Fans cheer during the first round game of the NCAA tournament against Bucknell on March 16, 2018 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
—DETROIT — Spartan fans from all over filled Little Caesars Arena in Detroit Friday in men's basketball's NCAA Tournament first round win over the Bucknell Bison.
Despite the Spartans having a 13-day layoff, a near sold-out LCA full of fans decked in green and white played a huge factor in a game which MSU led by almost 20 points at one point.
Mike Murray, a 2003 MSU graduate from West Bloomfield, said having home court advantage in the opening weekend of the tournament was beneficial for both the fans and the team.
“It’s going to be nice. When they won the championship in 2000 I saw them play at the Palace, and that was really cool,” Murray said. “You know with the first round games, I don’t know of that can propel them further, but it’s definitely a help.”
Murray, like many Spartan fans who made the trek to Detroit, said he was really happy to learn MSU would be playing at LCA.
“We bought the tickets a long time ago, about a year ago almost, hoping the Spartans would be here,” he said.
Tom Mitchell, a 1978 graduate who currently resides in Illinois, drove down to LCA from East Lansing with his brother, Larry. Mitchell said the Spartans opening up the tournament in Detroit was convenient for Larry and him.
“We had hoped that we could come together. Detroit was probably the one place that was going to allow that to happen,” Mitchell said.
Watch fans at LCA talk about the NCAA Tournament being played in Detroit and how far they think the Spartans can go.
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