Michigan State AD Mark Hollis, an NCAA men's basketball committee member, said that Portland "remains a viable site" for future NCAA Tournaments, "maybe even a regional," despite the fact that attendance numbers dipped for Moda Center's third staging of the event, according to Mike Tokito of the Portland OREGONIAN. Thursday's total of 27,895 fans attending the two Portland sessions "guaranteed that even with a Saturday sellout" total attendance would finish behind what the tournament drew in '09 and '12. The dip in attendance is "not unique to Portland, but part of waning live attendance in college basketball." Hollis believes the dwindling attendance is "part of an overall change in how fans watch sports." He said that there was "some concern about how the tournament would do in Portland this year, but he felt better when he walked into the building, where much of the lower bowl was filled, and the majority of the empty seats were in the upper-300 sections." Hollis: "I was very pleased with what the building looked like, and felt like." Tokito noted the "next logical step, if Portland is to progress as a destination for big sports events, is to host a NCAA regional." Hollis said that Portland "has the infrastructure and hotel space to do so, but it is up to city officials to decide if that is something they want" (Portland OREGONIAN, 3/21).
LONG LAYOFF KEY: In Seattle, Matt Pentz notes attendance at KeyArena in the city's first time hosting the event since '04 "totaled 44,262 over the three sessions, two of which sold out." KeyArena Manager Edie Burke called attendance figures "excellent." Pentz notes having Gonzaga "in this particular section of the bracket as a local tie certainly didn’t hurt," as the university's fans "filled large swaths of the area with blue and red for both of its victories." Burke: "That’s always something that we hope for." Burke said that KeyArena in the past has "placed bids for games 'approximately every three years.'" Pentz notes that figure "could change" given Seattle Univ. is now a full D-I member (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/23).
NCAA-OK: In Oklahoma City, Jason Kersey notes the NCAA Tournament is returning to the city in '16 when first- and second-round games "will be played inside Chesapeake Energy Arena for the first time" since '10. Excitement for college basketball in the state "waned after the arrival" of the Thunder and disappointing seasons from both Oklahoma -- which went three seasons without reaching the tournament from '10-12 -- and Oklahoma State, which "hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 in a decade." The '10 NCAA Tournament games in Oklahoma City "didn’t have great ticket sales." Oklahoma City All Sports Association Exec Dir Tim Brassfield said that he "expects to consider bidding for NCAA men’s regionals ... in the future, especially now that the men’s basketball committee is awarding those events to cities more comparable to Oklahoma City" (NEWSOK.com, 3/21).
