The 61st annual Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association experienced record-breaking success at the box office during its first year in Charlotte. Tournament organizers announced they sold all 19,000 weeklong ticket books, and entering Saturday night's final session, they expected weeklong game attendance of at least 125,000 people -- a CIAA record, and about 15,000 more than the turnstile count for games last year in Raleigh.
Charlotte will hosts the CIAA through 2008, and local organizers said they want to keep the tournament there longer.
Police reported virtually no crime. Capt. Earl Mathis said Saturday afternoon, "It's (crowds have) been very orderly."
At clubs, parties tied to celebrities such as Magic Johnson and Big Daddy Kane stayed packed. Other events weren't well attended.
Fans were generally complimentary of the venues, especially the giant scoreboard video screen and the clean bathrooms in the arena. If they got what they paid for, they also paid for what they got. The expense of concessions were a lesser, but consistent, complaint. Al and Jill Elliott from Roanoke, Va., talked of lunch for two for $30, and $3 water. "You're stuck in here. You do buy in here," Al Elliott said.
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