allow "up to 25% capacity with physical distancing," in compliance with the local and state policies of COVID-19. Besides the players, they all have to wear face coverings and social distances themselves throughout the game.
CBS Sports and Turner Sports will continue to broadcast all 67 tournament games through TBS, CBS, TNT, truTV and their streaming platforms, including March Madness Live.
Below is the full rundown schedules with more detail of the NCAA Tournament. All dates are subject to change due to the changing conditions brought on by COVID-19.
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