C-USA Tournament Expected To Bring $3 M In Business To Downtown Tulsa

The University of Tulsa hoped home court advantage could propel them to a championship Friday night.

They faced Memphis at the BOK Center. Memphis hadn't lost a conference game all season, and they eliminated the Hurricane Friday night, 85-74.

But TU's women are still chasing a championship. They're in the title game against Central Florida Saturday at 7 p.m. at the BOK Center.

The further the Hurricane advance, the more TU fans flood downtown. That's not only increasing revenue, but also shedding some light on new businesses.

"It's been very good for Tulsa, excellent for the Brady district," said Stephanie Duvall, General Manager of Caz's Pub & Chowhouse.

She said they've seen a 10 percent increase in sales since the beginning of the Conference USA tournament.

"Today, we were pretty overwhelmed with Memphis fans. Our whole restaurant was pretty much filled with blue," Duvall said.

But it's not just Memphis blue filling downtown. Kenny Hopkins, with Hey Mambo, said he's seen more and more TU blue walking through his doors.

"We're looking at 30 percent sales growth over last year at this time," Hopkins said. "A lot of folks that normally don't come down here are down here."

"As long as TU, the men's and women's, stay in the tournament, the more tickets get sold, the more fan base shows up," said Ray Hoyt, with Visit Tulsa.

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The Conference USA tournament is expected to bring in $3 million to downtown, and combined with the $26 million the Bassmaster Classic brought in, you can see why Hoyt says it's important to keep bringing big events to the BOK.

"The NCAA was here in '11. We hope to bring them back at some point, and we're talking to the big 12 about several opportunities as well," Hoyt said.

This marks the second time Tulsa has hosted the Conference USA tournament at the BOK, and in the quarter finals alone, more than 7,000 tickets were sold.

And while both Tulsa teams may not make the finals, Hoyt said it will still help lead the way for future events.

"It's great for the community and puts us on the map as a sports destination," Hoyt said.

For the finals Saturday, parents can get their kids in free with the purchase of a ticket.