A sea of blue and gold invaded the new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Nitro, as every TV in the place was tuned into West Virginia's afternoon tournament game against Morgan State.

For these folks, an afternoon out beats watching the action at home alone.

Randy Estep of Winfield says he enjoys the excitement generated by Mountaineers fans cheering for a victory.

Sports-themed bars and eateries have long been favorite destinations for fans unable to travel with their favorite squad.

For these people, they say it's hard to beat a roomful of big screen, high definition tvs, tasty food and frosty beverages in the company of friends and strangers who root for the same team they do.

John Caudill of St. Albans says it's a good day to be a Mountaineer, wherever you are.

As you would expect, anytime a local team takes the national stage the excitement level go up at places like Nitro's BW3.

Christina Toney is the restaurant's assistant general manager. She says there were some fans on hand Thursday for opening round action of the NCAA tournament. But Toney says it was nothing like the crowd that gathered ready for a WVU victory.