College Basketball Fans Converge On Fort Worth For First 2 Rounds Of NCAA Tournament
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - For the next few days, you'll probably notice a lot of college basketball fans in Fort Worth.
Dickies Arena is one of the arenas hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
"We're excited, won it at all last year and want to do it again this year," Baylor fan Mike Skaggs said. "I think we have a chance!"
Wednesday, the Skaggs family took in Baylor's practice before heading to Joe T. Garcia's for dinner.
"I love seeing all the Baylor fans and all the Kansas fans," Skaggs said. "Lots of college basketball fans here in town."
Fans' spending is expected to give a major boost to the local economy. The Fort Worth Sports Commission is estimating $6 million in direct spending.
"This is something new to us," Joe T. Garcia's Joe Lancarte said. "We haven't had any NCAA tournaments here locally. We've had them in Dallas before but this is the first time for Fort Worth. It's huge for this area."
Already, fans are visiting the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. They're excited for what's in store.
"You got all these bars, they got the rodeo, they got Billy Bobs," Tina Grubb said.
"The Stockyards as historic as it is.. I think it will be pretty cool and bring in a lot of different people who haven't come here," Lazy J Ranch Wear's Juan Hernandez said.
"It's great," North Carolina Tar Heel Jackson Watkins said. "It's a nice town. It gives me Western vibes."
The North Carolina Tar Heels making it a priority to purchase Cowboys hats and get in a good meal.
"We went to a steakhouse last night and it was amazing," Creighton Lebo said.
"We're from North Carolina. You've got some good North Carolina hospitality, but Texas is just top notch!" Duwe Farris said.
