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March Madness 2021: NCAA Tournament COVID-19 Rules and Protocols, Explained

In the last two days, three different men's college basketball programs—Duke, Virginia and Kansas—have withdrawn from their respective conference tournaments due to positive COVID-19 cases within their programs.

As teams across the country finish conference tournaments before the NCAA tournament begins next week, player safety and public health remains a concern.

The NCAA issued guidelines and protocols on how teams will be eligible to participate in the Big Dance last month.

Here is a breakdown of rules of how the NCAA will handle COVID-19 issues for the men's and women's basketball tournaments:

What clearance requirements are needed for teams and their travel party to enter the NCAA Tournament?