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Portland police ramp up enforcement for March Madness tournament at Moda Center

Eight of the top women's teams in the country will be in Portland, with two spots in the NCAA Final Four up for grabs.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Eight of the best NCAA women’s basketball teams in the country will face off in Portland this weekend with two spots in the Final Four up for grabs. During that time, the Portland Police Bureau (PBB) will be upping law enforcement throughout the weekend. 

"As the chief of police, it was just super important to me that we do everything on our part to try and create a really positive experience for folks and a very welcoming experience for people to come to Portland,” said Day.

Starting Wednesday evening, PPB will have two teams of two officers walking the streets around Moda Center and downtown. There will also be close to 12 motorcycle officers escorting team buses to and from the arena; those officers will assist with security when they aren’t needed as an escort. Day said he will take a shift patrolling the streets from 4 p.m. to midnight on Saturday.

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Sweet 16, Elite 8 come to Portland

The public is being told to expect delays if they are near the Moda Center between Friday and Monday, as well as encouraged to use public transportation if heading to the games. 

"It's going to be high activity; I would encourage the use of TriMet," Day said. "The train runs right through there as a good alternative. It will be congested, once again, getting the teams in and out, making sure fans can get in and out."

North Carolina State and Stanford will play Friday at 4:30 p.m. Gonzaga and Texas will tip off at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Baylor and USC will tip at 2:30 p.m., with Duke and UCONN following at 5 p.m. 

The winners of Friday’s matchups will play Sunday at 12 p.m., with the winners of Saturday’s games playing Monday at 6 p.m.

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