UI band going Yale

The University of Idaho Marching Band will be playing on national television during the NCAA March Madness tournament today.

The band will step in to support the Yale University men’s basketball team in a game against Auburn University. The game will be played at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena at 1:15 p.m. and can also be viewed live on streaming services.

UI Band Director Spencer Martin said when he got a call last weekend that Yale couldn’t bring its band, he had no second thoughts on subbing in. He added members had just played at the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise last week, and are getting ready to perform at the UIBound student recruitment event Saturday at the ICCU Arena in Moscow.

Martin, along with 29 band members, will be decked out in Yale gear. He said the band will “sneakily be representing” UI.

The band has played at NCAA tournaments for the UI women’s basketball team before. Martin said it’s been about eight or nine years since they’ve played in an NCAA tourney. This will be the first time they fill in for another team, however.

“It’s fun for the university, certainly for our students,” Martin said. “The Vandals are going Ivy League.”