-- Herald staff report
City officials, however, are hoping the town hasn't seen too much basketball.
The NCAA Elite Eight Division II women's tournament opens at the spacious Pine Bluff Convention Center on Wednesday, four days after the facility played host to the 10 Arkansas high school state championship games that attracted nearly 45,000 weekend fans.
UND, the two-time defending national champion, plays Kennesaw (Ga.) State in the tournament's first game. Will fans other than the loyal Sioux faithful be in the stands at tip-off?
That question concerns Pine Bluff officials, who are locked into the Division II tournament through next season.
"We've gone out and beat on doors," said Steve Barnett, the deputy director of the Pine Bluff Convention Center. "We'd like to get everyone out and support the tournament. We want to get (Pine Bluff) people interested in watching good basketball."
Last season, there was little interest in the tournament among Pine Bluff residents. And the tournament lost substantial money.
City officials knew there wouldn't be a big local fan base in 1998. However, they were willing to trade the lack of local fans and revenue for national TV exposure. The championship game between UND and Emporia (Kan.) State was televised live by ESPN2. The network again will televise this year's title game.
UND and Emporia supplied last year's fan base. The title game drew approximately 2,500 fans, the overwhelming majority from the two schools. Both are back this year, and that makes Barnett happy.
"Emporia and North Dakota are running neck-and-neck as far as fan support," Barnett said, referring to pre-tourney ticket sales.
The only other school that will have a substantial backing is Arkansas Tech, a two-hour drive from here. However, the Golden Suns lost in last year's first round, which hurt attendance.
Attendance could improve dramatically this year if Tech advances to the championship game against either UND or Emporia, which are in the same bracket. That's what tournament organizers are hoping for.
And they're hoping improved tournament marketing will interest Pine Bluff, which has been the Arkansas high school basketball hot spot for the past two weeks.
Besides last week's state finals, the Pine Bluff Convention Center played host to a big-school regional tournament the first weekend in March, an event that drew roughly 25,000 fans.
Barnett said he heard no complaints about the way last year's tournament was run. "Of course, North Dakota would like to see the tournament back in North Dakota," Barnett said. "Last year was the first year in a while that the tournament was not held at an on-campus site. For the most part, the tournament worked out great and most of the teams enjoyed being here."
There were complaints among UND fans regarding the city's image and lack of things to do.
"We're trying to offer the best service we can," Barnett said.
The NCAA, however, apparently was satisfied with the way Pine Bluff played host to the tournament. Last summer, the NCAA awarded the Division II tournament to Pine Bluff for two more years.
Convention officials, however, wouldn't mind seeing the tournament become an annual fixture in Pine Bluff.
"We will, of course, look at (the tournament) in the future," Barnett said. "The main decision, however, will be left up to the NCAA committee."
UND glad to be in Arkansas
By Kevin Fee
Herald Staff Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Maybe it's a good thing the UND women's basketball team isn't in an exotic location this week.
Basketball, after all, is the reason the Sioux made the trip to President Clinton's home state for the second straight year.
"There's not too many distractions," Sioux sophomore Tonia Jones said after stepping off an airplane in Little Rock. "There's not much to do besides play basketball.
"It's fun knowing we're back in the national tournament, even though it's not in a good spot."
That's not because the scandal-plagued Clinton once lived here, either. Crime and poverty are among reasons people such as Jones might skip a trip here if not for a round ball and court.
UND is happy to be playing for a third straight national championship, whether it's in Pine Bluff or Council Bluffs.
"Our ultimate goal is a three-peat," Sioux forward Casey Carroll said after stepping off the airplane in Little Rock on Monday night. "We're just kind of keeping focused on that."
Carroll and the Sioux touched down in Little Rock about 8:40 p.m. on Monday. Awaiting them was about a 45-minute van ride to Pine Bluff, Ark., which is the site of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight women's basketball tournament.
UND will practice at 10 a.m. today at the Pine Bluff Convention Center -- site of the tournament -- before meeting Kennesaw State of Georgia at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the quarterfinals (WDAZ-TV, Channel 8 in Grand Forks).
A 23-person UND team traveling party, which includes all 14 players in the program, hopes to leave Pine Bluff with another national-championship memory.
"We want all the kids to come down and experience this," UND assistant coach Darcy Deutsch said of the tournament.
Deutsch didn't even have to offer extra scholarship money to those who are injured or redshirting.
The bottom line, Jones said, is this: "It's a national tournament. You have to be happy about being here."
Things aren't all bad. Like last year, UND's hotel is connected with the Pine Bluff Convention Center and the basketball arena. So the Sioux can feel safe and focused this week. A trip to the mall or a restaurant might be all the sightseeing they do in Pine Bluff.
The irony is that the Sioux asked for this.
"Getting back to the Elite Eight, that's been our goal since the first team meeting," Carroll said. "It's been on our minds for a long time."
Karolyn Roebuck, Sioux coach Gene Roebuck's wife, said she didn't make too many trips outside the Pine Bluff Convention Center and the attached hotel in 1998.
"I went to the mall," she said. "I read three books last year. I just relaxed."
It's doubtful her husband will relax any time soon. He's trying to figure out a way to win the school's third straight championship.
News from Pine Bluff
Local news from the Pine Bluff Commercial in Pine Bluff, Ark., site of the NCAA Division II women's basketball Elite Eight Tournament.
-- Herald staff report