March Madness will include fans for the NCAA Tournament, which begins in a month, and the Big East Tournament, which starts in less than three weeks.
On Friday, the NCAA Tournament announced there will be up to 25 percent capacity for its 67 games, all of which will be played in the state of Indiana. The Big East Tournament is also expected to include spectators at Madison Square Garden, sources told The Post, though tickets will not be sold to the public.
The NCAA said more information will be made available after March 1 for the tournament, which will have most games played in Indianapolis, as the NCAA creates a bubble for participating teams.
As for the Big East Tournament, an allotment of tickets will be made available to each school. Those spectators at the Garden will be allowed for up to 10 percent of capacity, as is the case for Knicks and Rangers games starting next week, after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced all arenas and stadiums in New York can have fans in attendance at limited numbers. The 10 percent capacity would equate to approximately 2,000 fans at the 20,789-seat Garden.
The Big East’s plans, sources said, have yet to be finalized, but there is a strong sense that there will be spectators at the event. The league has yet to decide if schools that are not playing in a particular session will be given tickets for that time or only for when their teams are in action. The four-day tournament starts on March 10.
The 25 percent capacity for the NCAA Tournament will include participants, essential staff and family members of each participating team’s student-athletes and coaches, along with fans. Face coverings and physical distancing will be mandatory. A majority of teams this year, particularly in the Northeast, have played without fans.
“We continue to use the knowledge we have gained over the season on how to conduct games in a safe environment,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. “I want to thank our host universities and conferences, the Indiana State Health Department, and the leaders in the Marion, Monroe and Tippecanoe county health departments as they help make that possible.”
Games will be hosted by Ball State, Butler, the Horizon League, Indiana, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Purdue. The Indiana Convention Center will also be used as a practice facility.
