When the NCAA Tournament comes to town, even politics takes a back seat

Joe Biden was well aware of what awaited him in the election year of 2012.

For sure, there was the daily grind of being vice president of the United States. Plus, upcoming whistle-stops all over the country for the next eight months while running for another term with President Barack Obama.

But this was March, and Biden, a graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law (Class of 1968), was in Pittsburgh to watch his beloved Orange basketball team play in the NCAA Tournament at Consol Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena).

With the St. Patrick’s Day parade adding to the chaos, Biden’s entourage and his Secret Service men arrived at the arena’s entrance simultaneously with another large contingent of people — the Ohio State team that was eager to unload equipment.

Guess which group was forced to wait?

Paul Hightower was there to witness the scene, and he laughed about it then and laughs about it now. Hightower, a Duquesne senior assistant athletic director/facilities and events, was part of the host team that year, just as he will be Thursday and Saturday at PPG Paints Arena when the tournament’s first- and second-round games return to Pittsburgh.

“I go up to the Secret Service guys, with my sense of humor,” Hightower said, “and tell them: ‘You guys do know you just (messed with) Ohio State’s basketball team, and that’s a swing state.’ ”

The Secret Service returned Hightower’s remark with similar good humor. No harm done. Ohio State went on to advance to the Final Four by eventually defeating Biden’s Orange in the East Regional Final. That November, the Obama/Biden ticket carried Ohio, albeit by less than 3%.

That’s just one of the minor incidents that Duquesne athletic director Dave Harper, Hightower and their team of more than 100 staff members and volunteers must confront this week when eight teams arrive for six games in two days.

In 2018, Alabama star guard Collin Sexton needed a dentist — fast. Alabama’s designated host found one, and Sexton scored 25 points in an 86-83 victory against Virginia Tech.

The fun starts Sunday night when the NCAA reveals its bracket and where 68 teams will land. Pittsburgh is one of eight sites that will serve as a host for the opening weekend. Fun, if you don’t mind working nearly round the clock on what Harper calls “a labor of love.”

“The days leading up to it after Selection Sunday through the fourth game on the first day,” Hightower said, “they are close to 18-hour days. They are brutal because there is so much to do.”

Fortunately, the NCAA supplies each host with a manual that answers all questions. Plus, there have been numerous conference calls during the year.

“They spread the work out during the year so you’re not trying to cram it into one minute and messing it up,” Hightower said.

PPG Paints Arena directs many of the operations, assuring specifications for TV and the court are set up properly.

“It’s a pretty demanding event to have,” Harper said.

Harper has been athletic director at Duquesne for three tournaments, including this one. He was part of the University of Dayton team that once was host to a First Four, a regional and NIT games — all in the same year.

“I don’t want to downplay the amount of planning,” Harper said, “but we kind of have it down. The ticketing is the first phase of it, and then you go into planning. We’re pretty seasoned at hosting, but you never take anything for granted.”

Duquesne first began hosting in 1997 and also did so in 2002, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2022. Harper said bids have gone out for 2026.

“As a host, it gives us national visibility, just keeps us, obviously, in the rotation where we want to be part of hosting NCAA Tournaments. It’s an important piece for all of us,” he said, referencing SportsPittsburgh, PPG Paints Arena and Duquesne.

“As long as we’re honored enough to be chosen, we’ll do it.”

The university receives a $200,000 honorarium for hosting, and Harper said Duquesne keeps “the vast majority” of it, minus minor expenses.

“Nice little three-day payday,” he said.

“The days are long, but they go so fast. You hit that arena early in the morning and turn around, and you’re there the next morning. We have some of our staff that are responsible for running the tournament itself, making sure all the NCAA protocols are in place with locker rooms, bands, all those different logistics and pieces.”

Hightower, who has been at Duquesne for 34 years, recruits staff from Pitt’s sports information office, plus student volunteers from Duquesne, Point Park and Slippery Rock.

“Most of our administrative staff dedicate that whole week to running the show,” Hightower said.

Every task is important, he said, including typing quotes for reporters (of which there may be as many as 175), restocking refrigerators and washing towels for the teams’ benches.

He said the NCAA is diligent about limiting media to those reporters who have covered the majority of their team’s games during the season.

“It’s not open to any Tom, Dick and Henry just calling up for a credential,” he said.

When the tournament is over and the last echo from dribbling basketballs fades away, the Duquesne staff allows itself the luxury of putting up their feet and relaxing.

“Absolutely,” Hightower said. “In 2022, we did it in the back workroom. I brought in a couple bottles of wine and a couple other people brought some beers.”

And, most likely, they began planning for this year’s tournament.