Green beer and basketball: Local bars prepare for Friday night madness

Green is the color usually reserved for St. Patrick’s Day, but there is sure to be plenty of yellow, blue and purple around Wichita on Friday.

In a twist of fate, all three of the state’s Division I men’s basketball teams – Wichita State, Kansas and Kansas State – will play in NCAA Tournament games on Friday night. Kansas State defeated Wake Forest in a play-in game on Tuesday to qualify for its first-round game.

The three teams are scheduled to tip off against their respective opponents within 37 minutes of each other, beginning with the 5:50 p.m. scheduled start time for the Jayhawks’ game against the 16-seed in the Midwest Region in Tulsa.

While a normal St. Patrick’s Day would be a busy night for most sports bars, Friday is likely to be bonkers at many area watering holes.

“The bar scene in Wichita is going to be nuts with the three Kansas teams playing at essentially the same time,” said Connie White of the Wichita State University Alumni Association. “And it’s St. Patrick’s Day. It’s the perfect recipe for March Madness chaos!”

The association, White said, will host its official watch party for Friday’s Wichita State/Dayton game at Jerseys Grill and Bar near K-96 and North Webb Road. On a normal day, the party would have likely been at Blarney Stone, known as a Shockers hangout, but the Irish pub already had its St. Patrick’s Day festivities scheduled.

Because the two bars have the same owners, Jerseys made sense, said Courtney Marshall, WSU alumni association president and CEO.

“The excitement this time of year never gets old,” Marshall said. “I think it’s great that all three teams are playing. It just adds to the excitement.”

Sharon Dopps, general manager of the west-side Emerson Biggin’s at 2330 N. Maize Road, said she expects people to be waiting outside when the sports bar opens its doors one hour earlier than normal at 10 a.m. on Friday.

“Usually, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is our busiest day of the year,” Dopps said. “Friday will likely be even more busy.

“We still have some 10 a.m. reservations left, but I think it will be packed by early afternoon. Hopefully, it carries over into later in the evening when the games are over.”

Dopps said her staff has been stocking extra inventory in preparation, and the place will be fully staffed. The bar has a capacity of just under 300 people and will have three different sections playing audio of the three games on Friday.

Wichita attorney Jeff Kennedy, who is active in the University of Kansas Alumni Association, said there won’t be a KU watch party in Wichita – partly because many fans will be in Oklahoma watching the game in person – but added that he’s excited about how well the state’s teams are doing.

“I think it’s great that K-State won in the play-in game,” Kennedy said. “Wichita State, I think, got screwed with their seed. I think they’re very strong, and the success of all three schools is great for local sports fans.

“It’s not ideal to have the games all at once, because I’d like to watch all three, but I’ll be somewhere in front of a TV watching the Jayhawks.”

Brice Lowe of the Wichita Catbackers booster club said the group isn’t having an official watch party but is encouraging members to watch the Kansas State/Cincinnati game at Bubba’s 33 in east Wichita.

In Old Town, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill manager Wesley Wallace said bouncers will be staffed beginning at around 3 p.m. because of the expected rush. In addition to basketball fans in the evening, the bar will also have bagpipers performing during the afternoon.

“We’ll have extra staff, and it will be busy,” Wallace said. “We’re going to be ready. If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.”

At the Pumphouse, a short walk from Heroes, every employee is scheduled to work on Friday, which could end up being a 15-hour day for bartender Tori Lewis.

“I’m going to go to bed early on Thursday,” Lewis said. “I’m sure it’s going to be super-busy.”

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Green beer and basketball: Local bars prepare for Friday night madness."