Indianapolis is the single-site host city for the upcoming NCAA men’s tournament.
After the 2020 March Madness event was cancelled, the NCAA was determined to find a way to play it out in 2021. Indianapolis, a hub for basketball, has officially been selected as the host city of the event.
https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/1346128131468517378?s=20
With the 2021 NBA All-Star weekend getting cancelled prior to the season beginning, Indianapolis was missing out on a chance at revenue and showing the basketball world what it was capable of bringing. With good reason, as the pandemic is still ongoing, Indianapolis had to postpone its All-Star hosting until 2024.
News broke this morning that the NCAA is rewarding Indianapolis with March Madness, which may not be only relevant to the Indiana Pacers, but it brings another major event to the city that breeds hoops. Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers, will be one of several arenas hosting games during the tournament.
In fact, the tournament will expand even beyond Indianapolis, as Bloomington and West Lafayette will also host a portion of games. Assembly Hall and Mackey Arena are the only sites outside of Indianapolis that are hosting games, but they are in the area and will provide ane extra market for games to take place.
Bankers Life, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, and Lucas Oil Stadium will be available for games in downtown Indianapolis. Lucas Oil Stadium will reportedly feature two courts, though just one of which will be in action at a time.
It is uncertain whether fans will be allowed to attend games or not at this point, as no official decision has been made. For the safety of players, fans, and all other parties involved, games will likely feature a limited-capacity crowd at most, if any fans are welcomed at all.
We will also have to wait and see how this affects the Pacers’ schedule in the second half of the season. Since the second portion of games has not been released yet, the Pacers may have a road trip similar to the Spurs’ annual rodeo trip.