[singlepic id=354 w=320 h=240 float=right]Last night I got to take in the sights and sounds of the NCAA Tournament live in Indianapolis, IN at Lucas Oil Stadium. The tickets, which cost about $125, were for 2 games on Friday night (Sweet 16) and the Elite 8 game on Sunday. At first, when I bought the tickets, I was a little concerned about watching a basketball game in what is essentially a football stadium. Those concerns turned out to be warranted. The most recent basketball games I’ve been to were at the Pepsi Center in Denver. For a few years I would purchase a ten-pack of tickets to check out the Nuggets. The tickets were upper deck at mid-court. Even in the upper deck, with the steep slope of the stands, there was still a good view of the court. The set up a Lucas Oil Stadium left a lot to be desired. Our seats were in the corner of the court, on the first level, many rows back. The court itself wasn’t even centered on the “football” field, so the one corner was close, but we happened to be on the far corner. There was barely any slope from the court to our seats so getting to see the game required some work. To make matters worse there was no alcohol served at the game. What was the NCAA thinking with that decision?!

As for the games, the first game pitted #1 Louisville vs. #12 Arvizona. This game was pretty much a dud from the start as Louiville put the full court press on Arizona, didn’t give them a chance to breath and blew them away. It was so bad I was yawning early in the second half. The second game, which was #2 Michigan St. vs. #3 Kansas, started a bit slow but had me on my feet at the end hoping to see a classic March Madness buzzer beater. The buzzer beater didn’t happen, but it was fun to watch as Michigan St pulled off the win. Of the 4 Sweet 16 games on Friday night the Michigan St. vs. Kansas game turned out to be the only good one, with all the other games turning into blowouts.

Next up: #1 Louisville vs. #2 Michigan St. on Sunday.