Columbia Braces For Zion Williamson, Beto O'Rourke On Friday

NCAA Tournament games are in Columbia for the first time since '70 on Friday and Sunday, and the city will host "two of the hottest stars" in sports and politics. Democratic Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke comes to the Univ. of South Carolina campus "hours before" Duke and F Zion Williamson take to the Colonial Life Arena court for their 7:00pm ET game against North Dakota State. More than 25,000 fans "are expected" this weekend. With two No. 1 seeds in town, an "expected crush of school officials and media members coming to Columbia led tourism officials to ask some hotels to hold additional rooms at NCAA rates lower than what hotels could charge to accommodate the overflow crowd" (Charleston POST & COURIER, 3/21).