March Madness in a bubble: 2021 NCAA Tournament expected to be held in one geographic area
Published:
The college basketball world was devastated last season as conference tournaments were lost soon after they began and the 2020 NCAA Tournament never even had an opportunity to be played last spring after the COVID pandemic began.
Looking to avoid a similar fate next time around, the NCAA has just announced the 2021 NCAA Tournament will likely have just one location — Indianapolis.
The NCAA is hoping the city can handle hosting duties for a 68-team tournament between March and April. The city was already set to host the Men’s Final Four from April 3-5, 2021.
“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.”
The NCAA Tournament is annually hosted by a number of different locations, that number was set to be 13 in 2021, but this potential move likely results in giving the tournament its best chance of being played this spring.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
