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2021 NCAA MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MARCH MADNESS : MARCH 18 | FIRST-SECOND ROUNDS: MARCH 19-22 | SWEET 16: MARCH 27-28 ELITE 8: MARCH 29-30 | FINAL 4: APRIL 3 | CHAMPIONSHIP: APRIL 5

WATCH T VENUES

ALABAMA The No. 2 seed Crimson Tide (24-6) is vying to become the first school to win football and basketball national titles in the same HINKLE academic year since FIELDHOUSE Florida in 2006-07. Opened in 1928, “’s Basketball LOYOLA-CHICAGO Cathedral” serves as The Ramblers (24-4) the home floor for are trying Butler University. It is to get 101- the oldest arena in year-old NCAA Division I Sister Jean basketball. into the tournament bubble to provide her traditional locker room pregame prayers for good luck.

GONZAGA The Bulldogs (26-0) ASSEMBLY HALL carry 30-game win Opened in 1971, streak into the NCAA Assembly Hall is the Tournament as the home of the Indiana overall No. 1 seed. At . It is known 92.1 points per game, as one of the loudest Gonzaga boasts the venues in college nation’s highest- basketball due to its scoring offense. steep sides.

OKLAHOMA STATE The Cowboys (20-8), WELCOME TO led by standout Opened in 1967, freshman guard Cade Mackey is the home Cunningham (above), court for the Purdue have been the hottest Boilermakers. Its team in the Big 12 domed aluminum roof over the past month, makes it one of the winning eight of their loudest arenas in last 10 games. INDIANA, . BAYLOR The Bears (22-2) BASKETBALL. average 84.4 points, which ranks third in Pandemic brings tourney’s shining moments — and many challenges — to State the nation. Baylor beat then-No. 5 The college basketball world will BY KEVIN BROCKWAY Tournament or you are holding the Illinois, 82-69, in descend on Indiana this month, look- CNHI Sports Indiana NCAA Tournament, right now I BANKERS LIFE December. ing to crown a champion at Lucas Oil think is the best place,” FIELDHOUSE Stadium in Indianapolis on April Barnhart said. “They will be masked, Purdue coach said. “It’s Opened in 1999, the 5 after the disappointment of the socially distant, practice facilities fan friendly. They’ve proven over the arena serves as the NCAA Tournament being canceled a sanitizing, all of the things that are in course of time with all the Final Fours home floor for the year ago. place for this to be an incredibly safe that they’ve had that they can run a Pacers and Fever. It Can the NCAA and state of Indiana and healthy tournament. great tournament, and this is another has been recognized pull it off? That will be the big ques- “If the teams continue to do the example with all the different venues as one of the top tion in the coming weeks. In the tail great work they’ve done just to get to that they’re going to have to use.” venues in all of sports. end of a COVID-19 pandemic that has the tournament, we will have a very Like all NCAA Tournaments, this ILLINOIS already claimed more than 500,000 safe, very healthy 67-game tourna- year’s event should feature its share of lives in the U.S. and 2.6 million lives ment and will crown a champion.” drama, with top overall seed Gonzaga The Big Ten tourney worldwide, there are never any guar- Four teams — Louisville, Colorado going for the first undefeated season champions (23-6) antees. State, Saint Louis and Ole Miss — in college basketball since Indiana in have one of the The virus, as they say, remains have been put on standby as potential 1975-76. Teams have sacrificed spend- nation’s top center- undefeated. Two national power- Field of 68 replacements. If a team is ing time with family and friends, gone guard duos in Kofi houses — Kansas and Virginia — were forced to withdraw in later rounds due through daily COVID-19 testing and Cockburn (17.6 forced to drop out of their conference to COVID-19, the opposing team will worked hard to get to this point. Play- INDIANA FARMERS points and 9.6 tournaments last week due to pos- move on, via forfeit. ers and coaches for all 68 teams have COLISEUM rebounds) and Ayo itive COVID-19 tests. Both remain There will be fans, with capacity packed for what they hope will be a Dosunmu (above, in limbo, waiting to see if they will capped at 25% at all arenas. With the long stay. On the Indiana State 20.9 points). be cleared to enter the NCAA Tour- state of Indiana sitting at an average Ohio State point guard and India- Fairgrounds, the nament bubble set up at hotels in of 760 new COVID-19 cases per day napolis native C.J. Walker said he’s venue opened in MICHIGAN downtown Indianapolis. this week, there is thought the tour- just grateful to continue to get the 1939. It is home to The Wolverines (20- Coaches, players and support staff nament will be able to operate safely opportunity to play in March. The Indy’s minor league 4) won the regular- of each of the 68 teams will wear at the six venues — Mackey Arena in Buckeyes enter tournament play a No. hockey team, the Indy season B1G title and Kinexon devices, designed to moni- West Lafayette, Simon Skjodt Assem- 2 seed, with the chance to cut down Fuel, and IUPUI. It had the conference’s tor all of their movements for contact bly Hall in Bloomington and Hinkle the nets at Lucas Oil Stadium in April. hosted The Beatles’ second-best field- tracing purposes. Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coli- “I feel like these are tough times for sole concert in goal percentage “They will be tested and quaran- seum, Lucas Oil Stadium and Bankers everybody,” Walker said. “So, we’re Indiana in 1964. (48.3%) and the top tined when they get here,” NCAA Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. just grateful for the opportunity. defensive percentage Tournament Division I chair Mitch “Whether you are holding an AAU We’re really happy.” (39.4%).

A SHOT AT BASKETBALL HISTORY PICKING THE FINAL FOUR LUCAS OIL At 26-0, No. 1 Gonzaga is vying to become the first CNHI Sports’ Kevin Brockway (@KevinBrockwayG1) and Elton Hayes undefeated team in college basketball since the 1975- (@EHDC12) have broken down the brackets and selected these teams STADIUM 76 went 32-0. The Zags are led by a as their picks to make the Final Four: Opened in 2008, the trio of All-Americans — forward Corey Kispert, forward stadium is home to Drew Timme and freshman point guard Jalen Suggs — KEVIN ELTON the . and showed they could play with anyone with non-conference wins over Its retractable north Kansas, Virginia, Iowa and West Virginia. Pressure could mount for Gonzaga, Illinois, Gonzaga, Illinois, end window offers Gonzaga on the bigger stage. A rematch with Luka Garza-led Iowa in the Florida St. and Baylor Alabama and Baylor spectacular views of Elite Eight is possible, with the Hawkeyes the No. 2 seed in the West. downtown Indy.

CONTENT: Kevin Brockway, CNHI Sports Indiana; Elton Hayes, CNHI Sports Pennsylvania | PHOTOS: visitindy.com; IU Athletics; Purdue Athletics; Oklahoma State Athletics; Illinois Athletics | PHOTOS & DESIGN: Heather Bremer | CNHI Sports Indiana