Darcy Stefanik and Alexis Kruse, juniors at KU, have been waiting outside Quinton's Bar and Grill in downtown Lawrence since 7 a.m. Quinton's will seat people for tonight's NCAA national championship game starting at 4 p.m.

It’s one of those days where mothers just have to sigh.

“I called my mother at 7 a.m. and told her that I was standing outside a bar waiting to get in,” Alexis Kruse, a KU junior who at about noon was stretched out on the sidewalk in front of Quinton’s Bar & Deli, 615 Mass. “She was so proud.”

Yeah, it is going to be one of those type of days.

About noon, approximately 15 people were lined up outside the bar waiting to get a table when Quinton’s begins allowing game seating at 4 p.m. Currently, the business is open, but will clear all seating areas at 4 p.m. and let those who have been waiting pick out table for the Jayhawk’s 8:21 p.m. tip against the Memphis Tigers.

The waiting game began even earlier elsewhere downtown.

A crowd of about 25 – seemingly growing by the minute – was lined up outside Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar at 9 a.m. today in preparation for tonight’s 8:21 tip-off in the National Championship game.

“Hopefully I’ll get my favorite table,” said Eric Swanson, a 28-year old Lawrence mutual fund representative.

If not, he’ll be kicking himself. He only got in line at 1 a.m.

“I think I have a pretty good chance,” Swanson said. “I was the second one here.”

The sidewalk seating area of the bar and grill, 1012 Mass., looked like a crimson and blue fleece farm as co-eds passed the time wrapped in warm blankets to fight a morning temperature that hovered in the low 40s. Some had books, others had laptops, and some were equipped with an old-fashioned deck of cards to kill the time.

Everybody, though, came equipped with one necessity: Cash.

“Our table’s tab was $770 on Saturday,” said Sarah Pruitt, a 21-year old Jayhawk fan. “We counted. Our table had 100 beers at one point in time.”