PORTLAND, Ore. — March Madness games are coming to the Moda Center in Portland and hotels are hoping that, as basketball fans flock to the Rose City, an economic boost will follow after a couple of rough years in a pandemic.
The Moda Center will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament. Eight teams from all over the country come to compete and they will bring their fans with them.
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NCAA men's tournament in Portland
First-round games
At Moda Center, Portland, Ore.
Thursday's games
(8) Boise State vs. (9) Memphis, 10:45 a.m., TNT
(1) Gonzaga vs. (16) Georgia State, 1:15 p.m., TNT
(5) Saint Mary's vs. (12) Wyoming/Indiana, 4:20 p.m., TBS
(4) UCLA vs. (13) Akron, 6:50 p.m., TBS
Winners will play in second-round games Saturday
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“We’re expecting a lot of people, about 20,000 fans will be in Downtown,” said Sydney Mead, direct at the Portland Business Alliance. She said this tournament couldn’t come at a better time.
“January, February are traditionally very slow and we are seeing a bit of a pick up with spring break and we’re excited to see that,” Mead said.
The general manager of the Hyatt in Northeast Portland said, “An event of this magnitude is expected to have a tremendous impact on the city of Portland.”
Teams like Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and Boise State are expected to have a good showing of fan support since it will be somewhat close to for them to drive from their home areas to Portland.
Hotels are hoping big events like the NCAA tournament are just the beginning of a busy season of booked up spaces.
Mead said that hotels are slightly under 50% capacity in Portland. She said she’s hoping to see things improve as we get closer to spring break.