NCAA Announces Entire Men’s Basketball Tournament To Be Played In Indiana

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The NCAA announced that the entire men’s basketball tournament will be played in the state of Indiana.

According to the NCAA, most of the men’s basketball tournament will be taking place in Indianapolis but all will be within the state of Indiana.

“This is a historic moment for NCAA members and the state of Indiana,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert. “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.”

NCAA announces further details for 2021 Division I Men's Basketball Championship: https://t.co/XPUTR69VtE pic.twitter.com/F0ib5HGM6C

— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) January 4, 2021

Selection Sunday is scheduled for March 14. The Final Four will be on April 3 and 5. The NCAA will be partnering with a local health provider to administer COVID-19 testing within the controlled environment for players, coaching staff, administrators and officials.

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Hosts In State Of Indiana

The entire tournament will be hosted by Ball State University, Butler University, the Horizon League, Indiana University, IUPUI and Purdue University. These programs and the Horizon League are lending their facilities and staffs to assist with the operations side of the tournament.

The Indiana Convention Center will be used as a practice facility, with multiple courts set up within the venue. NCAA’s official corporate partner Marriott properties, will house most of the tournament teams and are connected to the convention center via skywalks and within a controlled environment. Each team will be housed on dedicated hotel floors with physically distanced meeting and dining rooms, along with secure transportation to and from the venues.

The NCAA Tournament 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 will be played at a time at Lucas Oil Stadium.

NCAA Tournament Broadcast Information

All 67 games of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament will be broadcast on CBS Sports and Turner Sports. The games will be broadcast on either TBS, CBS, TruTV and TNT, along with their digital platforms.

“The 2021 version of March Madness will be one to remember, if for no other reason than the uniqueness of the event,” said NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt. “With the direction of the men’s basketball committee, we are making the most of the circumstances the global pandemic has presented. We’re fortunate to have neighbors and partners in Indianapolis and surrounding communities who not only love the game of basketball as much as anyone else in the country but have a storied history when it comes to staging major sporting events.

“This is going to be complicated and difficult; there’s no question about that. We appreciate the collaboration among the men’s basketball committee and staff, our hosts and local organizers, the staffs at each practice and competition venue, and our broadcast and corporate partners. We will all pull together and stage a terrific national championship.”