NCAA Tournament sessions at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., featuring South Carolina, Duke and North Carolina were "sold out" by yesterday afternoon, according to Ben Breiner of the Columbia STATE. The Midwest Regional at K.C.'s Sprint Center was "also sold out" (Columbia STATE, 3/14). In Tulsa, Kelly Hines notes the city is "on track to exceed the attendance totals from when it previously hosted the first and second rounds" of the tournament in '11. An event official said that as of yesterday, "fewer than 3,000 tickets remained" for the Friday games at BOK Center. The arena capacity for the event is "listed at 17,996" (TULSA WORLD, 3/14).
LONG TIME COMING: In South Carolina, Eric Connor noted it has been 15 years since the NCAA Tournament "last swept through Greenville." Last September, the NCAA announced that it would "pull championships in seven different sports, including the first and second rounds of the men's basketball tournament" from Greensboro because of HB2. Greenville had "laid the groundwork well before" the bill -- starting in "earnest with the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds." The day of the flag's removal, July 10, 2015, VisitGreenvilleSC President Chris Stone "penned a letter" to NCAA President Mark Emmert and NCAA Senior VP/Basketball Dan Gavitt. Three days later, Stone flew to NCAA HQ in Indianapolis to "make his pitch" (GREENVILLE NEWS, 3/12).
