Portland Readies for the Return of NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament to Moda Center — Sport Oregon Voices

Sport Oregon Voices: As Selection Sunday nears, organizers putting final touches on preparations in advance of opening action on March 17

With Selection Sunday coming up this weekend, the various organizations that worked to bring the men’s NCAA basketball tournament back to Portland are busy making final preparations for the first-round and second-round games that will be held at Moda Center on Thursday, March 17, and Saturday, March 19.

This year’s tournament games in Portland come at an exciting time, as the NCAA tournament returns to its traditional format of playing games in front of full houses and frenzied fans at regional sites across the country. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, and was played at centralized sites in 2021 with games played before very limited fans – mostly families of the teams – in the Indianapolis metro area due to ongoing health restrictions and precautions.

“The NCAA tournament is one of the premier stops on the sports calendar,” said Matt Reed, director of sports tourism for Sport Oregon. “And one of things that makes this year so exciting is that it will be the first time since 2019 that the men’s tournament will have full fans in the stands, normal brackets…it’s truly March Madness again.”

While at the time of this writing it’s anyone’s guess what teams will be playing in Portland, that’s just part of what makes the NCAA tournament so thrilling. On Sunday, March 13, the 12-member NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Committee will unveil this year’s 68-team field, and from there things are off and running, with First Four games taking place on Tuesday, and teams playing in Portland starting to arrive in town that day as well. From a planning and execution standpoint, the last-minute nature of these details can present certain logistical challenges for all of the host sites. But the primary bid partners here locally – including host-institution Oregon State, Moda Center, Travel Portland and Sport Oregon – are well-versed and experienced in hosting NCAA events. They are more than up for the task and energized by the opportunity to showcase the area.

“This is what we do on a daily basis, but it’s great for us to be able to show off the Northwest and everything that Portland and Oregon have to offer,” said Sam Koken, assistant athletic director for facilities and operations at Oregon State. “We know how many eyes are on this tournament, so the more times we do this right, the better it looks for the city overall.”

There’s a lot that goes into planning for such event, and Oregon State – as the host school – oversees the overall operation of the Portland games, with a focus in the days leading up to the event on basketball operations and making sure officials and teams have a great experience while in Portland and are able to focus on the games at hand. Koken says the coordination and planning efforts from various Portland city agencies have been key in ensuring a pleasant experience for everyone affiliated with the games.

This year marks the first time the men’s tournament has been played in Portland since 2015. In total, Moda Center has hosted the men’s tournament four times (including this year), also including the 2009 and 2012 editions. Looking ahead, Portland once again will host in 2026, with Oregon State again serving as the host institution.

Considering the prominent stature of the tournament, organizers understand the importance of executing and looking to over-deliver on the overall experience, especially as it relates to attracting future NCAA events, among other high-profile pursuits. The NCAA tournament annually draws staggering viewership numbers, all while attracting local, national and team-based media members from across the country.

“It’s extremely important to put Portland and Moda Center in the best light possible to impress the NCAA for future events and hopefully bigger events,” said Amanda Mann, senior vice president and general manager for Rose Quarter Operations. “These events put us on a televised national stage, and every detail matters at the end of the day. What we do and how we perform from the venue to the hotels to the city as a whole will prove to the NCAA that we are capable of hosting bigger events.”

While the eight teams to play in Portland are yet to be decided, it is certain that Portland will see a significant influx of fans from each of the eight schools involved. It’s typical for alumni association to plant their school’s flag, so to speak, and take up residence at team hotels to essentially create a rallying headquarters for their respective teams. On the team side, seven designated hotels located in downtown and stretching to the nearby Lloyd District, alone, will see more than 3,100 room nights occupied for team purposes.

And as Sport Oregon anticipates, an ancillary benefit of being a host site for the first two rounds is that fans from the eight participating teams, and sport-seeking neutrals from the surrounding area coming to Portland for the weekend, also will seek out places to watch televised tournament games that take place on Friday and Sunday, off days for games at Moda Center. As a host city, Portland will be an important part of the tournament once again, further promoting interest and engagement among local residents.

“Friday and Sunday will be wall-to-wall basketball, too, just not played here in Portland,” Reed said. “What we expect to happen is a lot of visiting fans are going to want to watch those games, which brings a lot of business for local bars and restaurants. Fans just want to post up and watch 12 hours of basketball.”

In many ways, next week’s tournament games add to the already impressive resume of Portland as a top sports and events destination. The last NCAA basketball tournament event hosted here – the 2019 women’s regionals – was a resounding success. The bid partners also view running an equally successful men’s first- and second-rounds games this year as yet another building block as they continue their enterprising efforts to attract more high-profile events, including the continued pursuit of bringing the women’s Final Four to Portland.

For Sport Oregon, specifically, the overarching goals of this year’s NCAA tournament games in Portland are to help provide a great experience for all who travel to the city, while working with its experienced hospitality and event partners to make sure the games and overall experience in the city go off without a hitch.

“It’s up to us, as the eyes and ears in Portland, to engage the community and make sure fans have a good time while they are here,” Reed said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to show that we are a viable host for NCAA and a great tourist destination as well.”

If You’re Going
Tickets for the first-round and second-round games at Moda Center can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster’s website. Each of the three sessions includes two games. Tickets are sold for each of the two sessions on Thursday, March 17, and the third session on Saturday, March 19. Game times will be announced once the tournament field is set.

If You’re Tuning In
Selection Sunday 2022 will be televised Sunday, March 13, beginning at 3 p.m. PT on CBS. Once games begin on Tuesday, March 15, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will show all 67 games of the tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT, truTV and their digital platforms, including March Madness Live.