‘It’s like a big state tournament’: Gonzaga fans enjoying Bubbleville and downtown Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS – Beers were cracked open well before the opening tip.
By late Saturday morning, Georgia Street, a European-inspired promenade adjacent to Bankers Life Arena in downtown Indianapolis, resembled a party.
The lively scene included a hyperpartisan group of college basketball fans for seemingly every microbrew at the various, hoops-themed watering holes.
For every passing “Go Zags,” there was a “Rock Chalk” for Kansas or “Boomer Sooner” for Oklahoma, a trend that continued all the way down the line to the more obscure institutions, like the “Go Ramblers!” from a few maroon-clad loyalists of Loyola-Chicago.
When 68 of the country’s best teams and their respective fanbases descend upon a Midwest city, it’s an inherent frenzy.
Even during a pandemic.
Welcome to Bubbleville, a one-city, six-venue version of the NCAA Tournament where teams are sealed Ziploc-tight from the outside world, but many of their staunchest supporters are outside soaking in the rare spectacle.
“There’s a lot of happiness. The fans are all talking to each other, so there’s no animosity,” said Allen Gillette, a 1978 Gonzaga graduate who watched Monday as the Bulldogs dispatched Oklahoma 87-71 to advance to the Sweet 16. “It’s still in a bubble, which limits the things you can do, but as a fan, it’s still fun.
“The city has done a good job.”
Spokane wears the moniker Hooptown, USA, because of its it cherished men’s and women’s basketball programs at Gonzaga and hosting the largest 3-on-3 tournament in the world
If Hoopstate, USA was a nickname, it would belong to Indiana, which features tradition-rich schools Indiana and Butler, the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, Larry Bird, Hall of Fame coaches and, historically, some of the best high school basketball country.
A bronze statue of legendary Indiana-born coach John Wooden stands downtown.
Several fans walked from venue to venue to catch different games, reminiscent of Hoopfest onlookers sauntering from hoop to hoop.
“It’s cool to be able go watch other teams play, and not just Gonzaga,” said Macy Ryan, a Gonzaga student wearing a T-shirt with a giant print of coach Mark Few’s face. “It’s fun to cheer for those underdogs at the other games, and it’s cool that other teams cheer for the Zags.”
With limited, mask-wearing capacity allowed in such historic gymnasiums as Hinkle Fieldhouse and Indiana Farmers Coliseum due to the pandemic, it had the look of the opening Wednesday morning game of the State B Tournament, a day often high in spirit but lower in ticket holders.
“This feels like a big state tournament,” said Deon Watson, who traveled to watch his younger brother, Anton Watson, a Gonzaga forward. “There’s winners and losers, so you see some people come out of the arena going crazy and others who look sad.”
It also had the look of the NCAA Tournament regional often hosted in Spokane, only magnified and multiplied by eight.
Kirby Pain, a 1978 Gonzaga graduate who lives in Tennessee, has relished his visits to all the gymnasiums, old and modern.
“It’s cool to see all the different venues, especially the old brick ones,” Pain said. “You don’t see places like Hinkle Fieldhouses too often.”
Bars, restaurants and stores had limited capacity, too, but outside, fans from various schools lawfully walked around with their respective adult beverages.
Some wore masks outside in group settings. Some didn’t.
Top-ranked Gonzaga is expected to have an extended stay in Bubbleville, which features a 47,000-square-foot bracket on a JW Marriot building.
Because Gonzaga essentially allowed no fans during the regular season – a very small group was allowed toward the end - the Bulldogs fans who made the trip are happy to be in attendance, even in an unusual setting.
“It’s cool to see everybody together and all the different fanbases,” Gonzaga student Bella Ghirardo said. “And we get to go to a Gonzaga game, because we hadn’t been able to go until now.”