Downtown Nashville will be filled with SEC fans ready to root for their favorite team this week as the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament kicks off at Bridgestone Arena.
Tip off was set for Wednesday evening as Mississippi State and LSU face off at 6 p.m., followed by Auburn and Missouri at 8 p.m. Tickets were still available for both games.
Business owners in downtown said they are more than happy to host fans rooting for their favorite teams, and the tournament brings in profits similar to CMA Fest in June.
"It's an event we look forward to all year long," Brenda Sanderson, owner of Legends Corner, The Stage, Second Fiddle, and Nashville Crossroads, said. “It is really a time for the city and us as business owners and Honky Tonks and gift shops and all of us to really shine and show the world how really special we are here.”
Broadway will be shut down starting at 5th Avenue through the weekend as thousands of fans head downtown for games.
Security at the tournament has changed slightly this year to fit in with other SEC tournaments.
A clear bag policy has been put in place, not allowing any bags larger than a small clutch to be brought into the game, but a bag check has been set up on Broadway for those who bring their non-clear bags on accident.
“If you do come down and you do have a bag that’s not in compliance with the SEC rules, you can drop off you old bag there, take a temporary bag for the tournament or for that evening session, and then exchange it back when you’re done with the games," David Kells, senior vice president of booking for Bridgestone Arena and the Nashville Predators, said.
While the downtown area will be filled with tourists from out of town, locals are encouraged to go downtown and enjoy the SEC tournament experience as well.
“Think of a hockey game, but we have four in one day and they start at noon," Kells explained. "It’s that same atmosphere, that same excitement, that same passion for fans across the southeast.”
