On Monday, the NCAA said it would relocate the sites for the 2021 NCAA March Madness tournament to one site due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A potential site for the whole tournament is Indianapolis, which was already slated as the site for the Men’s Final Four.

For the first time since the tournament started in 1939, the tournament did not take place last year. Conference tournaments were canceled midway through and later March Madness was canceled due to the pandemic.

The decision by the NCAA to hold the tournament in one location is to make a safe environment for the tournament. The intent is to create a controlled environment for teams to practice and play while also reducing travel.

The NCAA has already taken precautionary measures to help teams stay safe while playing and traveling by shortening the season. It continues to look for ways to keep players and members of the team safe during the 2020-21 season.

Head coach Richard Pitino and the Gophers will go for their third NCAA tournament appearance in four years this season. The Gophers have made the tournament 14 different times in their team history, but still have yet to win a championship.