The NCAA announced plans Monday to relocate the yearly March Madness tournament to a single isolated site. Preliminary talks are centered around the event taking place in a bubble in Indianapolis.
The decision was made by the NCAA’s Men’s Division I Basketball Committee, which is populated by athletic directors, conference commissioners, and other highly regarded executives in men’s Division I basketball.
The committee made its decision based on worries for players’ safety following a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My committee colleagues and I did not come lightly to the difficult decision to relocate the preliminary rounds of the 2021 tournament, as we understand the disappointment 13 communities will feel to miss out on being part of March Madness next year,” said Mitch Barnhart, chair of the committee and University of Kentucky athletics director, in an NCAA statement.