2021 marks the return of the Men’s College Basketball Tournament. The NCAA has set tournament schedule dates. Soon, players will start calling their bookie agents looking for answers to when March Madness begins.
Most sports in 2020 didn’t cancel. Instead, they delayed their seasons, evaluated the situation, and then restarted in the summer.
Instead of happening on the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby took place on the first Saturday in September. The National Hockey League and National Basketball Association restarted their seasons in July and August.
Major League Baseball played a 60-game regular season. College football decided to start in September instead of late August.
But although most sports leagues managed to finish their seasons, some, like NCAA College Basketball, had to cancel. On the week the annual NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament was set to announce the 2020 field, the NBA shut down their season.
After the National Basketball Association decided to self-quarantine, the NCAA had no choice but to shutter both the women’s and men’s tournaments. For the first time since 1939, the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament didn’t happen in 2020.
The lack of a March Madness 2020 has bolstered enthusiasm for the 2021 March Madness Tournament. Sports bettors and PPH sportsbook bookies are ready for the 3-weeks of betting mayhem and bliss that happens every NCAA Tournament season.
The pandemic is still a “thing,” though. Check out how the NCAA plans on producing one of the most exciting tournaments in history even though they won’t play games in regions like normal.
NCAA sets 2021 Men’s NCAA Tournament dates
Recently, the NCAA set tournament dates. They also decided on a geographical location for games and venues. Here are the most important questions and answers regarding this year’s NCAA Tournament.
What is March Madness?
You know what March Madness is. Even if you don’t like basketball, you know what the event is. March Madness is the annual NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament. It’s also called the Big Dance or the Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament apprises 64-teams in a win and your in, lose, and your out format. Teams must win six straight games to claim the College Basketball Championship. In most seasons, teams play throughout the nation in regions.
Each region seeds teams from 1 through 16. The 1-seed plays the 16-seed in the first round, the 2-seed plays the 15-seed, etc. The teams that win their region are part of the Final Four.
Semifinal Final Four games happen on a Saturday. On the following Monday, the two remaining squads play for the trophy.
When does March Madness start?
2021 is different from most years. We pulled this schedule directly from the NCAA site.
- Selection Sunday — 6 p.m. ET March 14
- First Four — 4 p.m. start on Thursday, March 18
- First-round — 12 p.m. start on Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20
- Second-round — 12 p.m. start on Sunday, March 21, and Monday, March 22
- Sweet 16 — 2 p.m. start on Saturday, March 27, and 1 p.m. start on Sunday, March 28
- Elite Eight — 7 p.m. start on Monday, March 29, and 6 p.m. start on Tuesday, March 30
- Final Four — 5 p.m. start on Saturday, April 3
- NCAA championship game — 9 p.m. Monday, April 5
On Selection Sunday, the NCAA College Basketball Tournament selection committee seeds teams. This season, the four 1-seeds are likely to be Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan, and Ohio State or Villanova.
Where will March Madness happen?
Because the 2021 College Basketball Tourney happens during the pandemic, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has decided to have all games happen in Indiana. The State of Indiana is known as the U.S.’s top basketball state.
The film Hoosiers took place in Indiana. The state is known for producing top basketball players, including Larry “Legend” Bird.
The majority of the tournament’s 67 games will happen in Indianapolis. Lucas Oil Stadium and Bankers Life Fieldhouse, both in Indianapolis, will host most games. Some games will take place in Bloomington at the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and West Lafayette at Mackey Arena.
Two other Indianapolis venues are Hinkle Fieldhouse and Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
How to watch March Madness 2021?
CBS has the rights to the NCAA Men’s College hoops tournament. CBS, truTV, TNT, and TBS will air first-round games.
CBS and TBS will air regional semifinal games. Regional finals and the Final Four will broadcast on CBS.
Gambling websites could see more than $8.5 billion wagered on the NCAA College Basketball Tournament
Super Bowl LV’s handle eclipsed $7 billion worldwide. Annually, the NCAA Tournament produces a handle of at least $8.5 billion in the U.S. alone.
The total makes sense because whereas the Super Bowl is a single event, the NCAA Tournament takes place over three weeks and offers 67 games. The total bet on the Men’s Tournament this year should exceed $8.5 billion.
Pent-up demand requires it. Pay per head agents who use bookie software stand to make more money than ever on the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament.
Suppose you’ve got any players asking, “what is March Madness?” Forward this article to them. Also, per head agents like you should add the Agent Payment Solution and Live +.
Games happen simultaneously in the first weekend of play. With Live+, players will stay on your in-game betting platform because they can access game trackers and video streams.
In the first round, games also happen right after the other. With the APS, players can make credit card, debit card, or bitcoin deposits after bad beats and before the next slate of games tip-off.
If you import players today, you can offer free betting software platforms like Live+ for $4 per head. Our March Madness promotion lasts until the day after the National Championship, April 6. Sign-up and see the PayPerHead sportsbook software difference for yourself.
