The NCAA announced Monday that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 Men’s Basketball Championship is going to be held in a single city instead of in sites across the country.
Previously, 13 cities from Providence, Rhode Island, to San Jose, California, were slotted to host the opening round in late March.
A release from the NCAA explained that holding the tournament in several locations was expected to be “very difficult to execute in the current pandemic environment,” and the decision to hold the tournament in a single city was made “to enhance the safety and well-being of the event.”
In Alabama, the Crimson Tide were recently ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Coach’s poll and are widely expected to earn a berth in the season-ending tournament.
While the Auburn Tigers begin the season unranked, coach Bruce Pearl’s teams have gone 105-81 over the last three seasons, good for a 0.771 winning percentage, and observers say they are likely to compete for a berth in the 68-team competition.
The NCAA is currently in talks with the state and local officials who govern Indianapolis, Indiana, about hosting all of March Madness 2021. Indianapolis was previously announced as the location for the 2021 championship round.
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CBS Sports and Turner Sports are still on track to broadcast each of the tournament’s 67 games on CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV and via streaming options.
The 2020 edition March Madness was one of the highest-profile events canceled when the coronavirus first became widespread across the United States in March.
Alabama kicks off their season on November 25 against Jacksonville State. Auburn begins play on November 26 versus St. Joseph’s.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
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