Patrick Talty, the general manager of U.S. Bank Stadium, has worked Final Fours dating back to his time at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis in 1997, and he said that the event put on in downtown Minneapolis over the past week was the best he has seen.
"I think it was a huge success," he said. "This one was probably the best that I have been a part of. First of all the games were unbelievable. We had amazing games at the stadium. And then I thought the stadium set up so well for basketball.
"It was perfect. The seating looked great. It felt like a basketball arena. It had a lot of electricity in it, it was exciting. You could feel the excitement from all of the college basketball fans."
Yes, more than 72,000 fans attended the Final Four semifinals Saturday and again for the championship game Monday, and the reception from such people as Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Charles Barkley and other prominent members of the media was that the city put on a world-class event.
Talty said that one of the biggest elements of the Final Four here was how the preparation by the staff members at the stadium made it a smooth tournament.
"Staff did a great job," he said. "I think our biggest success was that our team was able to really deliver and make U.S. Bank Stadium the best basketball venue. I don't think there is anything better out there for watching a Final Four. It was perfect, and it was the staff. They delivered. They delivered great customer service. They worked hard. It paid off."
Does he think this will lead to more major events?
"I sure hope so," Talty said. "Any time you get on the national stage and people talk about you, it definitely helps with your booking and selling the venue, trying to get more events."