Arizona fans celebrate first Elite 8 since 2015 | Arizona Wildcats

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – University of Arizona men’s basketball fans are celebrating tonight as the team is now one game away from the Final Four after defeating Arkansas in the Sweet 16.

Fans packed watch parties on University Boulevard to cheer on the Wildcats, including at Gentle Ben’s. Their the energy was high from tip-off to the final buzzer as Arizona dominated the Razorbacks.

Fans had mixed feelings about the Wildcats’ chances going into the game. Some students were confident Arizona would win.

“Not worried, not worried. We lost what two games this year? Went to most of them, smoked pretty much every team we came across, all the good ones, we’re not worried, just confident,” Caden Bejong, a U of A senior, told News 4 Tucson.

Others took a more cautious approach.

“We shall see, they always like do something odd during the round of 16. So I want to knock on everything right now, don’t want to jinx them,” Alex Sinclair, a U of A senior, said.

A strong start by the U of A gave fans plenty to cheer about early. The Wildcats took a 54-43 lead into halftime and did not let up in the final 20 minutes. The dominating performance left little doubt about the 109-88 outcome.

“I feel like the last few games have been a little bit closer. Towards the end of this game I knew it was over. There was 10 minutes left, but we all knew it was over,” Nicholas Quint, a U of A senior, said. “But it was good to watch the rest of it. They kept playing hard, and I expect to see them go crazy the next game.”

The dominating victory has some fans bullish that the Wildcats may be headed for championship glory.

“Bear Down baby, championship! Let’s go win that championship, let’s go win that championship! 1997 is going down baby. 2026 here we come, national championships,” Eri Coronado, a U of A alumnus, told News 4 Tucson.

Before the Wildcats even think about a national title they’ll have to take down Purdue on Saturday. A win would send the Wildcats to the Final Four for the first time in more than 20 years.