San Jose ready to welcome March Madness
By Bud L. Ellis
For the second time in its history, the HP Pavilion in San Jose will serve up a slice of m,en’s March Madness.
Best known as home ice for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League, HP Pavilion will serve as one host to first- and second-round action in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament on March 18 and 20.
Opened in 1993, the arena served site of the West Regional semifinals and final during the 2007 NCAA tourney. Kansas beat Southern Illinois in one semifinal, while UCLA knocked off Pittsburgh in the other semifinal. UCLA then punched its ticket to the Final Four with a 68-55 win over the Jayhawks in the regional final.
In 1999, the arena played host to the NCAA women’s Final Four. Purdue won the national championship, downing Duke in the final 62-45. Louisiana Tech and Georgia also qualified for the Final Four that season.
Matchups for this year’s NCAA tournament will be announced on Sunday.
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