NCAA men’s basketball tournament is headed to Providence
By Bianca Buono
@BBuonoABC6
The Providence College men’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA tournament. They are seeded ninth and will face the eighth seeded USC Trojans in North Carolina on Thursday.
But the Friars aren’t the only local tie to the tournament. Eight games will be played at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Thursday and Saturday. Those games are:
Duke v. UNC Wilmington
University of Miami v. Buffalo
Baylor v. Yale
University of Arizona v. winner of Vanderbilt-Wichita State
"Obviously your restaurants are going to have a huge impact. The NCAA has contracted approximately 2,000 hotel room nights for this event,” said John Gibbons, Executive Director of the RI Sports Commission.
The owner of Murphy’s, Ruth Ferrazzano, is gearing up for what will certainly be the busiest few days she’s had in years. The first two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament are at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, just a block away from the restaurant.
"Fortunately or unfortunately it’s happening on St. Patrick’s Day which is normally my busiest day of the year. So it’s going to be kind of a double whammy,” Ferrazzano said.
The action starts on Thursday, St. Patrick’s Day, with two double-headers and two more games on Saturday. Several fans who already bought tickets are coming from across North America for possibly their first time in Rhode Island.
"It gives us a chance to put a good spotlight on Providence on Rhode Island. We want people to come back,” said Gibbons.
The state has been prepping for this tournament for nine months and over the course of the next 48 hours, hotels and restaurants will be finalizing their plans with the specific teams headed to the Dunk, creating a major economic boost.
"It’s going to total to about $3.4 million we calculate,” Gibbons said.
If you don’t have tickets to the tournament, you can still get a piece of the action. Federal Hill is hosting two culinary events. On Thursday and Saturday, food from Roma and Biergarten will be available at Garibaldi Park from noon to 5 p.m with a DJ playing music.
Also on Saturday, Acorn Street will be closed between Atwells Avenue and Spruce Street for a block party from noon to 8 p.m. The block party will feature food and drinks and a DJ will play from noon to 6 p.m.
There will be a special slam dunk Waterfire on Friday.
All eight teams playing in Providence will also have open practices on Wednesday at the Dunk that are free to the public.
© WLNE-TV 2016
