Random Sights From the Regional

(Greensboro, NC)- At a sporting event of this magnitude, you expect to see sports celebrities. Since it was a basketball tournament, there were instantly recognizable faces from the hoops world; but I was caught a little by surprise when University of Texas football coach Mack Brown walked right past me.
It was impossible not to notice the LSU entourage. In a sea of two shades of blue, Purple and Gold stood out in the crowd. The typical Tiger flair certainly helped.

There was some hilarity during the LSU-North Carolina game. The Tiger crowd was small but vocal. They were helped remarkably by the assembled Duke faithful who were sitting on the opposite side of the arena. Duke people hate Carolina so passionately, they became Tiger fans for a couple of hours. They even participated in LSU cheers. The Purple and Gold People would yell "geaux!" and Duke people would responded with "Tigers!" The best part, though, was the response of the Carolina fans, who got fed up and just yelled "Shut up!"
The last word went to the people in the lighter shade of blue, because their Tar Heels won. Duke got even a little later when the Blue Devils beat Texas. So the state of North Carolina is happy.
I must say that in my travels through the years, I have not encountered a group of arena workers, police and assorted officals who were more friendly, helpful and reasonable. The fine people of Greensboro have hospitality figured out. Despite losses by the two teams we were here to see, the stay has been pleasant with a lot of legitimate fun thrown in as a bonus.
So long, Greensboro. Glad to know you.

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What's Going On in Greensboro

Sadly, we have said "so long" to our friend Dave. The team he was here to cover, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, are one and done in the NCAA's, having lost to Texas. What a terrific bonus to see him, though. It was an unlikely and welcome reunion.
The Longhorns will play Duke on Saturday. The Blue Devils held off a pesky squad of Binghamtom Bearcats to advance to the 2nd round. The Greensboro Coliseum took on a darker tint of blue this evening. Somehow, the crowd from Carolina seemed a little larger and a little louder. I suspect on Saturday, when the Tar Heels' and Blue Devils' opponents are LSU and Texas, it will be pretty raucous in there. I'm really looking forward to it.
There is life in Greensboro outside of basketball, I suppose, even though I haven't found it yet. We have spent two evenings in a downtown landmark called Natty Greene's, a bar/ restaurant where they sell fifteen microbrews along with the steak, crab cakes and a big pile of nachos. It has HD big screens spread liberally around both floors, so how can you go wrong?
I feel a little out of place, an SEC guy in ACC country. The scarcity of LSU fans isn't helping. Hopefully, more purple and gold people will show up in time for Saturday.
Maybe until then there will be time for sightseeing. Since we are neither on the coast nor in the mountains, the challenge will be figuring out what sights to see. I mean, Natty's is nice, but a little Greene goes a long way, especially when we're surrounded by blue.

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Feeling Two Shades of Blue and a Little Purple

(Greensboro, NC)-Madness, indeed. How else would you describe driving fifteen hours overnight non-stop to watch basketball? That's exactly what my friend Tim and I have done, and so far it seems worth the trouble. The LSU basketball team is here for the NCAA Tournament. So are the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Duke Blue Devils, the Texas Longhorns, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Three other schoools you probably never heard of are represtented here, too. I mean, everbody needs an opponent. All eight teams were in one building today, which means legendary coaches were prowling around.We're here primarily for the Tigers, of course; but LSU is completely overshoawed by Duke and Carolina. Each of those teams attracted more than 5000 fans to the Greensboro Coliseum today for shoot-arounds. A shoot-around isn't really a practice; it's more of an exhibition. The players take to the court wearing shorts and practice jerseys in team colors and basically, well, shoot around.
Duke fans and Carolina fans hate each other's teams, so their appearences were well-spaced, with a Texas or a Radford or a Butler thrown somewhere in between. The players barely broke a sweat, but the cheers of their assembled faithful were ear-splitting nonetheless. The most piercing screams were for the Tar Heels' tough-as-nails senior Tyler Hansbrough, who seems to enjoy celebrity status on a level with certain rock stars. To his credit, after the event he mixed in with the students and fans and signed autographs for an impressively long time.
Things get serious on Thursday with four games in one day in this building. LSU goes first, but we certainly plan to stick around to watch everyone. If the Tigers win, they will likely play North Carolina next. That game would be on Saturday. If LSU loses to Butler, we will turn around and drive home Friday morning. Frankly, I hope LSU wins because I'm not looking forward to another fifteen hours on the road. At least pushing it back a couple of days would give us a chance to rest. Geaux Tigers.
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Tim and I ran into our old friend Dave, who is a sportcaster in Minneapolis these days. He's here to cover the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who play Texas. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to spend down time together. For that to happen, LSU and Minnesota would both need to win. Geaux Geauphers.

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