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Bridgeport welcomes basketball fans for March Madness this weekend

The newly-named Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Michael Lyle Jr.
/
WSHU Public Radio
The newly-named Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The NCAA women’s basketball tournament returns to Bridgeport this weekend, as scores of basketball fans will fill nearly every seat at the newly-named Total Mortgage Arena in the downtown area.

City of Bridgeport spokesperson Rowena White said final preparations are underway to put their city in the national spotlight and make it a destination outside of sports and entertainment.

“They’re getting to see a city that is going through a renaissance period that is really starting to show its true, vibrant, artistic colors and that is in the middle of transformations of manufacturing buildings to art centers and working loft spaces,” said White. “We hope that the people who are visiting the city of Bridgeport will see that and maybe come back again, not just to visit, but to consider this a place to live.”

The UConn women’s basketball team will headline the event. The Huskies advanced by winning their first two opening-round contests at their home arena on the Storrs campus. They will take on Indiana in the second of two semi-final games Saturday.

The other game features North Carolina State taking on Notre Dame.

The winners of the semifinal games will meet in the final on Monday night, with the winner moving onto the Final Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Huskies have won 11 national championships and won the Big East Conference title this year.

Mike Lyle is a former reporter and host at WSHU.