NCAA reveals contingency plans for replacing teams during Mach Madness tournament

The NCAA has revealed its contingency plans for replacing teams that are forced to withdraw from the NCAA tournament due to COVID-19 issues. The association released its plans on Thursday, just a few weeks before the event is scheduled to begin.

While there are four main bulletin points the NCAA will be abiding by, there are two main takeaways from the announcement on Thursday. First, once the bracket has been finalized and released, there will not be any reseeding or other changes to the bracket.

Second, once the championship is underway there will be no replacement teams allowed entry. A team that cannot move forward because of a COVID-19 issue will be eliminated and the game ruled a “no contest.”

Here’s the release from the NCAA:

• Once the bracket is finalized and released, teams will not be reseeded, nor will the bracket change.
• Reasonable efforts will be made to ensure a full field is in place before the start of the championship. No replacement teams will be introduced after the championship begins.
• Every participating conference should have the opportunity for a minimum of one team in the championship field.
• Beyond the goal of having at least one team from every conference, replacement teams must be among the best teams being considered for an at-large bid.

Replacement teams will only be introduced within 48 hours of the bracket’s finalizations. There will be no additions after that time.

The men’s tournament bracket is scheduled to be announced on Sunday, March 14 (Selection Sunday) at 6 p.m. ET. Coverage will air on CBS.

Dustin Schutte

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