SAN DIEGO – Two hours before Alabama and Marquette were to begin their first round of play in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, police ordered the evacuation of Cox Arena at San Diego State University. Bomb-sniffing dogs had discovered a suspicious package in a vendor cart outside the venue.
Attendees and officials were instructed to gather behind a parking lot across the street, while team members and staff stayed at their hotels. They were allowed to return approximately two hours later after a bomb robot inspected the scene and officials gave the all-clear. The game started 70 minutes late. UCLA played Belmont later in the day at the same venue without incident.
The bomb scare comes one week after the FBI warned of a posting on the Internet that discussed terrorist attacks aimed at college basketball venues and other sports stadiums. Despite the warnings, the FBI stated there were no specific or credible threats.
