March Madness 2021 Will Happen Entirely In Indiana
The NCAA announced today that the entire 2021 Men's College Basketball tournament would be held in Indiana.
I think after having March Madness cancelled last year during the start of the pandemic, we would have been happy if they did it in someone's driveway this year. The announcement did come as a surprise though to many college basketball fans. Indiana normally hosts quite a few of the tournament games, and is a regular for hosting the Final Four, so this is not unfamiliar territory for the NCAA.
Tournament games will be spread all around the state with games happening at the following locations.
- Lucas Oil Stadium
- Bankers Life Fieldhouse
- Hinkle Fieldhouse
- Mackey Arena
- Indiana Farmers Colliseum
- Assembly Hall
There will be some of the opening round tournament games held at smaller college arenas throughout the state, but the majority of them will be in, or near Indianapolis.
This seems like a stretch because of the size of the tournament as a whole, but any real basketball fan will tell you that Indiana is the perfect setting for the tournament. Aside from all of the basketball lore that lives in Indiana, they also have low Covid restrictions right now. This will make it possible for some fans to attend the games, and who knows, by March maybe even more restrictions on public gatherings will be lifted.
The idea of putting the entire tournament in one place makes complete sense though, no matter where the NCAA decided. It makes it easier to ensure the safety of players, and everyone involved with the process of putting on such a massive tournament.
The entire tournament will still be televised on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.
Both Michigan and Michigan State are expected to take high seeds in the tournament, and without having to worry about travel, this could be a very good thing for them. Let's hope that a couple of Mid-Majors from Michigan find their way in as well, and the Mitten can have a huge impact on March Madness this year.