NCAA Reveals Contingency Plans For Teams Forced To Withdraw From Big Dance

The NCAA has announced contingency plans in the event teams are forced to withdraw from the national men's or women's tournaments because of COVID-19 issues.

There are actually two separate policies -- one for teams that have to withdraw following their selection, and one for teams that withdraw once the Big Dance is already under way.

In these situations, the NCAA will have "replacement teams" on the ready, indicating as much in the following tenants on its website:

"There are separate policies for when a team is forced to withdraw: one for before the announcement of the championship field and one for after the release of the bracket," per the NCAA. "Replacement teams will only be introduced into the championship within 48 hours after the announcement of the field, and at no time thereafter."

The entire men's tournament will be held in Indiana this season, with the Final Four slated for Indianapolis. San Antonio will host the women's Final Four.

Written by
Sam Amico spent 15 years covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports and NBA.com, along with a few other spots, and currently runs his own basketball website on the side, FortyEightMinutes.com.