March Madness Tournament a Go in Indiana

March Madness will take place this March in Indiana
March Madness will take place this March in Indiana (Image credit: press)

The NCAA's March Madness men’s college basketball tournament will take place entirely in Indiana this Spring, a year after the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA announced Monday. 

The unprecedented arrangement will allow for all 67 tournament games to take place in and around Indianapolis beginning in March, with the tournament's Final Four scheduled for April 3 and April 5, according to the organization. 

Tournament games will take place on two courts inside Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium -- with only one game at a time being played --  as well as Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena in West Lafayette and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, according to the organization. It's unclear if fans will be allowed in the venues. 

CBS Sports and Turner Sports will continue to distribute all 67 games of the tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT, truTV and their respective digital platforms, according to the NCAA.

The announcement comes nearly a year after the NCAA canceled the popular tournament last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Also Read: NCAA Cancels March Madness

“The 2021 version of March Madness will be one to remember, if for no other reason than the uniqueness of the event,” NCAA senior VP of basketball Dan Gavitt in a statement. “With the direction of the Men’s Basketball Committee, we are making the most of the circumstances the global pandemic has presented."

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.