Bison Fans Love National Spotlight, Travel Thousands of Miles to Watch Team in Dayton, OH

DAYTON, Ohio – North Dakota State is always finding ways to put its athletics programs on the map.

National branding has always been a focal point, and I’d say 2019 has gotten off to a great start. It started with a national title in football. Then The Herd was honored at The White House. Now it’s the basketball team’s chance to grab the spotlight.

Watching the Bison play against North Carolina Central on TV isn’t good enough for some fans. Dickinson native Don Bares said he was almost deterred by high ticket prices for flights, but then he found another way to get to this game: by driving more than 1,400 miles.

“Part of me did say ‘Yeah, I’m just gonna stay at home and watch them now,’ and I went to bed on Sunday night thinking that. Then I woke up on Monday morning and said ‘I don’t think I want to work this week. I’m gonna go watch some basketball,'” Bares explained.

The Bison won and now gets to face No. 1 overall seed Duke in Columbia, South Carolina which is 548 miles from Dayton. When asked if Bares if he had any intention on continuing his road trip, he said he’s already come this far, what’s another 500 miles to watch his team play?