Ann Arbor area bars and restaurants were busier than normal at lunchtime today, as the University of Michigan began play in the Big Ten Basketball tournament. Michigan escaped their first Big Ten Basketball Tournament game with a 64-63 win over Illinois.
Area bars and restaurants also picked up a w, through packed houses. Christopher July is the General Manager of the Buffalo Wild Wings on State Street. July thinks they had double the normal crowd for a Friday lunch. July hopes for a big Michigan run in the N-C-A-A Tournament starting next week. He thinks it’s good for business, but also good in the way it brings the campus together. July admits he’s a Spartan fan and says they bring a larger crowd out as well.
M-B-A student Jake Liudahl and his friends don’t have classes on Friday so they could enjoy the game without skipping any commitments. Liudahl hopes Michigan can win the Big Ten Tournament and earn a number one seed in the N-C-A-A tournament. He thinks they can go deep, but doesn’t want to face Wisconsin again.
Michigan takes on Ohio State tomorrow afternoon in a Big Ten Tournament Semi-Final.
— Andrew Cluley is the Ann Arbor beat reporter, and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him acluley@emich.edu.