Shocker yellow just one of a rainbow of fan colors at NCAA Tournament

There’s no need to issue a challenge to Wichita State basketball fans.

Those who make their way into Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the Shockers’ NCAA Tournament opener against the Dayton Flyers on Friday night will be loud and proud.

But the array of colors in the stands during Thursday’s practices, which were open to the public, provided a glimpse of how difficult it will be for WSU and most other fan bases who have traveled here to dominate the scene.

As the day progressed, Michigan blue gave way to Louisville red and, eventually, Dayton red and Wichita State black and yellow. Kentucky fans, who lead the nation in average home attendance, showed up in force, especially during the Wildcats’ late-afternoon workout.

“At our hotel, we were just seeing a trickling of sports fans,” said Chris Moeller, a WSU season-ticket holder since 1988. “But once we started walking here, it was just blue all the way.”

The atmosphere can be different at an NCAA Tournament, as fans who keep their focus on one team come and go, leaving pockets of empty seats during other games. But the battle for those seats – whether filled or not – was expected to be fierce. Four of the country’s top 33 schools in 2015-16 attendance are within 275 miles of Indianapolis and will play on Friday.

Wichita State was 37th.

“All my buddies from back at UD decided we were going to take off these days and this weekend no matter where we drew,” said Nolan McNulty, a 2015 Dayton graduate who lives in Toledo, Ohio. “We were going.

“Each year, we block off paid time-off days and we save our discretionary income. If we were sent to Salt Lake City, we would’ve gotten a flight out.”

This could be the residual downer for WSU receiving a much-debated 10th seed in the South Regional. While Shocker fans have been rabid and faithful followers of coach Gregg Marshall’s teams during a run of five consecutive NCAA appearances, the Indianapolis field features several tradition-rich programs with ardent supporters.

“People ask us why we’re so passionate and sick with it,” said Todd Pitcock, a Kentucky fan who grew up in the Bluegrass State and now lives in Plainfield, Ind. “It’s all we have. There’s nothing but basketball.”

No. 2-seed Kentucky, which plays No. 15 Northern Kentucky after the WSU-Dayton game on Friday night, will undoubtedly have a strong presence. The Wildcats, whose home court of Rupp Arena is 188 miles from Indianapolis, averaged 23,361 fans at home last season and are renowned NCAA Tournament travelers.

In-state rival Louisville, which plays Jacksonville State in the second game of Friday’s afternoon session, was third in home attendance at 20,859. The Cardinals traveled 113 miles, the closest of the eight teams, for the start of the tournament.

According to a WSU official, each school was allotted 450 tickets for games at the 18,165-seat home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. Dayton, 119 miles east of Indianapolis on I-70, should far exceed that number in terms of support.

Dayton, which plays host to the NCAA’s First Four games, ranked 25th in average attendance last season at 12,941. While the Flyers didn’t play the Shockers last season, both teams competed in the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando, Fla., and Dayton fans showed up in large numbers.

In November, UD was ranked No. 1 by NCAA.com’s “High Five” for having the best traveling fan base in college sports.

“It’s a priority in terms of somebody’s entire year in terms of what they’re going to do,” McNulty said.

It’s become that way for WSU fans, as well. A small contingent watched the Shockers’ workout on Thursday as WSU’s pep band played.

“I expect us to have a good showing,” Moeller said. “The prize could be getting to play Kentucky in the next round, and that would be wonderful.”

This story was originally published March 16, 2017 at 6:33 PM with the headline "Shocker yellow just one of a rainbow of fan colors at NCAA Tournament."