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The Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC will be one of the sites hosting first and second round action in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament action beginning on Thursday, March 21, 2024. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
There’s a different feel inside the Spectrum Center in uptown Charlotte.
Blue and white NCAA “March Madness” logos are plastered all over the Queen City’s 17,500-seat professional basketball venue. The words “Buzz City” still stand above the Flight Deck — but that’s just about the only Charlotte Hornets-related emblem still prominently displayed.
For the third time in the past decade — and 24th overall — Charlotte is hosting NCAA men’s basketball tournament games.
Another logo on prominent display: the Charlotte 49ers’ green “C.” This city’s tournament host served as the “point guard” in bringing the marquee sporting event back to the Queen City, as Charlotte’s athletic department formed a collective effort with Spectrum Center, the Charlotte Regional Visitors’ Authority, Charlotte Hornets and Charlotte Sports (formerly Charlotte Sports Foundation).
“March Madness brings our nation together like almost no other sporting event,” Mike Hill, the Charlotte 49ers’ athletic director, said in an interview with The Charlotte Observer. “This is something where even the most casual sports fan gets involved and interested to fill out their brackets and try to feel like they’re a part of it. It completely captures the imagination of our nation.
“And basketball has such strong roots in this city, and in this state, and in our institution. It’s really nice that we have the opportunity to showcase our city, with our partners, in the best light possible.”
The Michigan State Spartans practice at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The Spartans will be playing the in NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that begins on Thursday, March 21, 2024 Jeff Siner jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Charlotte’s involvement in hosting the NCAA Tournament dates back to 1958, with its most notable moment coming in 1994, when it hosted the Final Four. Charlotte has hosted a total of 98 NCAA Tournament games, which ranks fifth nationally of any city.
Most recently, it held March Madness games in 2011, 2015 and 2018. The Queen City hosted the East Regional in 2008, its eighth regional final, which ties for ninth in the country.
When bids to host games in this year’s NCAA Tournament were submitted roughly four years ago, everyone in the Charlotte 49ers’ athletic department knew it was something they wanted to pursue again. They banded together with their aforementioned partners and were awarded their bid.
Final Four logo basketballs are available for fans attending the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball First/Second Rounds at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Games for the tournament begin on Thursday, March 21, 2024 and conclude on Saturday, March 23, 2024. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
“It’s part of the DNA of the city,” Hill said. “Our athletic department pulls together all the communication, all of the meetings. We work on this event years in advance, and there’s many moving parts to it.”
CRVA has played a key role in ensuring the event has the right number of volunteers for logistical aspects, like hotels, and have been working alongside the teams at Spectrum Center and the Hornets on the facility.
Ragean Hill, the 49ers’ executive associate athletics director who is of no relation to their AD, has served as the tournament manager. She’s been running the day-to-day aspects of the planning for the last several years and has done a “phenomenal job,” Mike Hill said.
“She has done an incredible job of mobilizing everybody and pulling us together,” Mike Hill continued. “She’s been helping to plan and coordinate for the last few years and, along with a host of other staff members on our team, along with the other organizations, have been knee-deep in this for quite a while now.” The 49ers’ athletic department has played an instrumental role in bringing the tournament back to Charlotte, including Tom Whitestone, who is retiring in June after 37 years in the Charlotte 49ers’ media relations department.
Kamoni McHarris with Hornets Entertainment finishes hanging merchandise in a souvenir stand for the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball First/Second Rounds at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Games for the tournament begin on Thursday, March 21, 2024 and conclude on Saturday, March 23, 2024. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
This week will add to the 263 NCAA Tournament games that have been played in North Carolina — mainly Charlotte and Greensboro — and mark the most of any state. In the Queen City, the tradition began inside the Charlotte Coliseum, which opened in 1955 and was initially a 208,400-square foot arena in east Charlotte that sat roughly 10,000. It first hosted the NCAA Tournament in 1958, when it was the site of the East Regional with an increased capacity that neared 12,000. Following construction of the 24,000-seat Charlotte Coliseum, an estimated crowd of 50,000 flocked to the Queen City for its Final Four games in 1994. “The branding value is really immeasurable, there’s a lot of power in that,” Mike Hill said. “We’re an up-and-coming institution that is on the rise and doing big things. It’s important to us, certainly on the local stage, to be seen. And on a national stage, we’re excited about that opportunity.”
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Sources:
"Postseason basketball has roots in Charlotte. Why NCAA Tournament returned for 24th time," by Shane Connuck, The Charlotte Observer, March 21, 2024.
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