TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Gators fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Benchmark International Arena, but the energy in Tampa remained electric.
It’s the first time the city has hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament since 2011, and locals are taking full advantage of having the games in town — especially with fans saying they hoped to see a back-to-back win for the Gators following a strong first-round victory on Friday.
"There was never a doubt, we knew we’d be here," Joe Ergle said.
"Round 2 - gonna win it all again," Grace Ergle said.
The Ergle family traveled from Ocala to watch the game. It was a unique opportunity since Tampa was hosting March Madness for the first time in 15 years.
"Very excited, we watch all the home games, we knew the Gators were going to win, so we bought the tickets before they even played, so here we are," Noah Ergle said.
A crew of fans from Fort Myers, Punta Gorda and Tampa took full advantage of having the game in town.
"Feels very exciting and I think our Gators are confident from the big win yesterday- yea," Carter Vaill said.
"Exciting, and I think it’s definitely going to be worth it," Hailey Roth said.
The matchup sparked some friendly rivalry for fans traveling from Winter Haven.
"I’d like to see the gators take it all the way," Ken Young said.
"And I want to see Iowa win, so somebody’s going home disappointed," Michelle McPherson said.
No matter the score, March Madness is a big win for Tampa businesses. Lanness Robinson, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, said Friday’s game at Benchmark International Arena sold out and Sunday’s packed the house again.
"This week has just been uncontrollable since the Florida Gators were named on the - what we call local team - playing," Robinson said.
Robinson is only three months into his role and said he is happy to see Tampa get national attention.
"Being able to show the growth and development since the last time we hosted this event 15 years ago - the growth of the River Walk and the development of businesses and hotels, and I mean it's just a great opportunity to put Tampa on the map," Robinson said.
Despite the loss, fans brought great energy and packed the arena, wearing their team colors—blue and orange for Florida and black and yellow for Iowa.
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