Texas Tech and Virginia fans bask in semifinal wins, explore Minneapolis on off day
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - It's an off day for Texas Tech and Virginia's basketball teams as they prepare for tomorrow's National Championship game, but fans aren't taking the day off in Minneapolis.
Virginia fans were able to take a deep breath Sunday after a nail biter semifinal game Saturday night.
Fans of the Cavaliers were not hard to find downtown Minneapolis the day after the tense game, but now they are setting their sights on the National Championship.
Fans told FOX 9 they are still processing what happened and how their team got to the game.
Auburn roared back after Virginia led early in the game, but the Cavaliers hit three free throws in the final second of the game to advance.
Now, the blue and orange are showing confidence as they prepare for Texas Tech, who pulled off an upset over Michigan State Saturday night.
“It feels great,” said Brooks Mears, a UVA fan in town for the Final Four. “It would have been a different trip had we lost and not looking forward to tomorrow for sure.”
“I just never imagined I would get here,” added Katherine Fletcher, another UVA fan. “It doesn’t feel like it’s happening.”
Texas Tech’s team hotel is just about three blocks from UVA’s, so there are a lot of Red Raiders fans walking around. With the two fan bases interacting throughout the day, there could be a rivalry budding here in Minneapolis.
While the Texas Tech team is resting up for the night after a day of practice, the Texas Tech fans are not. Instead, they continue to bask in last night’s win.
“I can’t even put it into words being a loyal Tech fan, diehard,” said Zachary Salinas. “It’s just a great feeling to be able to just enjoy the ride and take it all in.”
There are thousands of Texas Tech fans already in Minneapolis and more are expected to come in for the National Championship game tomorrow night.
Flights are sold out, so many Red Raider fans are driving north to make the trip happen.
The fans celebrated in a big way last night. They are keeping bars and restaurants busy around Minneapolis and today, they’ve been out enjoying Minneapolis with many trips to the Mall of America.