This morning, the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee named Georgetown University one of the hosts for the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Georgetown will host the East Regional at their home arena, the Verizon Center.
This is the first time Georgetown hosts the regional finals since 2006, in addition to the Verizon Center’s first tournament games since 2010. The East Regional – better known as the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight – will be held on Thursday, March 28, and Saturday, March 30.
In a statement, Athletic Director Lee Reed said, “Along with Verizon Center, we’re very excited to serve as the host for the 2013 NCAA East Regional. It is part of our University’s commitment to be engaged with the community and we’re happy to bring this great event to our city for Georgetown fans and others who love March Madness.”
With the announcement, Washington DC joins Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and Arlington, Texas as regional hosts. The weekend’s slate ultimately decides who advances to the Final Four, to be held in Atlanta next season. If the Hoyas manage to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, they will be switching time zones – as the host school for the East Regional, they cannot be placed in the region.
This year’s tournament holds great significance as the 75th iteration of a tradition that has grown from eight teams back in 1939 to 68 teams in its current format. All of the other locations were selected back in 2009, but the committee delayed a decision on the East Regional until today.
Bon Jovi Sunday, February 27, Verizon Center ($19.50-$149.50), 6:30 p.m. doors
JBJ and company welcome you to “An evening with Bon Jovi.” For about twenty bucks, you can bring the kids too. Look forward to pending a couple hours looking down from the Verizon Center Penthaus waiting for the band to play “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Last year, Bon Jovi’s “Circle Tour” was the highest grossing tour of 2010.
Tennis w/La Sera, Holiday Shores Saturday, March 5, Rock N Roll Hotel ($12), 8 p.m. doors
No, it’s not a sports-themed dance night. Tennis is an indie rock duo from Denver who’ve been scoring points with reviewers acorss the interwebs. The Voice‘s own Luke Howleyreviewed their debut album Cape Dory this January. Something about a sailboat?
Rooney w/Eisley, The Old Ceremony TONIGHT, February 18, Rock N Roll Hotel ($16), 7 p.m. doors
Rooney was a band that toured with Weezer, The Strokes, some other folks. They’re still around. They had some good songs. Come relive the early 2000s garage-rock revival years. It’s the least you can do.
Wanda Jackson w/The Lustre Kings Friday, February 25, 9:30 Club ($20), 10 p.m. doors
Wanda Jackson, “The Queen of Rockabilly,” has receieved praise for her new album The Party Ain’t Over which was produced by Jack White. At a ripe 73 years old, Jackson clearly still has an extraordinary amount of energy in her. Put on your cowboy boots and check it out.
Jonathon Richman Saturday, February 26, 9:30 Club ($15), 7 p.m. doors
Jonathon Richman was the lead singer of The Modern Lovers, a band that had a major influence on the development of punk rock in the 70s. Since their break-up, Richman has been perfecting his own brand of acoustic. This one is sure to
Verizon Center has gotten a new beer BottomsUP beer dispenser. This dispenser uses new technology to fill cups from the bottom, which means you’ll miss less of the game when you go to get a beer. See for yourself in the video below. There’s only one new dispenser for now, but there will probably be more in the future.
Original post: Minutes ago, we got a strange email that urged us to arrive “at least 45 minutes earlier than you normally would” for tomorrow’s men’s basketball game at the Verizon Center. And season ticket holders got it too.
“There will be enhanced security at the entrances to the arena for this game,” the email read.
Could President Barack Obama be visiting the Verizon Center? Possibly, but he won’t be watching Georgetown play the mighty Greyhounds of Loyola Maryland. Earlier today, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis (COL ’77) gave a coy hint that suggested the security presence is for the Wizards-Heat game scheduled for Saturday night.
“We will have a big crowd on Saturday, lots of dignitaries and VIPs. If I was you, I wouldn’t be too cool for school and think you will get into the building at your leisure at 7:15 pm. I would get there early,” Leonsis wrote on his blog.
Ted Leonsis (COL ’77), the owner of the Verizon Center, had a few words about the building’s new banner, which features senior guard Chris Wright.
“We want to support Georgetown basketball, too. They are tenants in the building,” Leonsis wrote on his blog. “I am on the board of directors of Georgetown and I am an alumnus of the College. Hence we mention Hoya basketball.”
The banner is a part of the “101 new improvements in 101 days” campaign Leonsis launched after purchasing the Verizon Center earlier this year.
Leonsis also owns three D.C. teams: the Wizards, the Capitals, and the Mystics.
According to health inspection reports uncovered by ESPN, every food vendor at the Verizon Center was cited with a “critical” health violation in 2009.
At least ten of the vendors were cited by health inspectors for mouse droppings found on the premises. D.C. Health Regulations dictate that the Verizon Center had five days to resolve the critical violations.
Ted Leonsis (COL ’77), the newly-approved majority owner of the Verizon Center, quickly responded to the report yesterday.
“I was surprised and disappointed by ESPN’s recent industry-wide report and ratings related to the cleanliness of professional sports venues, including Verizon Center,” Leonsis wrote on his blog. “When and if issues arise, we will take appropriate action, and from what I understand we have done exactly that in the past.”
Although Vox trusts Leonsis—after all, the guy promised to “literally clean up after [the] fans,“—we doubt we’ll be eating much food in the Verizon Center anytime soon.
If you’re heading to the Verizon Center on Saturday to watch the Hoyas trounce (we hope) American University, your ‘best’ options for getting there—splitting a cab six ways, taking the GUTS bus to the Dupont Metro stop to Chinatown, or worst of all, taking the GUTS bus to the Rosslyn Metro stop to Metro Center to Chinatown—are all a real hassle.
But if things shake out the way Georgetown University Student Association President Calen Angert (MSB ’11) thinks they soon will, students will have a fourth, better option for getting to weekend games sometime during this men’s basketball season—buses that go directly to the Verizon Center.
GUSA Deputy Chief of Staff for Student Life Mike Meaney (SFS ’12) recently spoke to Abe’s Transportation, which runs Georgetown’s weekend transportation, which told him that they were happy to change the routes. He is preparing to speak to the director of transportation of the Athletic Department to work out the change with them.
“I don’t know if this will get off the ground before Christmas or after Christmas,” Angert said, but they are on track to happen this season.
Vox Populi is the staff blog of the Georgetown Voice, Georgetown University's weekly newsmagazine. Opinions expressed in posts are those of their author alone unless otherwise stated.
This morning, the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee named Georgetown University one of the hosts for the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Georgetown will host the East Regional at their home arena, the Verizon Center.
Ah! Buses!
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