Indiana to host entire men’s tournament
The NCAA is giving Indianapolis an exclusive ticket to showcase March Madness this spring.
The NCAA announced Monday that the Division I men’s basketball tournament — all 67 games — will be played in or near Indianapolis.
The hope is to limit the possibility the COVID- 19 pandemic cancels the lucrative tournament for a second straight season.
Indianapolis was already scheduled to host the Final Four.
Gonzaga and Baylor remained atop the Associated Press men’s poll, while Texas climbed to fourth, its highest perch in nearly a decade. Villanova climbed one spot to No. 3. Iowa, Kansas, Creighton, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Michigan rounded out the top 10.
Jay Wright’s plan to resume coaching Villanova following a bout with COVID- 19 was put on hold when two players tested positive, forcing the program to postpone its next three games. The Wildcats ( 8- 1) were scheduled to play Tuesday at DePaul, Friday vs. Marquette and Jan. 13 at Xavier. No makeup dates have been announced.
Oregon’s run in the top 10 of the AP women’s college poll is over after 64 consecutive appearances.
The Ducks fell to No. 11 a day after the team’s 27- game winning streak ended with a two- point loss to then- No. 11 UCLA, which rose to No. 9.
It was the fourth- longest active streak behind Connecticut, Baylor and Louisville. The Huskies have been in the top 10 of every poll since March 7, 2005. The Bears have done it since Dec. 8, 2014, and Louisville started its run in the preseason poll of 2017- 18. players, stopped 33 shots. The United States will face Canada, which beat Russia 5- 0, in the gold- medal game Tuesday. Finland will play Russia for the bronze.
The NBA is adopting a tougher policy regarding masks, telling teams that players on the active roster will have to wear the face coverings in the bench area until they enter games. That memo, obtained by the AP, was released on the same day the Brooklyn Nets ruled All- Star forward Kevin Durant out for Tuesday’s game against Utah in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols for dealing with the coronavirus.
The season- opening ATP Cup, a men’s team tennis event, is set to return starting Feb. 1. However, the U. S. will be missing after the field was halved amid COVID- 19.