Pittsburgh skyline to turn blue to honor March Madness

The Pittsburgh skyline is lighting up blue Friday night to commemorate what is being billed as the “Ultimate NCAA Basketball Weekend” in Pittsburgh.

Several Downtown buildings will light up blue — the same color as the NCAA logo. It’s the Steel City’s way of welcoming college basketball fans from around the country.

Duquesne University and SportsPITTSBURGH are co-hosting the NCAA Division I men’s tournament first and second round games at PPG Paints Arena — with Friday’s slate including games between Ohio State and Loyola Chicago, Villanova vs. Delaware, Illinois and Chattanooga and Houston vs. UAB.

Also this weekend, the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and SportsPITTSBURGH are co-hosting the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

“The Pittsburgh Local Organizing Committee’s top goal with each NCAA Championship event is to ensure that the student-athletes and teams feel welcomed in Pittsburgh and return to their campuses with iconic experiences,” said SportsPITTSBURGH Executive Director Jennifer Hawkins. “As always, our Pittsburgh community has rallied to show why our region is the definitive destination for sports events.”

Wisconsin-Whitewater and Hope College have advanced to the NCAA Division III national championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Combined, the two championship events are expected to draw thousands of out-of-town visitors, resulting in an estimated $10.5 million in direct visitor spending, a $2 million increase from when Pittsburgh last hosted the men’s tournament in 2018.