TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The first round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament tips off Thursday, with Arizona playing its first game on Friday.
Arizona earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region. This is the eighth time the team has been a No. 1 seed in the tournament.
"They definitely look a lot stronger this year,” said Oscar Salinas, who is a lifelong fan. “I definitely think they can go the whole way.”
Tucsonan Lee Johnson had to stop by campus to get a new jersey for the occasion.
"They were doing good, they lost two games in a row – I was glad they lost the games so they know how it feels to lose a game, so then now they can take it all the way," Johnson said.
The first team that can put an end to Arizona's historic season will be Long Island University.
"Hopefully they don’t have the hiccup, that first round hiccup," Johnson said.
Even for someone who is not a basketball fan, like U of A student Raelynn Salazar, she says the energy from fans is infectious. She says a deep run by the Wildcats could make her get more into it.
"I definitely would probably follow up with more games, because of it. I think a lot more people would be interested in it, too," Salazar said.
As for the fans who spoke to KGUN 9, they remain very hopeful this could be their year.
"We’ve been waiting for a championship for a long time. I think this is it," Salinas said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
