INDIANAPOLIS – The 2026 Final Four game for the NCAA championship has attracted super fans and students from across the country to Indianapolis to see their respective schools win or lose it all.
Men’s Final Four Fest, March Madness Music Festival and the Tip-Off tailgate on Georgia Street attracted fans to celebrate before and after the semifinal games.
Some alumni and students of the various teams, like University of Arizona fans, have traveled long hours alongside the team throughout the entire season, leading up to the end of the road.
“It’s Wildcat basketball, I think it speaks for itself.” Derek Teigen, a 2006 UA alum, said while outside the Tip-Off tailgate with his dog, Toby, and his dad, Dan Wellner. Teigen traveled from San Francisco to San Jose, Calif., and then to Indianapolis to watch the Wildcats play in the Final Four for the first time in 25 years.
A sea of orange filled the arena when it came time for the University of Connecticut and the University of Illinois to compete in the Final Four. With a quick two and a half hour drive from campus, many U of I fans showed up to Indianapolis to watch their team play. While the crowds were arguably split in half, the bright orange was hard to miss. However, the ending score of 62-71 left fans disappointed.
“I thought Illinois had a good chance to win, but they couldn’t hit their shots, and just didn’t show up when they needed to.” John Treshansky, an Illinois fan, said shortly after the game.
Although Illinois was projected to win, UConn pulled off a victory and clinched a spot in the national championship game. Fans and a very loud student section celebrated with them after the win.
“Its just absolutely amazing, the trip here has been great,” Mark Zidinsky, a UConn superfan, said waiting in the arena lobby post-game on Saturday night. Zidinsky wanted Michigan to win the matchup against the Wildcats, but was confident that his team could take on both teams for the national championship.
UConn students and fans alike had a long but doable 13 and a half hour drive to the Lucas Oil Stadium.
Michigan’s student section was completely full in the matchup with Arizona Saturday night, with school alumni and younger generations making the trip to Indianapolis to see the game. Brandon Portnoy, a student at the University of Michigan, expresses his excitement for the team and his dedication as a fan.
“I traveled to multiple games throughout the season because it’s a really special team this year so it’s been awesome to see all the different games,” Portnoy said. He described the trip as easy and quick, as UM is only a four-hour drive from Indianapolis.
Wildcats by far had the longest journey out of all four teams, with a flight from Tucson to Indianapolis averaging 5 hours and 41 minutes while a car ride lasts over 24 hours.
Even with the loss at a chance of a championship title however, Arizona fans don’t regret making the journey and paying for expenses in order to support their team in person.
“You know what? I think we went out there and we played our game. We played hard.” Annalise Mobley, a Wildcat fan said. Mobley and her siblings took the journey from their respective cities to see the Wildcats play in the Final Four. Mobley even noted that one sister went to six different airports in order to show up for the big game.
“And we do it again every time for the Wildcats.” Mobley said. She had landed in Indianapolis Saturday, April 4, at 2 a.m. and planned on making the same turn around for post game-day.
The UA student section had some support from home, with Zona Zoo Crew traveling with the team to cheer them on.
With flights and drives to make it to Indianapolis, Bailee Irwin, a Zona Zoo Crew member, described the experience as chaotic but fun.
“The flights were a little rough with delays and whatnot. But overall, it was just a great experience to be together.” she said. 8 people from the crew stayed in an airbnb together, and many of them were on the same flights.
With one of the crew’s main jobs being to hype the student crowd, Irwin and the rest of the team came to Indianapolis with the intent of doing just that.
“We knew all the band’s cheers, trying to stay with what they were doing, get the crowd a little loud. It was tough towards the end, but we were trying our best,” Irwin said.
Irwin pointed out that the Wildcat fans began to fall flat midway through the game because of Michigan’s lead.
“In the end, it was really difficult. We were trying, but all of us were also fighting to stay loud as well, just watching our team get pretty much beaten on all sides” Irwin said.
She also emphasized that there was a difference in hyping up the students and all the other fans that traveled to Indianapolis.
“I think there is a difference, but at the same time, we’re all rooting for the same team. So just trying to bridge the gap between different generations,” she said.
Most fans, no matter how far they travel, would do it all again for their team.
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