2021 NCAA Tournament to be held in one location
There will be no March Madness in the city of Memphis in 2021.
The NCAA announced Monday that each round of the NCAA Tournament will be held at a centralized location, most likely Indianapolis, in an effort to safely execute the event.
Fedexforum had been slated to serve as a host site for the South Regional.
“My committee colleagues and I did not come lightly to the difficult decision to relocate the preliminary rounds of the 2021 tournament, as we understand the disappointment 13 communities will feel to miss out on being part of March Madness next year,” Mitch Barnhart, chair of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee and University of Kentucky athletics director said in a press release.
“The committee and staff deeply appreciate the efforts of all the host institutions and conferences, and we look forward to bringing the tournament back to the impacted sites in future years.”
Memphis is next scheduled to host NCAA Tournament games in 2024, when Fedexforum will be one of eight sites for first- and second-round games.
“We have learned so much from monitoring other successful sporting events in the last several months, and it became clear it's not feasible to manage this complex championship in so many different states with the challenges presented by the pandemic,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball. “However, we are developing a solid plan to present a safe, responsible and fantastic March Madness tournament unlike any other we've experienced.”