SAN DIEGO — The party started early Friday morning under cloudy skies in the heart of “America’s Finest City.”
Arizona Wildcats fans packed the lobby, entranceway and sidewalk of downtown’s Manchester Grand Hyatt to get a glimpse of the top team in the West Region before coach Sean Miller and crew made their way to Viejas Arena for their first-round game against Weber State.
The Arizona pep band brought 29 members from Tucson to entertain fans, and a full squad of cheerleaders was on hand to help pump up the UA faithful.
“I’m not surprised at all to see so many Arizona fans out here supporting the team,” said Jared Lowy, president of the San Diego BeachCats, the local chapter of the Arizona Alumni Association. “We’ve had it on our radar for a while that Arizona would be coming here for the tournament, and we knew it would be a big deal with so many graduates out here.”
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Inside the hotel before 9 a.m., fans gathered inside Redfield’s Sports Bar for bloody marys and mimosas.
Lute Olson, wearing a red sweater vest and white dress shirt, made his way through the lobby with his wife to loud cheers.
And SOPHOS, a co-ed group of 28 sophomore students at the UA, led fans in a rendition of “Bear Down, Arizona.”
SOPHOS is an honorary group that stresses work in philanthropic events, school spirit, tradition and campus involvement. The group plans a spring-break trip every year, and this year they decided on San Diego.
Even though they couldn’t score tickets to No. 1 Arizona’s 68-59 win over No. 16 Weber State on Thursday, they were at the team hotel bright and early to help with the revelry.
“I think we all wish we could have gotten tickets to the game, but this is the next best thing,” said SOPHOS member Christian Gray. “It’s fun to be near these guys and provide any support we can.”
The pregame celebration eventually made its way outside, where fans lined up to cheer on the Wildcats as they made their way to the team bus.
Once Miller and his team took off, the real fun started.
During a brief break between songs for the UA band, a double-decker bus carrying Virginia Commonwealth’s band and cheerleaders pulled up across the street and started playing the Rams’ fight song. Though not in Arizona’s region, No. 5 VCU was in town to face No. 12 Stephen F. Austin in a South Region game, losing Friday night 77-75 in overtime.
Once the Rams’ band starting rocking, the Arizona musicians responded, and the two went back and forth. The VCU band eventually made its way off the bus, and the two engaged in a sort of playing competition.
The Arizona fans backed their band, though no winner was declared.
That clearly wasn’t the case inside Viejas Arena, where the Wildcats took care of business against Weber State. As expected, the UA boasted a de facto homecourt advantage at the neutral site.
Arizona fans filled most of the arena, taking up the entire section behind the Wildcats’ bench and most of the others.
One of the fans on the UA’s side was Leonard Santa Cruz, who saw his first Arizona game in person in 1976, and has made it to most home games since. While he was going to Cholla High School, he used to ride his bike over to McKale Center to watch the Wildcats’ future home be built.
A Raytheon employee, Santa Cruz is hoping to get some more time off next weekend should the Wildcats advance to Anaheim, Calif., for the Sweet 16.
Also at Friday’s game was Brad Rankin and his three children, Haelyn, Jaden and Ashlyn. The four traveled from Portland, Ore., to take in the contest.
Rankin graduated from the UA, and was able to make it to the first weekend of the tournament.
There were also some well-known sports personalities among the 11,196 fans in attendance. Former UA players Jason Terry and Miles Simon were on hand, as was former NBA All-Star Chris Mullin.
Salpointe Catholic High School and UA graduate Alex Flanigan, currently a sideline reporter for NBC, wore cardinal and navy to show support for her alma mater.
