The city of Indianapolis is the front runner to host the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament in its entirety this season.

Indy Sports Corp. president Ryan Vaughn tells Inside Indiana Business that things are close to becoming a reality. He said they are working with several bodies to make it happen in Indy from Visit Indy to the city and state government.

“I’m optimistic that we can get there,” Vaughn said. “There’s just a lot of moving parts to make it a reality. We’re talking about multiple competition venues, practice facilities, coordination with the hotels, and public safety officials.”

The NCAA announced a month ago that it would be pushing to hold March Madness in one singular city this year in order to help contain the spread of coronavirus. The tournament is normally held in several cities and venues across the country.

Vaughn said the fact that they have to do it this way has him feeling for other cities that are losing out on the economic impact the tournament brings.

“My heart just breaks for those folks in the hotel world and the restaurants and the entertainment venues,” he said. “The coronavirus restrictions, though necessary and proper, just decimated audiences for everyone.”

Vaughn is not saying yet when the city may or may not know if the tournament can be put on in the Capitol City.