It's the calm before the NCAA Tourney for downtown Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, March 20th -- and teams playing at the BMO Harris Bradley Center began arriving on Tuesday, and fans are not far behind. It is the calm before the storm for downtown Milwaukee. From bars to hotels to restaurants, it takes a lot of work to show those in town for the Tourney a good time.

The Milwaukee Brat House is used to hosting a party. On Tuesday evening, they were packed -- and they are expecting much of the same during the NCAA Tourney.

"This will be probably the busiest of the year I think," Brat House Manager Jim Olker said.

The Milwaukee Brat House is just a few blocks away from the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The next few days, it's all brackets, beers and brats.

"It's much bigger than the Super Bowl. A lot more people. From morning to night, it's just going to be a basketball frenzy," Olker said.

Nearly every room is filled at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Milwaukee Thursday through Saturday.

"We're all pretty excited. We do our best to put out the welcome wagon," Marriott General Manager Jeffrey Hess said.

Banners line the entryway, and the staff is preparing for crowds.

"We, of course, want to put our best foot forward and show everyone what we love about Milwaukee and why it's a good place to visit," Hess said.

A few blocks away, the fans and the teams were beginning to arrive at the Intercontinental Hotel on Tuesday.

The University of Michigan team arrived on Tuesday.

"When you're away from home, it's great to feel the support. This is basically a business trip. We're here to take care of business and move on to the next round, I'd say," Alessandro Gasparro with Michigan Athletics said.

The Milwaukee Brat House expects the busiest day to be Thursday -- with a lot of Wisconsin fans either going to the game or just showing up to watch it on television.

A pep rally is planned for Wisconsin on Wednesday at the Milwaukee Theater.

Playing in Milwaukee on Thursday are: