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NCAA announces plan to allow limited attendance for March Madness tournament
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The NCAA has announced that it will move forward with allowing a limited number of fans for this year’s March Madness tournament. The association released a statement on Friday.
A year after the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA has taken measures to ensure that this year’s event will move forward as smoothly as possible. The organization moved the entire tournament to the state of Indiana, which will host all rounds this year.
Games will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts), Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indiana Pacers), Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler Bulldogs), Farmers Coliseum (IUPUI Jaguars), Mackey Arena (Purdue Boilermakers) and Assembly Hall (Indiana Hoosiers).
Attendance will be allowed up to 25% for all rounds of this year’s tournament, per the release.
“We continue to use the knowledge we have gained over the season on how to conduct games in a safe environment,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert. “I want to thank our host universities and conferences, the Indiana State Health Department, and the leaders in the Marion, Monroe and Tippecanoe county health departments as they help make that possible.”
“This year’s tournament will be like no other, and while we know it won’t be the same for anyone, we are looking forward to providing a memorable experience for the student-athletes, coaches and fans at a once-in-a-lifetime tournament,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball. “After the cancellation of the 2020 tournament, we are happy to welcome some fans back to all rounds of the Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.”
The NCAA Tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday, March 18.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB