Thousands of basketball fans heading to Albany for NCAA tournament

Thousands of people from across the country will be heading to downtown Albany for the NCAA tournament at MVP Arena this weekend. The players were expected to arrive on Wednesday.

There will be four games on Friday. The first game kicks off at 2 p.m. The last game will be played at 9:55 p.m.

Eight teams will be competing for a chance to advance in the tournament.

A game that many people locally will be watching is the 4:30 game. UConn will be playing Iona. UConn features Andre Jackson Jr. Jackson is a junior forward from Amsterdam. He is a starter and averages seven points, six rebounds and four assists a game. Jackson is on a team that many people think has the chance at playing in the Final Four. The teams that win Friday will play Sunday.

Local businesses and officials are excited. With the large crowds, they believe it will be a major economic boost for the region.

Parking will be a challenge. Fans are encouraged to utilize the Park-n-Ride shuttle at the University at Albany.

Parking and shuttle service to and from the event will be available at the UAlbany State Quad Commuter Parking Lot and Harriman Campus Lot H to the arena.

Pick up and drop off location for the shuttles in downtown Albany will be at Dalius Street and Hudson Avenue. There will be CDTA supervisors on hand to assist the basketball fans.

NewsChannel 13’s Jonathan Hunter is speaking with excited business owners in the area. See how they’re preparing starting Live at 4, and on WNYT.com.