INDIANAPOLIS (LEX 18) – March madness is becoming – again – due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The NCAA announced monday its resolve to move venues to the initial rounds of the 2021 Men’s Basketball Championship and consolidate everything into one place.
The resolution is part of an effort to “improve the protection and well-being of the event,” according to a press in the organization.
The NCAA added that he is in “preliminary talks” with the state of Indiana and the city of Indianapolis to serve as a potential host of all 68 teams. Indianapolis originally scheduled to host the men’s Final Four this season. The tournament will now be held in a “bubble” format, similar to what the NBA did in Orlando this summer.
This replacement directly affects the University of Kentucky and the Lexington network, as British Sports Director Mitch Barnhart is recently chairman of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. In addition, the Rupp Arena originally planned as the venue for the first time and for the time being rounds of this season’s NCAA tournament. Instead, Rupp Arena will host those tours at a later date.
Barnhart issued the following about the resolve to move the tournament:
The committee is under pressure on the importance of leading the championship in a manageable geographic domain that limits and provides a safe and controlled environment with festival and education sites, medical resources and accommodation for groups and officers, all close to each other.
“We have learned a lot from tracking other successful sporting occasions in recent months, and it has become transparent that it is not imaginable to manage this complex championship in so many other states with the demanding situations that arise through the pandemic,” Dan. Gavitt, senior vice president of basketball at NCAA, said in the press release, “However, we are developing a forged plan to deliver a safe, guilty and fantastic March Madness tournament like no other we’ve ever experienced. “
NCAA President Mark Emmert said the committee was largely following the pandemic to expand forward-looking contingency plans.
“The Governing Council and my most sensitive priorities are to protect the fitness and well-being of college athletes while maintaining their ability to compete at the highest level,” he said. “These principles have guided the decision-making procedure as we continue, to compare how to live a fair and championship experience. »
CBS Sports and Turner Sports will continue to distribute all tournament games on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV and their virtual platforms.
Click here to see the new calendar of host cities and tournament venues, starting with the 2021-2022 season.
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