MIAMI – Talk about a buzz kill. There’s no excitement here for the Midwest Regional – at least in terms of fans coming to American Airlines Arena to view practices.
About 20 people watched Arizona State work out Friday, and most seemed disinterested. UA and Utah may have had one or two more fans. Some NCAA practices have drawn thousands to see future stars, but not here.
I’m not sure anyone in south Florida really cares about the games. They might just be a blip on the things-to-do list here in the land of beautiful beaches and sunshine. As of midweek, the Miami Herald reported only 12,000 tickets had been sold for Friday’s games. The arena holds 17,900.
Arizona interim coach Russ Pennell shrugged off the situation, and said the Wildcats signed plenty of autographs when they went for dinner Wednesday night after fans found out who they were.
We’ll have a better gauge when the games begin Friday.