Big Red bandwagon cranks up the RVs for Nebraska's Sweet 16 showdown with Iowa in Houston

Word spread that some of the bars ran out of the beer of choice, Busch Light. A good time was had by all. Now the Big Red bandwagon is headed to Houston for the Sweet 16, and the fans are going to be extra frisky with rival Iowa as the opponent for Thursday night's game at the Toyota Center.

A sign that Houston is prepared: Tom's Watch Bar, designated the official headquarters for Nebraska fans, has opened an outdoor overflow area and rented refrigerated trucks to keep cold drinks at the ready for when the taps run low inside. With Sweet 16 games at night and the Houston Astros' season opener down the street in the afternoon, an estimated 3,000 patrons are expected, said Brooks Schaden, co-CEO of the Denver-based chain with 19 Tom's locations. Nebraska basketball caught on with the masses in the Cornhusker State largely because the program's turnaround was so dramatic.

The Huskers had never won a game in eight previous NCAA Tournament appearances, and they still haven't won a conference championship since 1950. At a time when the Nebraska football team hasn't given fans much to cheer about, the basketball team's 20-0 start under Fred Hoiberg attracted new followers. Jim Holloway, a research engineer at the university's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, hadn't attended a Nebraska basketball game in many years and his wife, Jessica, isn't even a sports fan.

But after Nebraska beat Vanderbilt to make the Sweet 16, a game Jim watched alone on TV, Jessica surprised him by buying tickets from an online broker. The Holloways loaded up their dogs in their recreational vehicle Wednesday and began the 13-hour drive from their home in Raymond, Nebraska. The fact the RV gets about eight miles per gallon at a time of rising gas prices didn't faze Jim.