NCAA announces COVID protocols for 2021 Tournament

(Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

Now that it’s official that the 2021 NCAA Tournament will be held in Indianapolis (with some rounds in Bloomington and West Lafayette), the question becomes, what will the event look like? Yesterday, the NCAA announced some of the health and safety protocols for the tournament, which were made in conjunction with the Marion County Health Department. Here’s a quick rundown.

— Seven straight negative tests prior to arrival. All Tier 1 participants — players, coaches, trainers, physical therapists, medical and equipment staff, and officials — must show seven consecutive negative COVID-19 tests prior to arrival. On site, they must produce two more negative tests before leaving quarantine. From there, they will undergo daily PCR testing throughout the tournament. Those who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous 90 days and are two weeks out and not showing symptoms OR who have had the vaccine for at least two weeks will not be required to undergo daily testing.

— Tier 1 participants will be required to wear KINEXON movement devices throughout the tournament to assist with contact tracing and quarantining.

— Each Tier 1 participant will be allowed to invite six family members, making for a max of 420 fans at each game; however, the family members will not be allowed to have in-person contact with the players during the tournament. They must also wear masks and be seated in physically-distanced clusters throughout the arena. No final decision has been made on allowing additional fans in the stands.

— Meals in rooms or physically-distanced dining rooms. Players will be required to eat their meals in their hotel rooms or in designated dining rooms with assigned, physically-distanced seats. I hope the St. Elmo’s shrimp cocktail holds up to-go.

The rest of the details are still being ironed out, but Selection Sunday is scheduled for March 14 and the Final Four is planned for April 3 and 5. Games will be played on two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena in West Lafayette and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Only one game at a time will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Indiana Convention Center will be used as a practice facility, with multiple courts set up inside the venue. Marriott properties, an official NCAA corporate partner, will house most of the tournament teams. The properties are connected to the convention center via skywalks and within a controlled environment. All teams will be housed on dedicated hotel floors, with physically distanced meeting and dining rooms, as well as secure transportation to and from competition venues

Today, NCAA Senior VP of Basketball Dan Gavitt confirmed that the First Four games will NOT begin two days after Selection Sunday as in years past to ensure there’s enough time for testing, practice, etc.

.@JonRothstein spoke with NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt to discuss the announcement that the NCAA Tournament will be held in Indiana, including safety protocols and scheduling. pic.twitter.com/HGVEFQsBTV

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) January 7, 2021

[Indy Star, ESPN]