>> HELLO AND WELCOME TO INSIDE INDIANA BUSINESS. I'M GERRY DICK. INDIANA IS KNOWN FOR BASKETBALL
AND IN JUST A FEW MONTHS THE HOOSIER STATE WILL BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT LIKE NEVER BEFORE AS HUNDREDS OF STUDENT-ATHLETES,
COACHES, ADMINISTRATORS AND MANY OTHERS WILL BE HERE FOR THE ENTIRE, 67-GAME NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT.
>> BALL STATE UNIVERSITY ECONOMIST MICHAEL HICKS SAYS THE NCAA'S DECISION TO RELOCATE MARCH MADNESS TO INDIANA COULD
HAVE AN ECONOMIC IMPACT GREATER THAN THE SUPER BOWL, WHICH INDIANAPOLIS HOSTED IN 2012. >> WITH MORE ON THE BIG PLANS
AND WHAT THEY MEAN FOR INDIANAPOLIS, WEST LAFAYETTE, BLOOMINGTON AND INDIANA, I'M PLEASED TO BE JOINED BY NCAA
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF BASKETBALL DAN GAVITT. DAN, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM. >> MY PLEASURE, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU, AS WELL, A BUSIER THAN NORMAL NEW YEAR FOR YOU, AND MANY PEOPLE AT THE NCAA. THIS IS BIG NEWS, THE
ORGANIZATION CAME OUT SEVERAL MONTHS AGO SAYING THE INTENT WAS FOR INDIANAPOLIS AND INDIANA TO HOST THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT, A
LOT OF NEGOTIATING AND DETAILS AHEAD TO BE WORKED OUT. THIS IS A BIG UNDERTAKING, INDIANA UNIQUELY, I THINK, POSITIONED
INDIANAPOLIS IN PARTICULAR TO HOST THIS EVENT, WERE OTHER VENUES, LOCATIONS, CONSIDERED? >> THEY WERE MOST DEFINITELY.
BUT REALLY OUR FOCUS ALL ALONG WAS ON INDIANAPOLIS AND THE STATE OF INDIANA. INCREDIBLE HISTORY AND TRADITION FOR THE
TOURNAMENT HERE, OF COURSE. AND JUST INCREDIBLE RELATIONSHIPS WITH SUCCESS OF HAVING MARCH MADNESS HOSTED HERE SO
SUCCESSFULLY SO MANY TIMES. SO WHILE OTHERS WERE CONSIDERED, THE WORK OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS TO COME TO MONDAY'S
EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT WAS REALLY FOCUSED ON INDIANAPOLIS. >> DAN, GIVE US SOME PERSPECTIVE, HOW MANY MOVING
PARTS WERE INVOLVED IN BRINGING THIS DEAL TOGETHER. THE VENUES ARE ONE THING HERE IN INDIANAPOLIS DOWN IN
BLOOMINGTON, UP IN WEST ELASTICITY LAFAYETTE. THE HEALTH ISSUES, HOW ENORMOUS WAS THIS
UNDERTAKING? >> IT IS ENORMOUS, NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. A CULMINATION OF MONTHS OF WORK, GOING BACK TO
SUMMER AND FOLLOWING WHAT OTHER EVENTS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO SUCCESSFULLY AND WHY THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL. THAT'S WHAT LED TO
THE BASKETBALL COMMITTEE AND STAFF DECISION FIRST IN THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER TO DECIDE TO HAVE THE TOURNAMENT IN ONE
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, TO LIMIT TRAVEL, AND ALL THE RESULTANT CHALLENGES WITH TRAVEL AND THE PANDEMIC, AND FUNDAMENTAL, OF
COURSE, TO ALL THAT DCISION-MAKING WAS THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF EVERY PARTICIPANT, STUDENT ATHLETES, COACHES
ADMINISTRATORS, AS WELL AS THE GREATER COMMUNITY THAT WE WOULD HAVE THE EVENT IN, IN THE GREATER INDIANAPOLIS AREA. SO,
THE MEDICAL PROTOCOLS, REALLY KEY, OF COURSE, FUNDAMENTAL IN SO MANY WAYS, WE WORK VERY CAREFULLY AND VERY CLOSELY AND
WELL WITH THE MARION COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WITH DR. CANE, WITH THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, DOCTOR KRIS BOX AND
I.U. HEALTH, LOCATION HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND PROVIDER THAT CAN HELP US NEGOTIATE THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC IN A VERY SAFE AND
RESPONSIBLE WAY. SO A LOT OF DETAILS, STILL A LOT OF DETAILS, FRANKLY TO WORK OUT IN THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS BEFORE
MARCH. BUT MANY ASSURANCES WE NEEDED IN ORDER TO BE CONFIDENT TO MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT MONDAY. >> DAN, BIG QUESTION, A LOT OF
PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW AS FANS, WILL FANS BE PERMITTED TO ATTEND THE GAMES? >> AT THIS POINT WE HAVE
APPROVAL ONLY FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF STUDENT ATHLETES AND COACHES AND ADMINISTRATORS WHO WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN THE GAMES.
THAT'S JUST A LIMITED NUMBER THAT WE HAVE ASSURANCE THAT CAN ATTEND, ALL 67 GAMES, WE HAVE HOPE THAT THERE MAY BE FANS IN
ATTENDANCE. BUT REALLY THAT'S GOING TO BE A MUTUAL DECISION WITH THE MARION COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WITH THE NCAA, AND
IT WON'T BE MADE UNTIL PROBABLY EARLY FEBRUARY. I THINK WE ALL AGREED THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO SEE HOW HOPEFULLY CONDITIONS
IMPROVE WITH THE SPREAD OF COVID-19, AND CAN PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF FANS AS WE'VE SEEN AT COLTS
GAMES, FOR EXAMPLE. BUT PREMATURE TO MAKE THAT DECISION RIGHT NOW. AND TIME WILL TELL IF THAT IS A POSSIBILITY OR NOT.
>> BUT INDEED THAT'S A DECISION THAT ULTIMATELY DOWN THE ROAD COULD CHANGE POTENTIALLY FROM WHERE IT IS NOW. BUT WON'T BE
MADE UNTIL EARLY FEBRUARY. >> THAT'S CORRECT. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A WAIT AND SEE APPROACH IN A VERY RESPONSIBLE WAY TO
MAKE THE CORRECT DECISION. >> DAN GAVITT VICE PRESIDENT OF BASKETBALL AT NCAA DAN, WE APPRECIATE THE PERSPECTIVE AND
ALL OF THE HARD WORK GOING INTO MARCH MADNESS. I KNOW YOU INDICATED AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE, THIS WILL BE A VERY
SPECIAL AND UNIQUE EVENT. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE ARE CONFIDENT INDIANAPOLIS AND INDIANA CAN PULL IT OFF.
APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE, TALK TO YOU SOON.