Bramlage Coliseum gets March Madness makeover as K-State hosts women’s NCAA Tournament
For the rest of the week, Bramlage Coliseum will serve as basketball headquarters for more teams than just Kansas State.
The arena that the Wildcats call home has received a March Madness makeover as they prepare to host first- and second-round games in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
That means you will find plenty of logos for No. 13 seed Portland, No. 5 seed Colorado and No. 12 seed Drake right along with No. 4 seed K-State inside the Octagon of Doom this weekend. There are March Madness signs all over the place, too.
K-State is so committed to trying to make Bramlage feel like a neutral venue for the NCAA Tournament that it even has Coca-Cola products on site for players and coaches to drink despite the fact that it’s a Pepsi school.
“It feels a little different,” K-State guard Gabby Gregory said. “Coming in as a group and walking through the tunnel and doing things like that (feels weird), but I’m just grateful that we’re doing it here and not somewhere else.”
Perhaps Bramlage will feel more like its usual home when the games begin at 3:30 p.m. on Friday when K-State takes on Portland in a first round game. K-State is nearly sold out of tickets, which means the Wildcats will be playing in front of a large and loud crowd that is certain to be wearing purple.
Seating arrangements will feel a little off. Most of the K-State student section will be located behind the basket instead of courtside. And all three visiting teams will have fans seated in prime locations near their bench.
But Bramlage is still guaranteed to be loud.
“It’s going to be a really, really awesome experience,” Gregory said. “There are going to be more fans in here than we have played in front of all year.”
If the Wildcats advance they will take on the winner of Drake and Colorado on Sunday. Needless to say, K-State players are pumped to experience postseason basketball at home.
“We got a chance to practice here yesterday and got a first look at all of the banners that were set up,” K-State guard Serena Sundell said. “It was pretty cool. It still feels like Bramlage to me. So we’re excited to be here and have March Madness.”
Winning a pair of games, even at home, won’t be easy this week.
Portland pulled off an upset against Gonzaga in the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament to get here. Drake won 29 games this season. And Colorado began the year by beating perennial power LSU.
With that in mind, K-State coach Jeff Mittie has urged his team to focus only on the first game against Portland.
Sure, it’s exciting to play NCAA Tournament games at home and it’s fun to dream about a trip to the Sweet 16. But ignoring the outside world and playing good basketball this week is still the most important thing.
But once the games start they will have lots of support behind them.
“In the Big 12 we face a lot of big crowds,” Mittie said. “We’ve had tremendous crowds here this year. That has been one of the things that has been so much fun to watch, our team connecting with the community.
“I think out students have been fantastic. It’s a tough atmosphere when the students get going. They’ve supported us and at times lifted us and carried us forward because it is a big advantage.”
