The American College Sports Association (NCAA) men’s basketball, called the’March Frenzy’, will play all games this year in Indianapolis, Indiana in the aftermath of the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19).
The NCAA announced on the morning of the 5th (Korean time) that “All 67 matches of the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament this year will be played in Indianapolis, Indiana and nearby areas.”
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Division 1 Tournament is a tournament in which 68 teams from schools that perform well in conferences across the United States participate in a single match format to determine the winner. The popularity of NCAA men’s basketball is beyond imagination. The NCAA Division 1 Tournament was ranked 3rd after the US Professional Football (NFL) Super Bowl and the Summer Olympics in the sports event brand value ranking published by US economic magazine Forbes in 2019. This is higher than the fourth place, the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament.
Last year, NCAA Division 1 could not be opened due to Corona 19. Initially, this year’s tournament was scheduled to be held in Dayton, Ohio, USA, followed by matches in Minneapolis, Denver, New York, and Memphis, and the final quarter-finals were held in Indianapolis.
However, due to concerns over the spread of Corona 19, the plan was changed to all schedules being held in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. In addition, participating teams will stay at a hotel connected to the Indiana Convention Center designated as a training facility.
The draw for this tournament will be held on March 15, and the semi-finals and finals at Lucas Oil Stadium will be held on April 4 and 6, respectively.
Reporter Jeong Se-young