Joe Kinsey
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The NCAA, which lost its 2020 March Madness due to the beginning of the COVID pandemic, announced Friday that there will be fans in the stands during this year’s tournament, which will be held at locations around central Indiana. The NCAA is planning on a 25% capacity limit at the games beginning March 18 with the First Four at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.
“We continue to use the knowledge we have gained over the season on how to conduct games in a safe environment,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said via a news release. “I want to thank our host universities and conferences, the Indiana State Health Department, and the leaders in the Marion, Monroe and Tippecanoe county health departments as they help make that possible.”
Locations where games will be played during the tournament include:
• Lucas Oil Stadium
• Bankers Life Fieldhouse
• Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
• Mackey Arena
• Hinkle Fieldhouse
• Indiana Farmers Coliseum
Under the capacity rules laid out by the NCAA, the Final Four inside Lucas Oil Stadium figures to have an attendance of 17,500. With a capacity of 9,100, the legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse would have a tournament capacity of 2,275.
“The number one priority for decisions around the tournament continues to be the safety and well-being of everyone participating in the event,” NCAA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brian Hainline stated in the release. “We have been in regular conversations with the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group and local health officials to make sure we have the right protocols in place to provide a safe environment. Additionally, IU Health is providing critical testing and monitoring services enabling us to safely conduct the tournament.”
somebody ask Canada when they plan to allow humans at sporting events. we’re about to take back our hockey teams and the basketball team like we did with that baseball team in DC from Montreal.
its cold as F_ck in all parts of Canada – maybe everyone should stand outside for 30 minutes to kill the virus.
meanwhile the so-called science says March madness can happen with fans, but no fans at Laker games in Cali.
Smithsonian is shut down in DC, but he Super Bowl in Tampa had 25 thousand fans.
what science are we using to decide things?
looks like science killed the flu almost entirely in one year!! How Did That Happen?
inquiring minds wanna know.
Our local minor league baseball team just put out their schedule (Frontier League) and they play against some teams based in Canada. Season starts in May so I assume Canada plans to be back to normal by then.
Also the Stanley cup playoffs start around that time so they would have to open the border if they are going to have a normal playoff.
Never in my life, as a Kansas Jayhawk, did I think I would say I don’t give a rat’s patootie about March Madness. Never. But this year? All the covid BS has just killed the joy for me. Such stupid, stupid rules that everyone knows are pure BS.
Right on used to love the madness but now I just dunno seems like who cares
College basketball has become so bad. One and done are now one semester and done as opposed to one year in college. I don’t have a favorite school or anything but I can name more players off of the 85 Georgetown Hoyas than I can for every D1 school combined in 2021. Its become a joke. No coincidence the NBA is as bad as it is. Of course I shouldn’t talk since I haven’t watched 15
seconds of NBA in a year.