Des Moines basks in NCAA first-round spotlight

Des Moines – Chattanooga fans positioned just behind press row gave their lungs a workout in the first half Thursday night, shrieking as the Mocs' hot shooting kept them neck and neck with Indiana.

Ultimately, Indiana's offensive attack quieted the impassioned Chattanooga fans, en route to the fifth-seeded Hoosiers' 99-74 win.

But the electric shooting and gasp-inducing dunks from the squad in cream and crimson only continued a predictable but entertaining day citywide.

Before the morning had even become afternoon, fans piled into the Cowles Commons for Hoops and Hops, a cluster of beer tents surrounded by food trucks surrounded by kids hurling jumpers at a row of baskets. Thursday morning lattes were replaced by lagers, suits and pencil skirts by Iowa and Kansas jerseys and plastic beads. Pedi-cabs zipped around downtown, toting screaming fans.

By midday, the city was bursting at the seams. Des Moines officials said this week that an additional 25,000 people were expected in the city for the festivities, and that big number was tangible on the tournament's opening day with fans charging in and out of Wells Fargo Arena, and green-clad St. Patrick's Day celebrators wandering the streets.

Inside the venue, the atmosphere was just as joyous and chaotic.

The day started off full of drama when ninth-seeded Connecticut, after trailing all game, charged ahead and survived Colorado's press. After UConn's win, 16th-seeded Austin Peay went down to top-seeded Kansas 105-79.

Meanwhile, Stony Brook star Jameel Warney put up 23 points and 15 rebounds, but the Seawolves shot just 33.3 percent from the field as Kentucky stormed into the second round — and a must-see matchup with Indiana — with an 85-57 victory.

The loudest fans came from Kansas and Indiana, with a strong presence from Connecticut. But the smaller schools refused to be ignored.

Workers at a small stand selling gear for all eight teams said Cinderella favorite Stony Brook T-shirts were among the most popular.

"I guess it's their first time [in the NCAA tournament] or something," a vendor said. "And there are a lot of [fans] here."

Gordon and Chris Els made the 5 ½-hour drive from Wichita to watch their Jayhawks, and by the day's first game were already parked in their fifth-row seats. Officially, though, this was just a detour.

The couple's first-grade granddaughter is competing in a science competition in Storm Lake, Iowa, just a couple of hours north, on Friday. When the date was announced, they rushed to the calendar.

"She thinks she's the most important thing in the world because we came all the way from Wichita — you know, for her," Gordon said with a wink. "It was meant to be. I think we can take it as a positive sign that the Jayhawks are going to go all the way."

The Elses bought their tickets — $500 apiece for all three sessions — about a week before Selection Sunday, gambling that Kansas would be here. When they saw the rest of Des Moines' lineup, they were elated.

"We just said, 'Oh my, let's just watch them all,' " Chris said.

Three tiers of seats sandwiching a club level were almost full by the time Colorado and Connecticut tipped the first game of the day. And the 17,000-seat arena was still bustling as 9 p.m. approached with fans finally beginning to wander into the night.

"It's great," Gordon Els said. "There's been a lot of interaction with other schools, fans, people watching other games. There are just a lot of people here who love sports."