COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Thousands of college basketball fans are arriving in Columbus as the NCAA tournament begins.
Nationwide Arena will be hosting eight teams for the first and second rounds of the tournament. The games in Columbus will be played on Friday and Sunday.
On Thursday, fans were able to watch their teams on the court during designated open practices.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to get to see some teams that you don’t get to see all the time and it’s great for the city,” said Dan Allen, a fan who attended the practice sessions.
The schools playing in Columbus are Iowa, Colgate, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Utah State, North Carolina, Washington and Iona.
According to arena staff, more than 60,000 fans are expected at the arena this weekend. A limited number of seats are still available for the games on both Friday and Sunday.
Columbus previously played host to the NCAA tournament in 2004, 2007, 2012 and 2015.