Hinkle Fieldhouse power outage after March Madness game

On Mar 22, 2021

Darkness falls on the court at Hinkle Fieldhouse during a power outage during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 21, 2021, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

INDIANAPOLIS – Sunday’s second-round NCAA tournament game between Arkansas and Texas Tech at Hinkle Fieldhouse was electric.

Turns out in more ways than one. Maybe too much so.

About 20 minutes after the Razorbacks advanced to the Sweet 16 with a two-point win, the old fieldhouse on the Butler University campus experienced a power surge of sorts. The arena, except for the overhead scoreboard and some auxiliary lights, went dark for a few moments. Most of the lights jumped back on, then flipped off and on again a few minutes later.

There was no immediate word on what caused the surge. The evening’s third and final second-round game, between Oklahoma State and Oregon State, started after a delay of about 15-20 minutes.

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Up in the media section, one campus police officer called out on his radio, asking someone on the other end to check the power at the nearby parking garage. Game administrators, also carrying walkie-talkies, huddled at one corner of the court at 9:10. Several went scrambling – even running – in the direction of the Butler basketball/administrative offices.