Michigan students, fans confident ahead of NCAA title game
· Yahoo Sports
The big game wasn’t over yet, but fans at The Garage Bar in Ann Arbor night were already chanting “It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine.”
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After Michigan basketball's 91-73 victory over Arizona on Saturday, April 4, hundreds of fans at nearby bars poured into the intersection of South University Avenue and Church Street to celebrate.
Among the crowd was U-M senior Sam Michaels. She said she was a student when Michigan brought home the College Football Playoff championship in January 2024 and hopes she can get a men’s basketball title for her last semester.
“I feel insane. I grew up an Arizona State fan, so beating Arizona, too? Insanity. Double win,” she said. “This was either going to be the best day of my life or the worst day of my life, and obviously it’s the best day of my life because we’re the best university in the world and the best team in the world and we’re going to win that natty.”
Riley Kennedy, 22, of Stockbridge, about 30 miles northwest of Ann Arbor, is a lifelong U-M fan and football season ticket holder who came to campus to watch the game with friends.
“This is awesome. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was worth every penny,” he said, reflecting after the game. “Watch Monday, and we’re going to win the national championship. Go Blue!”
U-M seniors Aanya Bhatia, Nisha Ray and Hayden de Beer watched from a table at Garage Bar. Ahead of the game, they said they have been watching the Wolverines together since they were freshmen.
“Being here for the past four years, falling in love with the school, and the people, it’s just an amazing place to grow alongside my best friends,” de Beer said. “I literally couldn't ask for anything more.”
Along with Garage Bar, places such as Good Time Charley’s, Rick’s American Cafe, Brown Jug and Scorekeepers began to fill up hours before the game, sometimes with lines wrapped around the buildings.
“I'm sure you saw the lines from all the bars. You can see how much all of us just want to watch it together,” Ray said. “It just goes to show just how much everyone's able to create a great community.”
Bhatia said game days are the best days to be on campus.
“There’s never a time where I feel more happy to go to this school than when it’s a game day because the energy is always so big,” Bhatia said. “Everyone's so proud to go here.”
U-M seniors Yoav Konstantino and Rob McKee said they got to Garage Bar at 1:30 p.m., more than seven hours before tip off. They saw the football team win the CFP when they were sophomores and said they’d love to see the men’s basketball team win a championship to end their time at the university.
“It’s competitive to get into these bars because everyone wants it so badly,” McKee said. “The sports culture here is unreal … Obviously we love our football team, but I’ve been following this tournament so closely. I know every player on this team. This (national championship) would mean absolutely everything.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan students fans confident ahead of NCAA title game