WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |SEC fans boost business downtown

SEC fans boost business downtown

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Thousands of fans in Nashville this weekend for the Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament mean big businesses for downtown bars and restaurants.

Many fans began arriving Wednesday in time for Thursday's noon tip between South Carolina and Alabama.

The games, held at the Bridgestone Arena, continue all day Thursday and Friday, with the semifinals on Saturday and final championship game at 12 Noon on Sunday.

News 2 caught up with several fans on Thursday, ready to shell out hundreds of dollars during their stay in Music City.

Thomas Hardwick and his wife are retired school teachers from Kentucky and have been going to the tournament for the last 12 to 14 years.

When asked how much he'd likely spend, Hardwick told News 2, "Not counting tickets, I'd say it would probably be $1,500 for my wife and me."

Louis Norrell from Jasper, Alabama said he and his wife were planning to stay for the entire tournament, spending $1,000 on their hotel room and another $2,000 in shops and restaurants.

"I'm here for the basketball, my wife is looking for malls and places to shop even as we speak and so we spend a lot of money while we're here between now, we got here last night as a matter of fact," he said.  "We'll leave Sunday."

For Jack Lee, how long he stays in Nashville depends on how well his team, Arkansas, does in the tournament.

"If we win, we'll be here until Sunday, if we don't probably Saturday," he said, adding he'd likely spend between $1,500 and $2,000 during his stay.

The city of Nashville estimates there will be 180,000 out of town guests in Nashville this weekend for tournament and those guests will spend around $10 million.

Due to a shortage of parking spots because of construction for the new Music City Center, parking is will be available at LP Field for $5.

Shuttle buses will run throughout the weekend to take fans to and from the Bridgestone Arena.  Visit NashvilleSports.com for complete information.

On Thursday, Alabama defeated South Carolina in game No. 1 and will move on to play Kentucky in the second round on Friday.  Tennessee defeated LSU and will now play Ole Miss Friday.

Auburn and Florida tip off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening.   Georgia and Arkansas take the court at 8:45 p.m.

Friday's games are as follows:

• 12 p.m. – Alabama vs. Kentucky
• 2:15 p.m. – Tennessee vs. Ole Miss
• 6:30 p.m. – Auburn or Florida vs. Mississippi State
• 8:45 p.m. – Georgia or Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt

Click here for the complete schedule.