Before the lights of the Roy J. Carver Center could flicker on and the NCAA Division III tournament games started, there was much preparation behind the scenes to be made for the spectators and players for the men’s basketball tournament.
Tickets sales for the weekend soared. Carver was packed with people who had bought tickets throughout the week, selling about 2,200 tickets on Friday, said ticket sales worker Becca Kitterman.
In addition to tickets, Augustana covered what it usually does each game, said Dave Wrath, associate director of athletics.
This included preparations ranging from concessions, sharing the locker room space and security measures.
“Augustana has been pretty successful when it comes to hosting big events,” said Wrath. “It’s not completely new to us.”
Augustana had previously hosted the basketball playoffs in the past. In 1981, the Vikings hosted the Final Four for Division III athletics.
For the Friday and Saturday games, there was more security than usual.
“We have a very good relationship with the Rock Island Police Department and Public Safety working together to provide a safe game,” Wrath said.
As for cleaning, the cleaning crews had to work to clear and clean the stadium quickly with back-to-back tournament play over the weekend.
Even though the NCAA playoff games had new rules, they are treated the same as normal basketball games.
“The bottom line for these games is that it is just another basketball game,” said Wrath. “Obviously we have to deal with four teams, but we still are treating it like we normally do.”
The Vikings beat Mount Union 82-62 on Friday, then played Marietta on Saturday, winning with a 100-51 lead. The men’s basketball team will travel to Salem, Virginia for their Friday game as part of the Final Four NCAA Division III tournament.