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Basketball fans from across the nation drawn to Jacksonville

Basketball fans from around the nation have converged in Jacksonville- many just as interested in the warmer weather as the NCAA tournament.

Inside the Veterans Memorial Arena as the first tip-off between Georgia State and Baylor took place, it was hard to pick any team that had more fans than others. Many were loyal to teams that weren’t represented in either Jacksonville or the tournament altogether. Through the day and in to Saturday, there will be more fervent fan followings that emerge- including a mass of UNC fans have come out for the second session- but much of the Thursday crowd was just happy to have something to do in sandals.

“In North Alabama, I think two weeks ago the students in our county didn’t go to school because of ice and snow, so we love this,” says Gerald Johnson of Florence, Alabama.

Johnson is a University of Alabama fan, but says he travels to a March Madness destination every year. He’s not the only one that zoned in on Jacksonville because of the warmer weather- Kevin Coats, out  of Bloomington, Indiana, says he has been going to tournament games with his friends for 20 years.

“We pick a warm site where we can play golf, watch the games, and have a ball,” he says.

GALLERY: NCAA action underway in Jacksonville

There are people here with some serious team alliances as well- although some of them didn’t know until just a few days ago if being in Jacksonville would matter.

Lisa Higgins is from West Palm Beach in South Florida and happened to plan Spring Break in Jax Beach, but she-along with her parents- are big Ole Miss supporters. She says when the team won the play-in game, they knew they were staying around to go to the Tournament.

“It was really exciting because I knew there would be a bunch more Ole Miss fans in Jacksonville, it’s kind of like a community,” she says.

Still others live in Jacksonville right now, and couldn’t pass up the chance to see some college basketball in action.

“The atmosphere of a college game- with the pep bands and the cheer squads and the student bands,” says Michelle Easley.

Easley is a Harvard alum, but committed to the tournament before knowing they would play in Jacksonville. She says seeing her team in action is just “icing on the cake”.

VIDEO: Xavier band plays at fan festival

A Fan Festival leading up to the Tournament shut down part of APR between the Veterans Memorial Arena and the Baseball Grounds. Instead of cars, the road was lined with food trucks, games, and speakers. There was also access to the Baseball Grounds and other tournament play was on the video board, so fans could grab a seat and watch while seeing EverBank Field in the background as well.

All of the fans I spoke with today- whether they had been in Jacksonville for the last tournament or never even crossed the state line- say they’ve been impressed by what the area has to offer and would come back again.

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