ALCOHOL IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. LIVECOPTER3 OVER THE GOLDEN 1 CENTER TODAY, AS THE SWEET 16 IS TAKEN OVER DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO. AND WHILE THE TEAMS ARE CHASING A TITLE, THE FANS ARE BRINGING A LITTLE MADNESS OF THEIR OWN. KCRA 3’S DENSON CORTEZ CAUGHT UP WITH SOME OF THE FANS WHOSE TEAMS ARE STILL DANCING. SHE’S 81 YEARS OLD. SHE’S GOT A BLANKET. SHE RUNS AROUND THE STADIUM. YOU GOT TO GO TALK TO HER. SOMEWHERE IN THE CROWD, WRAPPED IN MORE FABRIC THAN A MINNESOTA WINTER KOHBERGER KOHBERGER. MARCH MADNESS BRINGS OUT BASKETBALL’S BIGGEST SUPERFAN. HAVEN’T MISSED A GAME SINCE 2011, AND I DRIVE 126 MILES ROUND TRIP. OLVERA PEP’S MEN ARE KNOWN TO MANY AS THE BLANKET LADY IS BASKETBALL ROYALTY, SO YOU GOT YOUR OWN HOLIDAY. I SURE DO. ISN’T THAT WONDERFUL? BECAUSE WHEN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA GIVES YOU A HOLIDAY, A SWEET 16 APPEARANCE DOESN’T JUST MEAN THE PLAYERS. NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE HOW I FEEL ABOUT OUR GOLFERS GOPHER TEAM. I WOULDN’T BE HERE AND NOW I’M HERE. HEY, CULVERT PHOENIX, HERE WE COME. LET’S GO. COX, SHE AND THE MANY OTHERS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA. LET’S GO, LET’S GO. WHO’S UP TO VIRGINIA? I PLAYED IN HIGH SCHOOL. HE’S A WANNABE TO GRANDPA AND GRANDSON BANTER. THEY WERE WILLING TO MISS SCHOOL TO COME UP HERE AND DRIVE FIVE HOURS. SO WE’RE HERE, YOU KNOW? TURNS OUT SCHOOL ISN’T THE ONLY PLACE TO SHOW OFF SPIRIT. YOU SEE. UCLA FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT. AMID THE CHANCE THE NEXT GENERATION OF BALL PLAYERS LIKE BROOKLYN LOMBARD, INSPIRED BY THE MADNESS. I LIKE THAT CHEEKY RICE THAT SHE’S A POINT GUARD LIKE ME BECAUSE I’M A POINT GUARD AND I LIKE HOW. I LIKE HOW LAUREN BET SHE’S SUPER TALL AND SHE IS REALLY AGGRESSIVE WITH REBOUNDS, AND SHE’LL JUST GRAB THEM. IT BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES TO SEE ALL THESE LITTLE GIRLS AND LITTLE BOYS WHO LOOK UP TO THESE PLAYERS AND, AND WANT TO EMULATE THEM. AND THEY AND THEY WILL, THEY WILL, THEY WILL, YOU KNOW, CARRY THAT FLAME AND, AND WE’LL BE WATCHING THEM HERE IN A FEW YEARS. GO TIGERS. BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT SIDE OF THE TEAM YOU ROOT FOR, THE FANS OF BASKETBALL GO. YOU KNOW, GETTING HERE IS ALWAYS
From ‘Blanket Lady’ to future stars, fans fuel March Madness in Sacramento
Updated: 7:42 PM PDT Mar 27, 2026
March Madness is back in Sacramento, bringing both energy and economic impact as the city hosts the NCAA Women’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 at the Golden 1 Center from March 27-30.It’s the first time since 2010 that Sacramento has hosted this stage of the women’s tournament, an event expected to generate around $10 million and fill roughly 13,000 hotel room nights.But beyond the numbers, it’s the fans who define the moment.They’ve traveled from across the country: South Carolina, Virginia, and beyond, some driving hours, others skipping school, all chasing the same feeling. Among them is 81-year-old superfan Elvera “Peps” Neuman, known as the “Blanket Lady.” Wrapped in layers and full of energy, she hasn’t missed a game since 2011, making 126-mile round-trip back in Minnesota to cheer on her team. Her dedication has even earned her a state holiday by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, dubbed “The Blanket Lady Day.”For young siblings like Lincoln and Brooklyn Lombard, the tournament is an inspiration — watching stars like Kiki Rice and imagining their own future.”I like that KiKi Rice is a point guard like me. I like how she is really aggressive,” Lombard said.” brings tears to my eyes to see all these little girls and little boys who look up to these players and want to emulate them, and they will carry that flame, and we’ll be watching them here in a few years,” Andrea Rice, mother of UCLA starting point guard KiKi Rice, told KCRA.Rice is a projected first-round pick in the 2026 WNBA draft.(1) UCLA and (4) Minnesota will faced off first, with the Bruins coming out victorious. That game was followed by a clash between (2) LSU and (3) Duke which began at 7 p.m.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
March Madness is back in Sacramento, bringing both energy and economic impact as the city hosts the NCAA Women’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 at the Golden 1 Center from March 27-30.
It’s the first time since 2010 that Sacramento has hosted this stage of the women’s tournament, an event expected to generate around $10 million and fill roughly 13,000 hotel room nights.
But beyond the numbers, it’s the fans who define the moment.
They’ve traveled from across the country: South Carolina, Virginia, and beyond, some driving hours, others skipping school, all chasing the same feeling.
Among them is 81-year-old superfan Elvera “Peps” Neuman, known as the “Blanket Lady.” Wrapped in layers and full of energy, she hasn’t missed a game since 2011, making 126-mile round-trip back in Minnesota to cheer on her team. Her dedication has even earned her a state holiday by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, dubbed “The Blanket Lady Day.”
For young siblings like Lincoln and Brooklyn Lombard, the tournament is an inspiration — watching stars like Kiki Rice and imagining their own future.
“I like that KiKi Rice is a point guard like me. I like how she is really aggressive,” Lombard said.
“[It] brings tears to my eyes to see all these little girls and little boys who look up to these players and want to emulate them, and they will carry that flame, and we’ll be watching them here in a few years,” Andrea Rice, mother of UCLA starting point guard KiKi Rice, told KCRA.
Rice is a projected first-round pick in the 2026 WNBA draft.
(1) UCLA and (4) Minnesota will faced off first, with the Bruins coming out victorious. That game was followed by a clash between (2) LSU and (3) Duke which began at 7 p.m.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel