2021 NCAA Tournament to be held in Indiana

#1      

Dan

Admin
https://twitter.com/MattNorlander/

"The NCAA Tournament will use these venues to host the 2021 men’s tournament:

Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Indiana Farmers Coliseum
Mackey Arena
Assembly Hall
Lucas Oil (two courts)

Only one game at Lucas Oil at a time.

Here are the hosts, according to sources: Horizon League, IUPUI, Purdue, Butler, Ball State, Indiana. As previously reported by CBS Sports, the Indiana Convention Center will house practices for the NCAA Tournament. One source previously said there’d be as many as 20 courts there

Based on previous conversations with sources, I’d expect Mackey and Assembly Hall to only host first round games and those games to be in the afternoon since they’re a short drive and every team competing in the NCAAT will be staying in downtown Indianapolis.

I'm told Ball State's home gym will be the backup/emergency venue if needed."
 
#2      

Dan

Admin
"The NCAA will stage the entire 2021 men’s basketball championship in Indiana, with the majority of the tournament’s 67 games taking place in Indianapolis. Selection Sunday is still scheduled for March 14, and plans remain to have the Final Four on April 3 and 5, with exact preliminary-round dates to be determined."

 
#4      
If only there would be fans allowed.....

Right?! I guess April is fairly far away and a lot of vaccination could be done between now and the Final Four, but I am not fooling myself that the NCAA would ever authorize a limited number of fans at this thing. Of course the year Illinois is good again and the Final Four is in Indy, we have a pandemic.

Also, I always get a little annoyed when Indiana is heralded as a clearly better basketball state than Illinois, historically. I know, I know, they probably ARE #1, but I always thought of us as a close #2. I guess we did a lot of that to ourselves going away from two classes and making the state tournament less exciting, though.
 
#5      
Right?! I guess April is fairly far away and a lot of vaccination could be done between now and the Final Four, but I am not fooling myself that the NCAA would ever authorize a limited number of fans at this thing. Of course the year Illinois is good again and the Final Four is in Indy, we have a pandemic.

Also, I always get a little annoyed when Indiana is heralded as a clearly better basketball state than Illinois, historically. I know, I know, they probably ARE #1, but I always thought of us as a close #2. I guess we did a lot of that to ourselves going away from one class and making the state tournament less exciting, though.
FIFY
 
#7      
Indiana has a four class system too. I think what separates indiana are the basketball palaces they have in small towns. Illinois has some great gyms, but not comparable to indiana
 
#10      

altgeld88

Arlington, Virginia
THE BEST HS gym is in Mitchell, SD, though!
Thank you for prompting me to look up the Corn Palace. I drove past that place on I-90 30 years ago and didn't stop as I was headed for the Black Hills later that afternoon. I thought then, and have done for three decades, that it was a unique, and possibly quite cheesy, interstate highway attraction. I had no idea it's a high school gym. That's fabulous!
 
#12      

Big Jack

Decatur
Thank you for prompting me to look up the Corn Palace. I drove past that place on I-90 30 years ago and didn't stop as I was headed for the Black Hills later that afternoon. I thought then, and have done for three decades, that it was a unique, and possibly quite cheesy, interstate highway attraction. I had no idea it's a high school gym. That's fabulous!
Actually a very beautiful building. Would be interesting to see a real game there
 
#14      

GrayGhost77

Centennial, CO
I went to the Corn Palace when I was about 8 years old while road tripping to Mt Rushmore. Fun times.
 
#15      
Maybe this will get them to take down the plywood and fix what the movements destroyed earlier this year. Downtown Indy looks terrible.
 
#17      

Dan

Admin
"Up to six family members per Tier 1 participant (up to 420 family members total) will be allowed in each venue per game. The family members will be prohibited from interacting in person with any of the Tier 1 participants during the entire tournament. They will be seated in physically distanced family clusters. The final attendance policy will be announced after Feb. 1."

 
#23      
NCAA tourney schedule: - First Four: Thursday, March 18 - First Round: March 19-20 - Second Round: March 21-22 - Sweet 16: March 27-28 - Elite Eight: March 29-30 - Final Four: April 3 and 5

Going Fri/Sat and Sun/Mond instead of Thur/Fri, Sat/Sunday
 
#25      
NCAA tourney schedule: - First Four: Thursday, March 18 - First Round: March 19-20 - Second Round: March 21-22 - Sweet 16: March 27-28 - Elite Eight: March 29-30 - Final Four: April 3 and 5

Going Fri/Sat and Sun/Mond instead of Thur/Fri, Sat/Sunday
So, in theory, a team could be sequestered in Indy from March 18 through April 5 (not likely a 'First Four' team makes it through to the 'Final Four', but still a long time isolated in a hotel room).