Thanks to a remarkably understanding wife, some advanced planning, good friends who enjoy some tournament hoops action, and the NCAA's seemingly endless love for awarding the state of North Carolina a taste of March, I've spent one weekend or more each of the past five years checking out the Big Dance! With 2010 being the exception, I've made two ACC Tournaments in Greensboro and Charlotte, and what were the first and second rounds in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Raleigh. Mix in one Sweet 16/Elite Eight trip to Charlotte, and you'll see I've gotten to know I-85, I-40 and I-77 pretty well. Maybe now is the appropriate time to brag that three of these roadies involved three straight weekends, and 20 games in 18 days! I love the pod system the NCAA has given us, which allowed me to see my Tar Heels each and every time. Regarless, for (at least) one extended weekend per year, March Madness gives guys around the country the perfect opportunty to do a little traveling.
This year, the thought was to save a little money, and make two day trips from my Richmond, VA home to our Nation's Capital - curses to the NCAA for making Charlotte a Friday/Sunday location! Little did I think the NCAA would start games in Washington, DC later than some in Denver, Colorado! A hotel would probably have been worth the money. My good friend and I were also excited about the possibility of seeing some different teams for a change. More importantly, with the Dukes and North Carolinas to our south, we hoped to avoid a dreaded 1-16 matchup, and instead finally see the patented 12 seed upset a 5. Again - curses to the NCAA!
But in all honesty, it's the NCAA Tournament. Any game is fun (notice I didn't say good) and all experiences are memorable. Mix in the diversity of a big city, some St. Patrick's Day fun - and you have the makings of a terrific weekend. Hopefully what follows is as enjoyable to read as it was to experience, and will motivate at least a few of you to follow suit in 2012!
The Games
Thurs, March 17
Old Dominion - Butler, noon
UNC Asheville - Pittsburgh, 2:30
Bucknell - Connecticut, 7:10
Missouri - Cincy, 9:50
Saturday, March 19
Butler - Pittsburgh, 7:10
Cincy - Connecticut, 9:50
Thank you, Butler Bulldogs! That's the summary of the game action here, because sans Brad Stevens bunch, the drama of March would have completely eluded us. A buzzer beater to get the day going Thursday had the Verizon Center buzzing. UNCA hung with Pitt for a while, but the energy in the crowd was never matched again on St. Patrick's Day. The nighcap left plenty to be desired. UConn looked like world beaters, and by the time the Bearcats and Tigers took the court, the thought of the one hour metro wait/ride coupled with two hours of driving home had me viewing the exits. Yes, I admit it. We left early. And I'd do it again too!
Saturday's late start made life seem somewhat "normal." I knew I had another late night of pavement pounding ahead of me, but a day of recovery Friday and lots of household chores enabled me to recharge, get pumped about some more college hoops, and not have a honey-do list waiting for me! And again, Matt Howard and company didn't disapoint, and I got to see my first #1 seed go down in five seasons. Controversy aside, the finish in this game may be tough to top in the grand scheme of things. I witnessed Steph Curry shoot down Georgetown, and Tyler Hansbrough hit a buzzer-beater in the ACC Semi-Finals against Virginia Tech - but a top seed losing in a stunning manner definitely has me wanting more. And Cincinatti nearly shocked us again before wilting down the stretch.
Little known fact from Washington D.C. - all tickets were the same price! So, I paid the same to sit club level as those who got in late did to sit in the rafters. It pays to plan folks! Kudos to the Pittsburgh Panther fans for their travelling abilities. I can't say I agreed with their disgruntlement, but the Verizon Center was definitely a pro-Pitt arena this past weekend. Even with the rest of the crowd jumping on the undergog bandwagon, the blue and gold folks were loud. Certainly a different feel from past experiences however, and it made things painfully obvious as to why the pod format is needed for attendance. Love or hate UNC and Duke all you want - but going in to an arena where those two, and their fans, will have nearly all of the tickets makes for a raucous atmosphere. I sat next to a group of folks who had Washington Wizards season tickets, and were entitled to purchase the weekend books before the public. Not surprisingly, that led the arena to have an overwhelmingly pro feel to it. Again, thank you Butler for changing that! I do find it interesting how the NCAA chooses these sites. It was just a few short years ago where I saw a Sweet 16/Elite Eight in Charlotte. The same building hosted earlier rounds this year, giving way to larger domes for the upcoming weekend. If you are a pessimist, this makes for a huge, drafty, empty arena. If you are an optimist, it means more tickets for real fans!
The Weekend
Who are we kidding here - games are certainly the draw for a road trip weekend, but the entire experience is what bonds together into memories. And from the moment we left Richmond, things began taking shape. We stopped for breakfast at a Sheets gas station about 20 miles outside of town. Walking up to pay for my biscuit, and boom! A small bill fold with a few twenty dollar bills! Score! Not even half an hour in, and I'm making money. The buzz of being in the black wore off after we arrived at our Metro parking deck, and circled for a space for 20+ minutes without any luck. Long story short, we ended up tailing a Metro employee and helping him locate a car that was going to be repossessed. If we could get the car out of the space, the space was ours. Unfortunately, another car had the same idea. This is where travelling with a buddy comes in handy, because the two of us could easily have taken him! He backed off, we helped the repo man push the car out of the space - and it was off to the Verizon Center! Seriously - I'm a non-fiction writer. You can't make this stuff up.
A host of eateries and watering holes offered plenty of options within a short walking distance, which helped quench our thirst in between sessions, and afforded me the opportunity to watch my third, or fourth employer, the University of Richmond Spiders, take down Vandy! We also saw a motorcade pass through near Indiana Avenue. Without confirmation, there was definitely a car with American Flags flying...so I'm simply going with the story that we saw the President. What we lost by going south to tailgate (my favorite pastime) I gained in finding coin, pushing cars and a Presidential siting. Seems like a reasonable trade.
One other, one-in-18,000+ oddity from Thursday. I chose to buy two individual tickets, thinking that sitting alone in the Club Level was better than sitting with a friend high above Verizon Center. After kicking a dude out of my seat for the evening session, we got to talking about our musical chairs options to sit with friends. Lo and behold, he had the ticket in the exact seat a row in front of my friend, and I had the ticket the row behind his entire family. It's simply unfortunate I didn't buy a Mega Millions ticket this weekend, because clearly I was on a roll.
I'll spare you most of the details of a largely uneventful Saturday. The good news was meeting up with a college buddy and his family who live in Baltimore. The bad news was Metro track maintenance, an unexpected after-midnight fare increase that nearly resulted in me spending the night behind bars, my buddy losing his dinner along side of I-95, and a 3:30 am arrival in my driveway. If you are interested in said details, or the names of any of the joints we checked out - email me! I'd also love to hear from anyone out there who went to one of the other sites over the weekend, and compare experiences!
2012 - Back to 'Carolina!
All in all, it was a better than anticipated big city experience. I'm a southern boy at heart though, and that's why plans are already in the works for a trip to Greensboro in 2012 (anyone needing hotel information, hit me up.) Yes, March Madness is about brackets, office pools, buzzer beaters and cinderellas. But it's more than that, and if you've never experienced this live, start thinking about it now. All 2012 and 2013 NCAA sites are announced, and ticket lotteries or on sale dates will come shortly after someone cuts down the nets in Houston (unless you are the frequent buyer I am, in which case you've already gotten a presale email!) Are you going to miss some of the incredible action across the country - yes. But it's a small price to pay for a weekend of memories. Bryce Drew's shot may live in NCAA lore, but Matt Howard's tip in, and free throw are forever etched in my brain. And with any luck, you may just see the 2012 version of VCU!