Denver will no longer host the West Regional of the 2021 NCAA Tournament as all 67 games will likely be played in Indianapolis, the NCAA announced Monday. 

The decision comes after the tournament was canceled last year due to COVID-19. This year, the NCAA isn’t taking any chances, hoping to create a bubble for the 68 teams in Indianapolis, which was already set to host the Final Four and there are already preliminary talks about hosting all the games. The NCAA’s Division I Men’s Basketball Committee has been discussing this contingency plan for weeks. 

“Through these discussions, it became apparent to the committee that conducting the championship at 13 preliminary-round sites spread throughout the country would be very difficult to execute in the current pandemic environment,” the NCAA said in a press release. “The committee has decided the championship should be held in a single geographic area to enhance the safety and well-being of the event.”

Denver was set to host the West Regional — the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — on March 25-27 at Ball Arena (formerly the Pepsi Center). But it will have to wait until 2023 when it will host the first and second rounds. Denver is also set to host the first and second rounds in 2025. 

“With the University of Kentucky slated to host first- and second-round games in March, this is something that directly impacts our school and community, so we certainly share in their regret,” said Mitch Barnhart, who is the chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and Kentucky athletic director. “The committee and staff deeply appreciate the efforts of all the host institutions and conferences, and we look forward to bringing the tournament back to the impacted sites in future years.”

The following cities were set to host the tournament this season:

First/second rounds

Boise, Idaho

Dallas

Detroit

Providence, Rhode Island

Lexington, Kentucky

Raleigh, North Carolina

San Jose, California 

Wichita, Kansas

Sweet 16/Elite Eight

Denver

Minneapolis

Brooklyn, New York

Memphis, Tennessee