Blissful Kansas Jayhawks fans pack Allen Fieldhouse, Mass Street as KU makes title game
Beer cans and blue-and-red flags flew through the air as fans flooded Massachusetts Street to celebrate the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team’s 81-65 victory over Villanova in Saturday’s national semifinals at the Final Four in New Orleans.
KU will meet North Carolina, which beat Duke 81-77, in Monday’s championship game of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at the Caesars Superdome.
With 35 seconds left on the clock and KU closing in on the win, the cheers increased. Some were in disbelief; others jumped on tables and pumped their fists outside of Louise’s Downtown on 10th and Mass.
The bar’s blue awning shook as the clock dwindled to its final seconds, screams of joy erupting up and down the block through the final buzzer.
“I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” yelled one man as he hunched over and beat his stomach, turning it a shade of red that matched some of the Jayhawks jerseys parading through the street. He was met with high-fives and chest-bumps before disappearing into a wave of KU fans and cigar smoke.
Beer cans crackled and crunched beneath the happy herd’s feet. Some of the discarded containers accumulated along the curb, causing a few revelers to trip — although they appeared too thrilled to notice.
“We’re the champions!” a fan yelled as he tripped over the pile.
Earlier Saturday afternoon, a sea of red and blue swarmed by the hundreds into Allen Fieldhouse, where the school set up a giant watch party for the Final Four game.
Fans hurried through the concession stands, grabbing their last bags of popcorn as they waited to see whether this year’s national semifinal round would lead to the Jayhawks’ first title-game appearance since 2012.
A 26-year-old KU graduate student, Kyle Gossman, said he couldn’t count the number of times he’d entered “The Phog” to watch the Jayhawks.
Before the game, he grinned thinking about the team’s chances against Villanova, a No. 2 seed.
“We’re much better than them right now, its just a matter of if we play like it” he said.
Gossman brought along three KU classmates who were first-timers at the arena.
“They’re all a bit overwhelmed, but I’m really excited for them to see me in my element” he said.
Also in their element, Megan Borth walked close behind her father, Tracie Borth, as they made their way to their seats.
The Borth family planned the hour-and-a-half-long trek from Manhattan to KU a week in advance as part of a 13th birthday celebration for Megan Borth.
“I grew up watching the Jayhawks,” Megan Borth said.
“She kind of had to,” Tracie Borth said, nudging his daughter.
Wesley Slifer, 25, of Pomona remembered going to Mass Street to cheer on the team with his family when he was about 11.
“It was wild,” he said. “KU has the best fan base. Its just a massive amount of people.”
Slifer said Saturday’s game prompted reflection about that moment in 2008 when the Jayhawks won their first national championship under head coach Bill Self, defeating a John Calipari-led Memphis team.
“Now I’m taking my own family,” he said, as his wife waited for him in the stands.
Within the first 15 seconds of Saturday’s game, KU senior Ochai Agabji, the team’s NBA-bound star from Kansas City, knocked down a three-pointer — his first of four threes in the game’s opening half.
Fans cheered and banged against the blue and red bleachers as the Jayhawks stretched their lead to 19 points before halftime.
This story was originally published April 2, 2022 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Blissful Kansas Jayhawks fans pack Allen Fieldhouse, Mass Street as KU makes title game."
