Family basketball event to take over City Plaza this week

Here's a chance to get off the couch, entertain the kids and still watch some of the ACC basketball tournament this week.

The B-Ball on Bean Street family event will take over City Plaza, on the 400 block of Fayetteville Street, in downtown Raleigh on Thursday and Friday. It's from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. And for many Wake County school students on the traditional calendar, Friday is a half day ... so here's an activity for you. It's all free.

The action will primarily be in the area where the ice skating rink was this winter. High definition televisions will be set up under a tent with bleachers so people can watch the games. There also will be basketball hoops, cornhole and children's activities behind the tent provided by Marbles Kids Museum. Fans can play for a chance to win tickets to Sunday's championship game in Greensboro, along with memorabilia signed by UNC, N.C. State and Duke greats.

Organizers are planning some other events as well.

The event is hosted by Kangaroo Express and Mentos, which is why there will be free Bean Street Coffee, Kangaroo's coffee, and Mentos mints and gum there.

And it's all part of a bigger Battle for Bean Street competition between N.C. State, UNC and Duke fans at Kangaroo stores. Customers can buy special university-branded Bean Street Coffee cups at Triangle Kangaroo locations. For each cup bought, the respective university gets points toward the teams total. The university with the most branded cups tallied by April 1 will earn a donation of $20,000 toward the charity of its choice.

Duke has chosen the Duke Cancer Institute. For N.C. State, it's the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. And at Carolina, it's the UNC Build a Block Project.