OCEAN SPRINGS, MS (WLOX) -
It seemed anyone who bleeds blue and red was glued to a television screen Friday afternoon to cheer on Ole Miss.
Bryan Richards said there's nothing like college basketball in the springtime.
"I love March Madness," said the Ole Miss fan. "It's the best thing. Best time of the year. It's bigger than the Super Bowl and World Series."
As the number of teams in the hunt becomes smaller, the staff at Big O's Sports Bar and Restaurant expects the crowd of spectators to grow larger, especially if Ole Miss continues to advance.
"You're going to see a lot of big upsets and see a lot of exciting stuff. That's one thing with the environment we provide here at Big O's is you actually feel like you're in the game," said Giron.
Fans said feeling part of the game isn't something they can get while at home alone, so they'd rather watch with a lot of other sports fans.
"It's just a better atmosphere. Everybody gets excited, especially when you come to a local place where everybody is cheering for the same team," one fan said.
Johnny "Ballpark" Franks of 96.7 the Champ said, "When you're trying to escape whatever problems you have in the real world, it's a chance to rally around your sports teams. Everybody likes to get emotional about their favorite teams and why not? Whether it's football, or basketball, or whatever the case may be."
And Ole Miss fans hope to be cheering their team all the way to a championship title.
Copyright 2013 WLOX. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WLOX, a Raycom Media Station. 
