Basketball temples in Indiana taking center stage at tourney
Six of the arenas that helped create Indiana’s basketball legacy will go on full display when the NCAA Tournament tips off later this week.
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Backup plan: NCAA tourney standbys not expecting a call
Although the University of Louisville is the first alternate to fill an open spot in the NCAA Tournament, Coach Chris Mack isn’t optimistic. Meanwhile, potential replacement squads Colorado State, Saint Louis and Mississippi are prepared to play in the National Invitation Tournament.
Indiana providing $15 Uber, Lyft credits in six cities
The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute says its Sober Ride Indiana pilot program will provide ride credits to the first 10,000 total rides through April 5. The program coincides with St. Patrick’s Day and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
UPDATE: IU fires basketball coach Miller, raises money for big buyout
Athletic Director Scott Dolson said Monday afternoon that the university had secured “private philanthropic funding … for all transition costs and obligations related to the change in leadership.” That’s expected to include a $10.3 million buyout clause in Miller’s contract.
Update: Dozens of teams already in town as last-minute tourney prep falls into place
Teams must undergo a quarantine and testing period when they arrive in Indianapolis—and no one from the schools was allowed to make the trip without seven consecutive days of negative tests.
IBJ Podcast: The NCAA has 850 million reasons to love its deal with CBS and Turner Sports
IBJ columnist and investigative reporter Greg Andrews explains why the rights to March Madness are so valuable even as the media landscape changes quickly. And he tells host Mason King why it’s unlikely that the NCAA or its broadcast partners will want to renegotiate the deal—which runs through 2032.
NCAA bracket is set—and 4 teams are on standby for COVID cancellations
Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois and Michigan earned the top seeds. Kansas and Virginia, two programs hit with COVID-19 breakouts over the past week, made it into the bracket released Sunday by the NCAA selection committee.
Ohio State faces Illinois in Big Ten men’s finals
The teams are playing for an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament, although both teams are expected to make the field.
Photo gallery: Basketball fans, volleyball players, revelers bring life back downtown
Hundreds of people—many of them in town for the Big Ten men’s and women’s tournaments—turned Georgia Street into a destination again, hitting the bars, riding scooters and listening to bands.
COVID problems at conference tournaments should be warning sign for NCAA
Big conference tournament games wound up as glum walkovers when teams withdrew due to COVID cases, leaving the question of whether the big bracket might suffer some similar fate, despite a bubble in Indianapolis.
March Madness TV-rights price tag continues to soar
The media landscape is in the throes of dramatic change that creates uncertainty but also adds to the value of events like the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that attract huge live audiences.
Indy’s March Madness gig built on six decades of savvy decisions
Construction of a convention center, a basketball arena, a football stadium, to start. Countless audacious moves by a long line of political and civic leaders put the city in the position for an historic achievement.
Positive COVID-19 tests derail Kansas, Virginia conference tourney runs
The cancellations create uncertainty about the programs’ ability to participate in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Indiana, which begins March 18.
Local restaurants hope to supply food for teams during NCAA Tournament
The NCAA, Indiana Sports Corp. and Visit Indy are developing a program to help match teams with restaurants that are prepared to deliver.
March Madness could spark new growth in Indy events, conventions
Visit Indy plans to bring in a small group of “key decision-makers” from across the United States throughout the tournament, with the goal of letting major event executives safely see Indianapolis’ capabilities.
Video: A discussion about Indy’s sports strategy and “over-delivering” as the secret sauce
IBJ invited a group of community leaders who have been involved in sports and economic development throughout the past 40 years to talk about the city’s sports strategy, how it developed and why it remains important. The panel includes Mark Miles, Allison Melangton, Susan Williams, John Thompson and Ryan Vaughn.
Baker takes leave from Women’s Fund to be March Madness ringmaster
Over the past few weeks, Jennifer Pope Baker has spent pretty much every waking moment overseeing Indy’s effort to host this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
NCAA Tournament is so much more than wins and losses
When you talk about that body of experience [for Indianapolis], it makes this doable. It gives you an experience base that you can tap into, to pull things together.
Melina Kennedy: Early planning amid pandemic put Indy ahead of pack
It has been a year of uncertainty and pain. And while this basketball tournament brings a figurative new spring to Indiana, we also need to acknowledge the hard months that brought us here.
Duke pulls out of ACC tournament, ending NCAA tourney streak
The Blue Devils abruptly had to pull out of the tournament and end their season due to a positive COVID-19 test, ending their streak of 24 consecutive NCAA appearances that began in 1996.