Since the NCAA is highly protective of its trademark on the term “March Madness,” I like to refer to what’s coming up in Indianapolis as “March Muchness” or “Much Madness.”

By any term, downtown Indianapolis will be the epicenter of the basketball universe, offering up a variety pack of hoops I believe cannot be matched anywhere.

From March 1 through 31, our city will host a minimum of 38 high school, college and pro games in those 31 days.

The NBA Indiana Pacers will play seven home games that month in Conseco Fieldhouse.

From March 5-8 and March 12-15, the Big Ten Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments will take place at Conseco Fieldhouse. That’s another 20 games.

On March 7, the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s Girls State Finals will be in Lucas Oil Stadium. That’s four games.

On March 28, the IHSAA Boys State Finals will take place in the fieldhouse. That’s four games.

And on March 27 and 29 at Lucas Oil Stadium, the NCAA Tournament’s Men’s Midwest Regional will play through the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight to send a team on to the Final Four.

It’s also possible that Butler University could be hosting the Horizon League Tournament semifinals and final. The nationally ranked Bulldogs will earn that right if they win the regular season title and they’re currently in the lead.

Not to be overlooked will be the attention focused on Indianapolis on March 15, when the NCAA’s Men’s and Women’s Division I basketball committees will announce the fields and pairings for the tournaments. “Selection Sunday” has become an American staple.

We’ll follow up soon with some of the events that will take place around the games, especially the Big Ten tournaments.