TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Hundreds of Arizona Wildcats fans gathered at McKale Memorial Center to welcome the basketball team home from Indianapolis after their Final Four run ended.
The Wildcats lost their first Final Four match up in 25 years to the Michigan Wolverines 91-73 Saturday night. Despite the loss, fans greeted the team with signs, love, and cheers to show their support.
"I'm just happy," Finn Allie said.
Many young fans told me they are happy with the season despite the disappointing result. Joseph Marin, 12, is a die hard Wildcat fan who even got a haircut with the team's logo on the back of his head before the match up against Michigan.
"People thought we wouldn't make it this far and well we made it to go play Michigan," Marin said.
"It was a dream come true, even though they did lose to Michigan it was great to see them back in the Final Four," Marin said.
"It was a dream come true making it to the Final Four," Jaemis Gavan said.
"It was really cool and you don't see them cook that much and it's been a long time since they've been in the Final Four," Allie said.
The team does have some positives to look at. Head Coach Tommy Lloyd was named the 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year, becoming the first Arizona head coach to achieve the honor.
Lloyd led his team to the most wins in school history with 36, beating the school's previous record of 35 set in 1988. He also signed a contract extension until 2031.
"One Final Four, why not go five times in 10 years I mean that's where my mind is at," Lloyd said.
"I was a little nervous there but I'm glad he's staying," Jadyn Mesa said.
"Thank God he didn't go to UNC," Alfred Mesa said.
The fans and the team now look forward to next season with high hopes of returning to the Final Four.
"Bear down, we've had a heck of season and we'll do it again," Marin 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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Marc Monroy joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist after moving from KGUN 9’s sister station, KXXV, in Waco, Texas. He graduated from California State University, Northridge, in 2024 with a degree in journalism. A native of Southern California and a bilingual reporter, Marc is excited to serve Southern Arizona and looks forward to connecting with neighbors in the community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marc by emailing marc.monroy@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
