If you're married, make sure that you take a few photos inside the venue while guys are on the mat and send them to your wife. That way you won't have to worry about being accused of using the NCAAs as an excuse to sneak off to a secret rendezvous at some obscure location.
50% of wrestling moves are called some variation of "alligator" in at least one part of the country, so just call everything that. Take a pair of pliers and smash your ears for a few days before the tourney; you will blend right in.
In Cleveland it was a problem that Saturday because every wrestling fan having a small window of time to eat and drink was competing for space with an entire already-drunk city inhabiting all the eating/drinking options.
I can't emphasize enough... download the PSU sports app onto your phone and listen to Jeff Byers for every session. He will probably be about 10 seconds behind, but you will still get his exciting calls, be able to join discussion afterwards regarding what Bo or Jason or whomever did, understand the opposition, dangerous matchups, etc... and also not miss any PSU action as he will let you know when we are on the mat (harder than you think when there are 8 mats going). You will hear his previews of the matchups of the next round, etc. etc. etc.
You can print them from the NCAA site. I’ve done it that way (printing updates each morning at the hotel) for years.
just wear yellow and black and when at the karaoke club don't tell the bartender the band sucks. trust me on this
Nothin I love more than sitting at the tournament in silence for 4-5 hours. Buy an earpiece, put it in at opening whistle, and nobody will bother you.
Reminds me of Homer Simpson when Lisa’s recital of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony conflicted with Truckasaurus - the Truck-eating metal dinosaur
They don't sound like jeans and t-shirt shirt places. Although, with a PSU t-shirt, you never know.
Seconding this, as I was going to say something similar about the camaraderie among all the fans, regardless of team allegiance. It's a pretty welcoming atmosphere, the opposite of the fan tension you'd sense at a Yankees Red Sox game, or a Flyers Penguins game (to keep it more local). Everyone is thrilled to be there, they've been looking forward to it for a long time, and very open to talking with strangers. And there's plenty to talk about with 8 mats going on.You’ll probably be surprised how friendly everyone is around you at NCAAs, fans from all schools. I expect it now. Everyone naturally talks about mat-action and calls attention to what’s happening on a specific mat. It’s tough to consistently scan all 8 mats and not miss something.
Being there has many moments why’s it’s worth going. Best personal memory was Oklahoma City when Gwiz beat Nelson to put PSU in the driver’s seat. PSU fan’s repeated chants of “NC STATE! NC STATE!” were loud and was such an awesome experience. It was nice to participate in support of the Wolfpack knowing the premature Minny t-shirt orders would not be distributed in the U.S.
Watch for "Event Parking" at the downtown lots. The prices are jacked up for certain "events", though I do not know if the NCAA Championship qualifies. Just an fyi.
