Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart is confident there will be an NCAA basketball tournament this season.

Taking part in a video teleconference on Wednesday with college basketball reporter Andy Katz, NCAA men's basketball senior vice president Dan Gavitt, and the NABC's Craig Robinson, Barnhart said the sport's leaders are working in advance to ensure plans are in place to hold the tournament, which was canceled in 2020 due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.

"The committee has been very thoughtful under Dan's leadership of saying 'What will it look like in 20-21? What do we do? Are we able to begin the season in our normal format, or will we have to adjust?'" Barnhart said.

According to the Kentucky AD, the NBA has shown a good example for what can be accomplished under difficult circumstances with its Orlando "bubble," where all teams still in contention for the playoffs are competing in a strictly monitored, central location at Disney World.

"Now (Los Angeles Clippers coach) Doc Rivers made a great comment before they ever started the NBA process," Barnhart said. "He said whoever wins this championship will have really earned it because this is the most unique format and the most unique set of circumstances ever. It may not seem fair, he said, but we're going to go on, and someone is going to win a very unique, very hard-fought championship.

"I thought that's pretty thoughtful," Barnhart continued. "No matter what sport we have going on, it might not be fair. You might look at this and say, 'Oh my word, that is not fair.' But at the end of the day, we're going to find a way to play a championship and get through this thing. It may look a little different, to Dan's point. It may be a place where we're bringing folks together (in a bubble-type scenario). It may be in the same format. I hope we're able to do what we've done and we have all of the original sites for March Madness on our way to a Final Four."

Barnhart said he has watched the NBA's bubble setting for ideas about what works and what does not work.

The concept may be more difficult for the NCAA to execute than the NBA, many have noted. After all, NBA players are not responsible for keeping up with classwork while they're playing.

"I think you hit the two key words: college student," Barnhart said. "That's part of the equation. We never forget that. We've got an opportunity to educate our young people. They're still going to class. They've still got school. Some of them are online, some of them are in classes, so that's hybrid, so we've got to pay attention to being a college student. That's part of this process that we'll have to factor in."

Added Barnhart: "We are focused on finding a pathway forward."