Providence is the perfect NCAA Tournament host. Just ask these fans.

Memo to the NCAA: Providence should be a host city for the men’s or women’s tournament every year.

The Amica Mutual Pavilion was buzzing all day Thursday as thousands of fans from North Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana, Indiana and more flocked to Rhode Island’s capital city for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

And that was before Rick Pitino and his St. John’s Red Storm brought the house down on Thursday night.

Before the day started, my plan was to buy a beer for one fan from each of the eight schools playing Thursday, but I quickly realized that would make for an incoherent column. Still, I made it my mission to meet a fan of each school.

Here’s a rundown.

McNEESE STATE

The award for the friendliest fan base goes to McNeese State, which sent a large constituency to Providence from Louisiana. There were no better cheerleaders for the university than Lori and Damon Beard, who said they’ve become diehard Cowboys’ fans since coach Will Wade was hired a few seasons ago. Wade is leaving for the North Carolina State job, but the Beards said they’re thankful for everything he’s done for McNeese State. Most importantly, the Beards were excited for a trip to Federal Hill this weekend. “The buildings are so beautiful here,” Lori said. “It’s like a movie set.”

ARKANSAS

If the state of Arkansas is looking for a tourism director, it should hire John Lytle. “I think it’s the most beautiful place on the planet,” Lytle told me over a beer at Trinity Brewhouse’s outdoor tent. “It’s the perfect place for anyone who loves the outdoors.” And to Lytle, Providence is the perfect place to watch Hall of Fame head coach John Calipari in his first season with the Razorbacks. Lytle said the team has proved its resilience after getting off to a rough start in the Southeastern Conference, but he was already pleased with one result in the tournament: “I was happy to see Texas lose,” he said.

ST. JOHN’S

Brian Wojtyna Sr. and Brian Wojtyna Jr.

The biggest fan base in Providence this week is St. John’s because the Red Storm are the toast of college basketball right now. The Big East regular season and tournament champions are coached by former Providence College legend Rick Pitino , and there are plenty of fans picking them to reach the Final Four. Brian Wojtyna, a Cranston resident, graduated from St. John’s in 2002, and said he couldn’t be more excited about the Red Storm’s chances. “College basketball is better when St. John’s is good,” Wojtyna said over a bottle of Harpoon at Blake’s.

CLEMSON

It’s spring break for Clemson students, and Blake Santos is exactly where he wants to be: home. Santos, a Cranston native, was a standout athlete at LaSalle Academy, and now he’s a sophomore on the Tigers’ track-and-field team. He said he loves being a student-athlete at Clemson because the entire athletic department and fan base roots for every team. He said this year’s Tigers were well-rounded and capable of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, but they got rolled by McNeese State in the first half and couldn’t recover.

HIGH POINT

Be honest: There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of High Point University. The Panthers are making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and their fan base traveled to Providence from North Carolina in full force. Pate Dunlap, a High Point graduate who now works for the university, said more than 200 students, alumni, and fans flew in early Thursday morning. They weren’t disappointed. The Panthers gave Purdue everything it could handle, but faded down the stretch.

KANSAS

Tanya McGinn grew up in Kansas, and being a Jayhawks’ basketball fan is all she’s ever known. She raised her daughter, Grace, the same way even though they moved to the Cumberland area for most of Grace’s childhood. The family now lives in Orlando, but they had tickets to Providence for the NCAA Tournament even before they knew the Jayhawks were coming to town.

PURDUE

For former Purdue student Andy Thomasco, it didn’t take long to fall hard for the Lafayette, Indiana, campus his freshman year. He said the Boilermakers’ passionate fan base and their famous fountain runs — when students literally run through water fountains on campus — helped him fall in love with the school. Now a Groton, Conn., resident, Thomasco said he is confident the reigning national runner-up has a chance to reach the Sweet 16, thanks to star point guard Braden Smith.

NEBRASKA-OMAHA

If Russ Hochstein looks familiar, it’s because he won two Super Bowls as a center for the New England Patriots. But before his NFL career, he was a member of the 1997 University of Nebraska football team that shared a national championship with Michigan. Hochstein was in town to root on the longshot University of Nebraska Omaha team against St. John’s on Thursday night. He said that Nebraska fans root for all of the in-state teams, so he was also pleasantly surprised to watch Creighton roll to victory against Louisville Thursday afternoon.