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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 83rd 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)
  • ExtraMile 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, Minnesota (Host: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)
  • West Regional, Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado (Host: Mountain West Conference)

• March 26 and 28
  • South Regional, FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee (Host: University of Memphis)
  • East Regional, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York (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. As part of a cycle that began in 2016, CBS will televise the 2021 Final Four and the National Championship Game.

Television channels

• First Four - TruTV
• First and Second Rounds - CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV
• Regional Semifinals and Final (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) - CBS and TBS
• National Semifinals (Final Four) and Championship - CBS

See also

• 2021 NCAA Division I Women'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.

• 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