INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosiers have a front row seat to March Madness this year.
To limit traveling and COVID-19 exposure, the entire 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament will be played in Indiana, with the majority of the 67 games in Indianapolis.
The tournament is expected to generate up to $100 million for Indiana's lagging economy, including a much needed boost to hotels, restaurants and bars.
The NCAA is releasing additional event details as the tournament draws closer, but here's everything we know so far. This story will be updated as new information is available.
March Madness 2021 locations
Games will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Mackey Arena in West Lafayette and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, the NCAA has announced.
Ball State University, Butler University, the Horizon League, Indiana University, IUPUI and Purdue University are hosting the tournament, lending staff and facilities for operations.
A practice facility will be set up at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indy.
NCAA tournament schedule and dates
Selection Sunday is March 14, kicking off the first week of tournament play. You can watch the Selection Show beginning at 6 p.m. on CBS4 or cbs4indy.com.
Here is the complete 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament schedule, including locations and start times:
- First Four: Thursday, March 18 at 4 p.m. — Mackey Arena and Assembly Hall
- First Round: Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20 at 12 p.m. — Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall, Bankers Life, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Farmers Coliseum and Lucas Oil Stadium
- Second Round: Sunday, March 21 and Monday, March 22 at 12 p.m. — Bankers Life, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Farmers Coliseum and Lucas Oil Stadium
- Sweet 16: Saturday, March 27 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, March 28 at 1 p.m. — Bankers Life and Hinkle Fieldhouse
- Elite Eight: Monday, March 29 at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, March 30 at 6 p.m. — Lucas Oil Stadium
- Final Four: Saturday, April 3 at 5 p.m. — Lucas Oil Stadium
- NCAA championship game: Monday, April 5 at 9 p.m. — Lucas Oil Stadium
How can I get March Madness tickets?
The NCAA is capping fan capacity at 25% with physical distancing required, but each venue will make the final call on how many spectators to allow for games.
IU has said it will allow up to 500 fans for first-round games at Assembly hall, which can seat about 17,000, while Purdue is still working to determine how many fans to allow.
A spokesperson for Butler University tells us the school will not limit capacity at Hinkle Fieldhouse below 25%, but an exact figure had yet to be determined.
On Tuesday, March 2, the NCAA announced this staggered schedule for the sale of tickets:
- First Four: Thursday, March 4
- First Round: Tuesday, March 9
- Second Round: Thursday, March 11
- Regional Round: Tuesday, March 16
Details have not been released for the sale of Final Four tickets, although speculators on some third-party sites have already listed those tickets for sale. Consumer experts advise against purchasing these before official ticket sales begin.
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What COVID-19 precautions are planned?
The 25% capacity decision was made in conjunction with state and local health departments, and it has the support of city officials.
The NCAA's formalized COVID-19 health and safety protocols for the tournament also include testing, face coverings, physical distancing and contact tracing requirements before teams arrive in Indianapolis and throughout their stay.
Most of the college basketball teams will stay in hotel properties adjacent to the convention center, allowing players to get to and from practices via skywalks and within a controlled environment. Teams will stay on dedicated hotel floors with meeting and dining rooms that allow for physical distancing, and secure transportation is provided to and from game venues.
Can I watch all the games on TV?
If you're not among the lucky few who get to see a game in person, you can still catch every game on TV. The games will be broadcast across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.
Here is the complete TV schedule for the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament.
- First Four: truTV, TBS
- First Round: CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV
- Second Round: CBS, TBS, TNH, truTV
- Sweet 16: CBS (afternoon games), TBS (primetime games)
- Elite Eight: CBS on Monday, TBS on Tuesday
- Final Four: CBS
- NCAA championship game: CBS
I heard there are bracketing changes this year. Why?
The NCAA is changing how the bracket of 68 teams is organized, only for the 2021 championship, due to tournament games all being played in Indiana.
In a typical year, bracketing decisions for the preliminary rounds are based heavily on the schools' geographic proximity to hosting sites. This year, since geography is not a factor, the bracket will be determined in large part by the overall seed list.
For additional details on this change, click here to read the NCAA press release.