Malina Jeffers: Sports and culture are never breaking up
Arts and culture feel like an easy pathway to support people of color and contribute to our city’s newfound commitment to racial equity.
NCAA
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Pressure mounts on NCAA as House Dems demand answers over tourney disparities
Lawmakers raised questions about the organization’s role in fueling inequity in college sports, a sign that scrutiny of the Indianapolis-based NCAA is likely to expand beyond this month’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
Secondary brokers say ticket demand has been mixed, but Hinkle games are hot commodity
Interest in tickets to Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Indianapolis is generally outpacing the demand for tickets to earlier rounds. Tickets for Hinkle Fieldhouse games are seeing the strongest demand.
NCAA tournament early rounds draw 111,000-plus spectators
The figures, obtained by IBJ on Wednesday, show an average attendance of 2,180 people per game across the seven basketball courts at six venues. All venues limited crowd sizes because of the pandemic.
Teams, players and upstarts to watch in Sweet 16
The tournament is all but guaranteed to have a few more unexpected twists and turns. Here are the players and games to watch.
Rick Fuson: Unforgettable March speaks volumes about where we’ve been, where we’re headed
The exceptional circumstances and unique demands of an event this complex provide an invaluable proving ground.
NCAA’s Emmert agrees to review after more charges of inequity
Amid mounting pressure from players, coaches and administrators over differences between this month’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, NCAA President Mark Emmert on Tuesday wrote that he would be calling for “an independent review.”
In terms of chaos, this year’s Sweet 16 field is historic
The seed numbers of the 16 remaining teams add up to 94, the highest total since the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament expanded in 1985. Here’s how that stacks up against some previous years.
Greg Stremlaw: Indy’s moment is so ubiquitous it even has its own T-shirt
While some other areas across the country might have been interested in hosting the NCAA tournament bubble, by the time they could have raised their hands, Indianapolis already had the playbook in the hands of the NCAA.
Area cultural attractions work to attract college basketball fans
Some local museums and cultural institutions say they saw a bump in visitation over the weekend related to March Madness. Meanwhile, the attractions are playing up their basketball connections in a bid to attract visitors.
3 downtown hotels to ‘un-bubble’ as NCAA consolidates teams to 1 property
The move will allow fans and other visitors to use the Hyatt Regency, Westin and JW Marriott hotels for the first time in 10 days, after the three properties were fully booked by the NCAA for tournament needs.
Much Madness: NCAA tourney sets record for upsets after two rounds
The second round just wrapped with an even dozen upsets already in the books — a record for the opening 48 games and just one shy of the mark for the entire tournament — with all kinds of possibilities still out there.
Photo gallery: Sunday’s second round NCAA action
Here’s a selection of photos from second round games on Sunday at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium.
Difference in COVID testing at men’s, women’s tourneys has Stanford coach, others upset
The NCAA has run 8,015 tests through Sunday with only one confirmed positive at the women’s tournament using daily antigen testing. The men are using daily PCR tests, considered more accurate.
Loyola upsets top-seeded Illinois in second round, hands Big Ten another loss
The huge upset handed the Big Ten Conference its fourth loss in the tournament on the way to six by the end of Sunday. The game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse was among the first in a tournament that has seen a host of upsets in the first round.
Photo gallery: Action from each of the NCAA’s first round games
Here’s a selection of photos from first round games at Mackey Arena at Purdue, Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at Indiana University, Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler, Indiana Farmers Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium.
UPDATE: VCU pulled from tournament because of COVID-19 protocols
The NCAA announced the cancellation—officially declaring a “no contest”—about three hours before Virginia Commonwealth University was scheduled to tip off against Oregon in the West Region.
Fans celebrate return of NCAA tournament, despite its smaller scale
Capacity was limited to no more than 25% and bands and cheerleaders were noticeably absent. Still, most of the elements that make the NCAA Tournament America’s most beloved sporting event were on display Friday in the games played around central Indiana.
North Texas comes up big with 78-69 upset over Purdue
Purdue was the third Big Ten team out of the nation-leading nine it placed in the tournament to exit before the weekend.
Limited capacity at Hinkle Fieldhouse doesn’t dim experience for fans
Even with most of the seats empty, the roar of fans could be heard outside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon as Virginia Tech hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to send the game into overtime.