College basketball: Does the NCAA Tourney impact the Utah and national economies?

The good news for Utah is the fact that Salt Lake City is hosting early-round tournament games, which bring travel and tourism dollars in the front door to compensate for money walking out the back.

And with schools like Gonzaga, New Mexico and Arizona set to play in Energy Solutions Arena, there’s likely to be plenty of local and national interest—and dollars—at the games.

Measuring that impact is a challenge, but after Utah hosted NCAA games in 2010, Jeff Robins of the Utah Sports Commission estimated it provided as much as a $10 million boon to the local economy.

If the $25 million productivity loss is in the ballpark, playing host to Tourney games makes up at least a good chunk of that.

Either way, next time a work associate comes into your office baffled how a 14-seed could upset a three, you can use lost productivity as an excuse to end the conversation before you get sucked in. And don’t forget to turn your own bracket in before you leave the office Wednesday.

Ryan Teeples ( twitter.com/SportsGuyUtah ) is a respected marketing and technology expert, full-time sports fan and owner of Ryan Teeples Consulting Inc ( RyanTeeples.com ).