In less than 8 hours the field of 68 will be set and fans of 8 schools will be making plans for Dayton. For those teams, it’s a one and done. Since the tournament expanded to the first four, I don’t know anyone that’s made the trip to Dayton.

As is the case every March, hotels in host cities and the airlines have fans over a barrel which isn’t to say you can’t find a deal. You might have to do some juggling at the airports and stay a few area codes from the arenas, but it is worth it if your alma mater is in the tourney.

The second Final Four that I have attended-back in Seattle in 1995 was quite the journey. Being only 30 years ago and without the aid of Prevagen, I can’t recall how expensive the airfare was. I do remember flying through Dallas to get to SeaTac and taking a red eye home after the Championship with a mediocre breakfast in the Houston airport. Overall, those bumps in the road were worth the experience even though I didn’t have a rooting interest in the finals.

I think not having a rooting interest isn’t paramount to enjoying attending games on the first two weekends. Although it can be an expensive hobby. When you are watching those first games on television, you’re rarely cognizant of which universities are hosting the games (the broadcasters rarely mention it). Yet, different conferences and schools handle the assignment and responsibility differently.

Years ago, I attended a first-round session in Milwaukee, alone. I mistakenly believed that the fan bases of two of the local schools (Minnesota and Iowa State) would travel better or represent themselves better. The Bradley Center had already begun aging, and the staff wasn’t as typically Milwaukee friendly.

Earlier this morning, I heard a national radio host say that everyone, regardless of their level of fandom or knowledge has jumped on the March Madness madness. I’ll argue to the contrary as the non-basketball people in my various spheres of influence haven’t embraced the brackets the way they have the various Super Bowl squares and whatnot. I’ll also argue that watching the first weekend’s games at a sports bar with random strangers is far more entertaining than syncing up with NFL fans.

Over the past 35+ years I’ve seen my school play and lose countless games in sports bars in Illinois, Arizona, Wisconsin and Indiana and as painful and stressful the experiences were (even when they won) I’ve enjoyed sharing the experience with fans of other schools. As a rule, I don’t head out to Big Ten hangouts because of their fans’ provinciality.

Good luck to your team and if you are going to follow them, best of luck securing good deals!