Overlapping NC State games in NCAA Tournament has fans and sports bars in a quandary
NC State fans, ecstatic over having both their men’s and women’s basketball teams in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, will face a quandary on Friday.
So could the sports bars and restaurants in the area.
The Wolfpack men, the 2024 ACC champions, face Marquette in Dallas in an NCAA South Region game slated to begin at 7:09 p.m. and televised by CBS.
The Wolfpack women, after two NCAA wins at home, will be in Portland, Oregon, for a game against Stanford with a 7:30 p.m. start on ESPN.
Many Wolfpack fans have turned to social media Tuesday to vent their frustrations with the overlap in TV scheduling and the NCAA. N.C. State is one of four schools with both teams advancing to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, UConn and Gonzaga.
NC State vs Marquette Tip 7:09pm Friday
NC State vs Stanford Tip 7:30pm Friday
This is insane. The whole point of waiting to announce tip off times is to maximize TV viewership. I can’t think of anything that would maximize TV viewership LESS than scheduling the games of the 1…— Michael Tracey (@MichaelTracey_) March 26, 2024
It's a mark of disrespect. They couldn't care less about NC State fans or student athletes. https://t.co/3ydBA4qeJy
— Rick (@qdog1125) March 26, 2024
The NCAA has never done us any favors, but NC State people are overcomers!
— Paul Meares (@MearesPaul) March 26, 2024
the fact that they put @PackWomensBball AND @PackMensBball Sweet Sixteen games on the same night @ the same time just continues to show the disrespect that NC State athletics go through CONSTANTLY. it’s so damn annoying.
can’t wait for our teams to continue to overcome the bs.— kenz b (@kenzblackwelder) March 26, 2024
The Duke men’s team also is in Dallas and plays Friday against Houston at 9:39 p.m. The Duke women face UConn at 8 p.m. Saturday.
David Harris is the majority owner of both Sammy’s Tap & Grill and Amedeo’s Italian Restaurant, two Wolfpack gathering spots close to campus. Like most owners, it would be advantageous for Harris for the games to be on differing nights. Not the case, though.
“I guess in a way it’s kinda nice that you can move around and easily flip back and forth between games,” Harris said Tuesday. “If one team isn’t doing all that well you can easily check on the other. Hopefully, both will be playing well.”
Harris said Sammy’s had to “turn away” customers in the Pack’s recent run through the ACC Tournament and then the NCAA Tournament, winning seven straight games in 12 days. He expects the same kind of turnout Friday.
