https://archive.triblive.com/news/near-full-ppg-paints-arena-offers-great-atmosphere-for-march-madness-first-round/
Near-full PPG Paints Arena offers 'great atmosphere' for March Madness first round
Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review
Rhode Island fans cheer on their team in the second half during first round action Thursday, March 15, 2018 at PPG Paints Arena.
Attendance at NCAA Tournament sites can fluctuate depending on factors like team proximity and attractiveness of games, but the two sessions at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday didn't disappoint.
Both the afternoon session, which included Rhode Island against Oklahoma and Duke against Iona, and the night session, with Villanova against Radford and Alabama against Virginia Tech, had announced attendances of over 18,000 – 18,757 and 18,715, respectively. Basketball capacity at PPG Paints Arena is 19,000.
The mostly full arena created a raucous environment, particularly for the Rhode Island/Oklahoma and Virginia Tech/Alabama games, which went down to the wire.
“It was just a great atmosphere, and that's what you expect in the NCAA tournament,” Rhode Island guard Jared Terrell said. “Coach tries to tell us not to let the crowd fuel us, but just feed off the energy. We're going to bring our own energy regardless. We feed off of each other, but when the crowd's into it and we have a lot of fans, it just gives us a little spark.”
The four games featured five projected NBA Lottery picks and two national championship favorites in Duke and Villanova. The relative closeness of the eight schools – Oklahoma having the farthest distance to travel – also helped. Rhode Island, for example, played in Sacramento, Calif., in last season's tournament.
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