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SALT LAKE CITY -- The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has made its way to Utah. The Western Regionals start Thursday at EnergySolutions Arena.
This is certainly a big deal for Utah and Salt Lake City. The last time we hosted a college basketball event of this caliber was back in 1979. It was the Final Four, held at the University of Utah.
The Orange have already arrived. Syracuse fans are known for travelling well with their teams and going cross-country from New York to Salt Lake was no different.
Syracuse fan Shawn Ward said, "I've never been out west so being in Salt Lake City, Utah, is definitely a different experience."
Thursday, Syracuse will battle it out with Butler. Xavier will play Kansas State.
The Utah Sports Commission says EnergySolutions Arena will be packed to the brim -- as well as our downtown streets.
"I think you'll see big crowds throughout downtown Salt Lake," said CEO of the Utah Sports Commission Jeff Robbins. "People are very passionate about college sports and their teams, so I think you'll find a very energized crowd, a lot of great people."
"The last time was in the late ‘70s when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played each other," Robbins said. "I was able to see that game. And so that's the last time. So this is a really big deal in terms of college basketball."
It's also a big deal for the state. Figures show that if a person visits Utah once, chances are high they'll come back.
The out-of-towners we talked to were impressed.
Syracuse fan Sarah Reilly said, "It's just amazing to come out here and see the beautiful mountains and stuff. In Syracuse, we're used to seeing rolling hills and trees, but coming out here it's just breathtaking."
Sweet 16 could sweeten Utah's economy
Since the 2002 Olympics, Utah has been trying to grab as many of these large sporting events as it can. They bring in lots of money and build the state's image.
Getting the tournament to come to Salt Lake is a big deal from a sports perspective -- and the money isn't so bad, either.
Robbins estimates the event will have an "$8 million to $10 million in economic impact. And those are dollars coming in from outside the state."
The Utah Sports Commission is banking on 10,000 people coming into town for the games. The fans coming to cheer their teams will need rooms to stay in and places to eat and entertain themselves. That means increased business for local hangouts.
Tiffany Price, general manager of the Skybox Sports Grill in the Gateway, said, "We were super excited, especially with the economy lately. Our sales are a little bit down."
Skybox will probably be crowded this weekend. Price says they're expecting sales to double at least.
"I've had Xavier and Syracuse as well as Kansas State University," she said. "All of them have contacted us to try and have us be their headquarters.
The ski resorts might also get a boost from fans who are staying the entire weekend.
Donal Erickson, who came to cheer on Syracuse, talked about his weekend plans. "Well, we have a lot of free time. Hoping to maybe go skiing. If we win on Thursday, maybe go skiing on Friday. Just walk around and see the city."
The state also says we'll get $3 million to $5 million worth of exposure on CBS and ESPN.
"They'll do breakaway shots, beauty shots, they'll talk about the state, the city," Robbins said. "Most of the time when they come back, they'll mention the game being played in Salt Lake City, Utah."
That's advertising you can't buy.
E-mail: ngonzales@ksl.com
