March Madness is back in Milwaukee for the 10th time, and the second at Fiserv Forum, bringing college basketball players and fans here from across the nation.
Downtown was buzzing Friday as NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games got underway in the early afternoon at Fiserv Forum. The arena (and home team Marquette University) is playing host to six total games, including four first-round matchups Friday and two second-round matchups Sunday.
The event is expected to draw 19,000 attendees and generate $3.4 million in estimated economic impact to the Milwaukee area, according to Visit Milwaukee.
On Friday in Milwaukee, Iowa State defeated Lipscomb 82-55, Ole Miss defeated North Carolina 71-64, Kentucky beat Troy 76-57 and Illinois beat Xavier 86-73. That sets up Sunday games at Fiserv Forum of Kentucky vs. Illinois at 4:15 p.m. and Iowa State vs. Ole Miss at 6:45 p.m.
Much of the activity Friday afternoon and early evening was concentrated in Fiserv Forum’s Deer District and public plaza. Despite high winds, mid-50s temperatures and sunshine brought fans outside to congregate on patios, upper-level balconies and at the outdoor Beer Garden area, which was streaming the tournament games on its massive screen. The New Fashioned made a splash with a live DJ playing pop hits and staff members standing near the entrance with a microphone encouraging fans to grab a beverage at “Milwaukee’s largest sports bar.”
Other signs of March Madness were spotted elsewhere downtown, including a Kentucky Basketball coach bus parked outside the Saint Kate hotel, Illinois flags fastened to the outside of Uncle Buck’s, and Marquette flags along the bridges over the Milwaukee River. Marquette lost to New Mexico 75-66 Friday in Cleveland.
The NCAA Tournament provides a significant boost to downtown hotels, at a time of the year when business is typically slower. As of Tuesday, Marcus Corp.’s three downtown hotels, Saint Kate, The Pfister and the Hilton Milwaukee, were “close to” sold out, according to Dana Johnson, general manager of Saint Kate.
Johnson said she expects the same impact and national attention to Milwaukee that the 2022 NCAA Tournament brought.
“We have different teams this year, different fans that are coming to the market and we always find that when people come to our city and they experience our night life and our restaurants and our hotels, they’re so surprised and happy about what they experience here. And and they want to come back and they tell their friends. Just showcasing that on a national media stage really puts our city in a great great spotlight,” she said.
