Entire 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament to be played in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA announced Monday that this year’s 67 men’s basketball tournament games including the Final Four will be played entirely in Indiana.

Games will be played on two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium as well as at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena at Purdue and Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Only one game at a time will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Championship weekend is still scheduled for April 3 and April 5. Preliminary round dates have not yet been determined.

Ball State, Butler, Indiana, IUPUI, Purdue and the Horizon League will co-host the tournament and NCAA officials say most games will be played in Indianapolis. The NCAA also will partner with a local health provider to administer COVID-19 testing for players, coaches, school administrators and officials.

In mid-November, the NCAA announced the men’s tournament would be played in a “single geographic area” as a way to help keep athletes and staff safe.

The tournament was set to have 13 preliminary round sites, including Raleigh, but the NCAA said having the games in one location is the most effective way to “conduct a safe and healthy March Madness for all participants for the 2021 championship.”

FORMER 2021 PREDETERMINED SITES

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