Having the entire 2021 men’s NCAA tournament in Indianapolis means we’re getting March Madness at Hinkle Fieldhouse — one of the oldest arenas in college hoops and the home of Butler basketball.
And while that’s super awesome, there’s a quirk that the national basketball audience noticed right away with the first game of the 2021 tourney at Hinkle between Florida and Virginia Tech: there’s sunlight streaming in, a sight that many are used to in Indy.
It makes for some beautiful photos (see above and below) but will it be a factor at some point in the tournament with someone missing a shot or a pass due to the sunlight? We’ll see.
Here are some sights and reaction:
Sun might be a factor in this Tourney. 😬😬 pic.twitter.com/sUtKbIkGB3
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) March 19, 2021
I guess the switch to Hinkle was too late for the NCAA to demand Butler install $4.6M curtains to eliminate this sun issue? @DanBarreiroKFAN
— Brandon Veale (@redveale) March 19, 2021
The sun’s reflection on the court at Hinkle is pretty funny, although I wonder if it could be an issue for the players
— Noah Trister (@noahtrister) March 19, 2021
here's an image of the sun beam blasting the court at Hinkle Field House 😎 #Florida #VTech #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/50AHz0MBo1
— iTestDFS (@iTestSports1) March 19, 2021
Any team playing at Hinkle Fieldhouse can use the old baseball excuse… “the sun was in my eyes.”#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/GQZwG9k2sB
— Shannon The Dude (@ShannonTheDude) March 19, 2021
Sunlight at Hinkle Fieldhouse? What sunlight? (for @indystar) #marchmadness #ncaa #madness pic.twitter.com/J3Wzmzgu74
— Jenna Watson (@JennaRWatson) March 19, 2021
My take: no curtains. It’s a challenge at one of the most hallowed basketball courts on Earth.
