The tournament is back at Chicago’s United Center for the first time since 2007, giving a different feel to the festivities. Chicago’s population makes it a hub of Big Ten alumni, and MSU is no exception. The allotment of tickets for the Izzone sold out in a matter of days, MSU Alumni Association membership and marketing manager Maria Giggy said, estimating the number of MSU alumni in the Chicago area to be about 25,000.

Giggy said this is the first year the tournament has sold out.

Armbrecht has been to Big Ten tournaments before, but this is his first chance to see MSU play in Chicago.

“It’s really entertaining knowing I’ll be watching my team in my (hometown),” he said. “It’s not something that usually happens.”

Rallying on the road
MSU tips off its first game at approximately 9 p.m. EDT on Friday, but first comes the official MSU pep rally.

The rally will be held at 6:30 p.m. CDT on Thursday at U.S. Cellular Field and will feature MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, along with appearances from Spartan Brass, MSU cheerleaders and Sparty, according to assistant director of alumni and donor relations for University Advancement Lisa Wilton.

The rally is free, but registration is required. Appetizers will be provided and there will be a cash bar.

Wilton said she wanted to emphasize that the rally is not the only major event of the weekend.

“There’s always a pep rally,” she said. “But we’re planning a lot of activities throughout the whole weekend.”

Painting the town green
The official home for MSU fans — when they aren’t attending games, of course — in Chicago will be Quay Restaurant and Bar.

Quay has been designated the official MSU restaurant by the Chicago Sports Commission, and manager Rafael Gaspar said the 12,000-square-foot restaurant is set for anywhere from 500-600 people.

Quay had to go through an application process with the Commission, but Gaspar said he had established a relationship there and had enough advantages to bring in the bid. Gaspar added he’s been fond of MSU for quite some time.

“I have some ties to MSU,” he said. “A lot of friends (attended MSU), and I’ve visited the campus like 200 times. I appreciate the fact they put out a good (basketball) product every year. It was a no-brainer.”

Quay also will offer various food and drink specials as well as a free shuttle service to and from the United Center for MSU games. The shuttle will leave Quay at 6:30 p.m. CDT Friday and will return after the game.

Gaspar said he’s looking forward to the confluence of St. Patrick’s Day and the tournament, with Chicago’s annual parade — and the dyeing of the Chicago River — taking place Saturday.

“The whole city will be green,” he said, laughing.

Spartans in the Windy City
While the Izzone sold out their ticket allotment in record time, director Brandon Heins said there was little interest in an official Izzone travel package. Only a “small handful” of people responded when the idea was presented by Izzone leadership, so they pulled the offer.

“The Izzone isn’t doing anything separate (from the Alumni Association), per se,” Heins said. “It’s hard to coordinate large things. We could try to set up a get together, but everyone wants to do their own thing.”

Heins and other Izzone leaders still will attend, however, and he said they plan to “do tourist things” in between games.

“I’ll be there,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to the entire tournament. There’s pretty good basketball to be played.”

Armbrecht and the rest of the band get to travel free of charge, but sightseeing takes second place to observing the other bands at the games.

Armbrecht said the band looks forward to seeing bands from other schools at events such as this because there are few instances where multiple bands are together.

“It’s interesting to see the other bands,” he said. “We like to see how their band runs in comparison to ours. And it’s fun to compare our sound to the band across from us.”