NCAA Tournament

The NCAA released the schedule for the 2021 Division I men's basketball tournament, which will be staged in and around Indianapolis amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Action will begin March 18 with the First Four games and run through April 5. Lucas Oil Stadium will host the Elite Eight and Final Four contests.

While the schedule is broadly the same as fans have come to expect with March Madness, there are some slight tweaks. Dan Gavitt, the NCAA's senior vice president of basketball, said in a statement:

"The 2021 March Madness schedule is primarily a function of the health and safety protocols for all participants, respecting conference tournaments, balancing time away from campus for college student-athletes, competitive considerations for a national championship and fan engagement during a relatively traditional tournament timetable. We are most appreciative of CBS Sports and Turner Sports for their collaboration and support of the tournament."

The length of the First Four has been halved from two days to one.

In addition, the first round will be on a Friday and Saturday, pushing the second round back to Sunday and Monday. The first round is usually underway Thursday, so college basketball fans might be happy they only have to take one day off from work to follow the action.

Typically, the regional semifinals and finals take place over the span of three days. Instead, the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight are each afforded two days respectively. That will allow all of the Sweet 16 games to tip off at separate times rather than having to overlap. The Elite Eight, meanwhile, will get prime-time slots for Monday, March 29, and Tuesday, March 30.

The full television schedule will be announced at a later date. The 68-team field will be revealed March 14 on Selection Sunday.

The NCAA has finalized health and safety protocols for the 2021 men's basketball tournament. 

Per an official announcement from the NCAA (via ESPN's Jeff Borzello), all student-athletes, coaches, trainers, physical therapists, medical and equipment staff, and officials must return seven consecutive negative COVID-19 tests before they arrive at the tournament site. 

Those individuals will also undergo daily PCR testing for as long as their team is in the tournament. 

There are exceptions for Tier-1 individuals who either tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days or are "at least two weeks removed" from having received the coronavirus vaccine: 

"Tier 1 individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days, are at least two weeks post-infection and are asymptomatic will not be required to undergo daily testing, nor will individuals who are at least two weeks removed from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

"All Tier 1 participants will also be required to wear KINEXON movement devices during the tournament, including at practices and games, to assist with contact tracing and quarantining."

NCAA president Mark Emmert announced on Monday this year's tournament will be held entirely in the state of Indiana. 

“This is a historic moment for NCAA members and the state of Indiana. We have worked tirelessly to reimagine a tournament structure that maintains our unique championship opportunity for college athletes. The reality of today’s announcement was possible thanks to the tremendous leadership of our membership, local authorities and staff.”

Ball State, Butler, the Horizon League, Indiana, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Purdue are all loaning their facilities out to host the 68-team tournament. 

The Final Four and national championship game were already scheduled to be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. 

Borzello noted that fan attendance for the tournament is expected to be limited to six family members per Tier-1 individual, with a maximum capacity of 420. The NCAA will finalize an attendance plan after Feb. 1. 

The 2021 men's basketball tournament is scheduled to begin on March 16 and run through April 5.

The 2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament will be played entirely in a "bubble" format in Indianapolis and surrounding areas, the NCAA announced Monday.

The NCAA also announced (h/t Stadium) that Selection Sunday will take place on March 14 and that the Final Four will be held on April 3, with the championship game being held on April 5.

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports was the first to report the news. 

College sports' governing body had been exploring potential bubble options for the 2021 tournament amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with Indianapolis long serving as the front-runner. Indy had been scheduled to host the 2021 Final Four and is the location of the NCAA's headquarters.

The 2021 Division I women's college basketball tournament will also be held at a single site, likely in San Antonio.

The 2020 men's and women's basketball tournaments were canceled at the beginning of the pandemic in the United States last March. It was the first time in the 81-year history of the men's tournament that no champion was crowned.

Much like the college football season, college basketball has been riddled with COVID-19 issues since the 2020-21 season began. Games have been canceled or postponed on a near-daily basis as teams struggle to field full lineups because of positive tests or close contacts. Some programs have chosen to forgo the season altogether.

Because college athletes are not considered employees, teams are unable to restrict their off-court activities in a similar manner to professional sports. Players are subject to essentially the same rules as every other student on campus, which has led to a higher rate of infection and less ability to control the spread.

Other sports leagues have shown that "bubbling" players in one area is the best and safest way to hold an event without interruption or the risk of the coronavirus spreading.