As the NCAA Men’s Basketball 2020-2021 regular season schedule is about to begin in the midst of escalating coronavirus pandemic spikes and increasing hospitalizations around the country, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee announced today the relocation of 13 predetermined preliminary round sites for the 2021 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship to one geographic area. The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee has also stated that they currently are considering their tournament options, with the potential relocation of that tournament to one site as well.

Seeking to create the most effective way to plan for its March Madness tournament to determine the 2021 National Champion, the NCAA’s Committee concluded that the conducting of the preliminary rounds of the championship at 13 different locations throughout the United States would be extremely difficult to safely conduct as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge. Despite cities like Boise, Dallas, Lexington and San Jose already scheduled to host first and second round games from March 18^th through the 21^st and Denver, Minneapolis, Brooklyn an Memphis on tap to host the Regional contests from March 25^th through the 28^th, the Committee concluded that all of the games in the championship should be held in a single geographic area to enhance the safe operation for all of the student-athlete participants. Mitch Barnhart, chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and University of Kentucky athletics director, commented on the decision,

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.

The NCAA announced that since Indianapolis was already slated to host the Men’s Final Four from April 3 through the 5^th, it has already begun preliminary talks with the State of Indiana and the city of Indianapolis to host the entire 68 team tournament in multiple venues in and around the metropolitan area during the same previously scheduled dates for the event.

The Committee emphasized the importance of holding the championship in a “manageable geographic area” in order to limit travel and provide a safe competition environment which has the ability to provide adequate practice venues, medical resources and hotel accommodations for all teams and officials within close proximity to one another.

“We have learned so much from monitoring other successful sporting events in the last several months, and it became clear it’s not feasible to manage this complex championship in so many different states with the challenges presented by the pandemic,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball. “However, we are developing a solid plan to present a safe, responsible and fantastic March Madness tournament unlike any other we’ve experienced.”

In a public statement on behalf of the NCAA, NCAA President concluded, “The Board of Governors and my top priorities are to protect the health and well-being of college athletes while also maintaining their opportunity to compete at the highest level. These principles have guided the decision-making process as we continue to assess how to have a fair and safe championship experience.”