BUFFALO, N.Y. -- For Buffalo, playing host to the NCAA Tournament came with busy streets, lots of visiting basketball fans and a starring role in Uber's latest ad campaign.

"The biggest surprise isn't going to be a 16 seed knocking off a 1, it's finding out you can't use Uber to get to the game," is part of the message read by the commercial’s narrator.

"I've traveled the country, and it's a joke that Buffalo doesn't have Uber or Lyft," said John Krajewski, of Cleveland.

For some fans, it was a major foul.

"We were trying to Uber on our way down, and we couldn't get one," said Spenser Mathieson, from Toronto.

"Morgantown is a relatively small town, and we have it in Morgantown," said Morgantown, WV, resident Jim Bolyard.

"It was definitely surprising -- I didn't know that coming in," said James Morse, who lives in Boston.

Those sentiments echo another quip from the commercial’s narrator: "Yeah, we're kind of surprised about that, too.”

The “#Ubermadness" ad points out Buffalo is the largest city in the country without ride-hailing and urges viewers to tell state lawmakers they want that to change.

But while an Uber driver pulling up to the curb would be a welcome sight for many fans, there are some who have criticized the company's focus on Buffalo.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz retweeted an article from The Public that discusses the ad, saying Uber should work on public relations and other issues before it "berates our city because it won't agree to NYC rules."

An Uber spokesperson says that wasn't the intent.

"People in Buffalo are well aware of this. People who get there are going to open their app and think, you know, maybe it's something the local government's doing,” said Josh Gold, Uber’s NY policy director. “But we want people to know...it's really about Albany."

While most people we spoke with said ride-hailing would be a convenience, some say they're also getting around town just fine.

"It's not too bad. I think the distances aren't that far, so it's been OK," said John Cook, who’s from Chicago and uses Uber regularly.

But for others, the lack of rides-hailing was more of a hassle.

"It's definitely not something that would bring me back, to be honest," said Morse.

Gold says there have been proposals from the governor, senate and assembly aimed at bringing ride sharing upstate. He says making it a reality is a matter of hashing out differences among those groups.