Assuming we win the first two games of the tourney, we are pretty likely to play in Cleveland at The Q (Cavs Arena). Cleveland is saying they are getting bombarded by hotel requests from UK fans. They are hoping this comes to fruition.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Let's call it Big Blue Nation Speculation.
And if all this Wildcat maneuvering proves clairvoyant, a sea of Kentucky blue in Cleveland this month will translate into lots of green for the local tourism industry.
University of Kentucky men's basketball fans are betting that the road to the national championship includes a stretch of I-71, north to Cleveland, which this year hosts the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament on March 26 and 28.
How sure are they? They're reserving blocks of rooms at local hotels and booking parties at area bars - even before they know what regional bracket Kentucky is assigned to.
"It sounds crazy, but we have to do this now," said Ann Singer, president of the Northeast Ohio chapter of the University of Kentucky alumni. "I have friends who booked hotel rooms here last April. You can't risk these things."
Wildcat and other college hoops fans will find out on Sunday which 68 teams make it to the Big Dance, and where they'll be playing their first games.
Provided they prevail this weekend during the Southeastern Conference championship, undefeated Kentucky will be an easy top seed in the tournament.
The NCAA historically assigns the top seed to the first-round game closest to home. Teams in the Midwest bracket this year start playing on March 19 in Louisville, a short drive from Lexington.
Assuming Kentucky wins its first two tournament games, the Wildcats then will be one of four Sweet Sixteen teams headed to Cleveland to play at Final Four on April 4.
For weeks now, even months, Kentucky fans have been making assumptions about where their team will be playing in late March.
Bob Megazzini, for one, hopes they're right.
Megazzini, the general manager of the Westin Cleveland Downtown, said Wildcat fans recently booked a block of 100-plus rooms at the 484-room hotel, for three nights, March 26 through 28.
A Kentucky fan himself - he used to work at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort in Lexington and his daughter is a junior at the university - Megazzini is hoping the Wildcats make the trip to Cleveland.
"Kentucky travels very well," he said. "They'll fill many rooms."
According to Destination Cleveland, about 10,000 visitors are expected for the tournament, possibly more, depending on the teams that are playing here.
In an effort to make Kentucky fans feel at home, Megazzini promises regional specials on the hotel restaurant menu, including Kentucky burgoo, the Kentucky Hot Brown and fried-green tomatoes. "We'll certainly show them some Southern hospitality," he said.
The hotel also is slated to host one of the four teams coming to play in Cleveland, but he won't know which one until later this month.
Singer, meanwhile, is busy planning Cleveland watch parties for some of the 1,100 Kentucky alumni living in Northeast Ohio. The Corner Alley, on Euclid Avenue at East 4th Street, will host gatherings for hundreds of Big Blue Nation fans throughout the three-day event.
But don't look for Singer at those parties -- at least not while the games are on.
She has her tickets in hand to watch college hoops at The Q later this month. The only thing she's not absolutely certain about, however: exactly which teams she'll be watching.
This post was edited on 3/12 10:06 AM by MWes11
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Let's call it Big Blue Nation Speculation.
And if all this Wildcat maneuvering proves clairvoyant, a sea of Kentucky blue in Cleveland this month will translate into lots of green for the local tourism industry.
University of Kentucky men's basketball fans are betting that the road to the national championship includes a stretch of I-71, north to Cleveland, which this year hosts the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament on March 26 and 28.
How sure are they? They're reserving blocks of rooms at local hotels and booking parties at area bars - even before they know what regional bracket Kentucky is assigned to.
"It sounds crazy, but we have to do this now," said Ann Singer, president of the Northeast Ohio chapter of the University of Kentucky alumni. "I have friends who booked hotel rooms here last April. You can't risk these things."
Wildcat and other college hoops fans will find out on Sunday which 68 teams make it to the Big Dance, and where they'll be playing their first games.
Provided they prevail this weekend during the Southeastern Conference championship, undefeated Kentucky will be an easy top seed in the tournament.
The NCAA historically assigns the top seed to the first-round game closest to home. Teams in the Midwest bracket this year start playing on March 19 in Louisville, a short drive from Lexington.
Assuming Kentucky wins its first two tournament games, the Wildcats then will be one of four Sweet Sixteen teams headed to Cleveland to play at Final Four on April 4.
For weeks now, even months, Kentucky fans have been making assumptions about where their team will be playing in late March.
Bob Megazzini, for one, hopes they're right.
Megazzini, the general manager of the Westin Cleveland Downtown, said Wildcat fans recently booked a block of 100-plus rooms at the 484-room hotel, for three nights, March 26 through 28.
A Kentucky fan himself - he used to work at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort in Lexington and his daughter is a junior at the university - Megazzini is hoping the Wildcats make the trip to Cleveland.
"Kentucky travels very well," he said. "They'll fill many rooms."
According to Destination Cleveland, about 10,000 visitors are expected for the tournament, possibly more, depending on the teams that are playing here.
In an effort to make Kentucky fans feel at home, Megazzini promises regional specials on the hotel restaurant menu, including Kentucky burgoo, the Kentucky Hot Brown and fried-green tomatoes. "We'll certainly show them some Southern hospitality," he said.
The hotel also is slated to host one of the four teams coming to play in Cleveland, but he won't know which one until later this month.
Singer, meanwhile, is busy planning Cleveland watch parties for some of the 1,100 Kentucky alumni living in Northeast Ohio. The Corner Alley, on Euclid Avenue at East 4th Street, will host gatherings for hundreds of Big Blue Nation fans throughout the three-day event.
But don't look for Singer at those parties -- at least not while the games are on.
She has her tickets in hand to watch college hoops at The Q later this month. The only thing she's not absolutely certain about, however: exactly which teams she'll be watching.
This post was edited on 3/12 10:06 AM by MWes11