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The 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament is a planned single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The 82nd annual edition of the Tournament is scheduled to begin on March 16, 2021 and will conclude with the championship game on April 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tournament procedure

Pending any changes to the current format, a total of 68 teams will enter the 2021 tournament. 32 automatic bids shall be awarded to each program that wins their conference's tournament. The remaining 36 bids are "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee.

Eight teams (the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams) will play in the First Four (the successor to what had been popularly known as "play-in games" through the 2010 tournament). The winners of these games advance to the main draw of the tournament.

The Selection Committee will also seed the entire field from 1 to 68.

2021 NCAA Tournament schedule and venues

The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 2021 tournament:

First Four

• March 16 and 17
  • University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)

First and Second Rounds

• March 18 and 20
  • Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, Rhode Island, (Host: Providence College)
  • Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho, (Host: Boise State University)
  • Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, (Host: University of Detroit Mercy/Oakland University)
  • American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, (Host: Big 12 Conference)

• March 19 and 21
  • INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas, (Host: Wichita State University)
  • Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, (Host: University of Kentucky)
  • PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina, (Host: North Carolina State University)
  • SAP Center, San Jose, California, (Host: West Coast Conference)

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

• March 25 and 27

• • Midwest Regional, Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, (Host: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)
  • West Regional, Pepsi Center, Denver, CO, (Host: Mountain West Conference)

• March 26 and 28
  • South Regional, FedExForum, Memphis, TN, (Host: University of Memphis)
  • East Regional, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, (Host: Atlantic 10 Conference)

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship)

• April 3 and 5
  • Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: Horizon League)

Media Coverage

Television

CBS Sports and Turner Sports have US television rights to the tournament.

• First Four – truTV
• First and Second rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV
• Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) – CBS and TBS
• National Semifinals (Final Four) and Championship – TBS

Radio

Westwood One has exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.

Internet

Video

Live video of games will be available for streaming through the following means:

• NCAA March Madness Live (website and app, no CBS games on digital media players; access to games on Turner channels requires TV Everywhere authentication through provider)
• CBS All Access (only CBS games, service subscription required)
• CBS Sports website and app (only CBS games)
• Bleacher Report website and Team Stream app (only Turner games, access requires subscription)
• Watch TBS website and app (only TBS games, requires TV Everywhere authentication)
• Watch TNT website and app (only TNT games, requires TV Everywhere authentication)
• Watch truTV website and app (only truTV games, requires TV Everywhere authentication)
• Websites and apps of cable, satellite, and OTT providers of CBS & Turner (access requires subscription)

Audio

Live audio of games will be available for streaming through the following means:

• NCAA March Madness Live (website and app)
• Westwood One Sports website
• TuneIn (website and app)
• Websites and apps of Westwood One Sports affiliates

See also

• 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament
• 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament

References

1. "Future Division I Men's Basketball Championship sites". NCAA. 22 March 2019.
2. Bonesteel, Matt (April 12, 2016). "CBS and Turner Sports lock down NCAA tournament through 2032". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
3. Maiman, Beth (March 8, 2017). "March Madness TV schedule: How to watch and live stream every game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament". NCAA. Retrieved March 9, 2017.

• 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
• NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
• Scheduled basketball competitions
• Basketball in Indianapolis
• 21st century in Indianapolis