Kansas City, Mo ? Kurt Marozas had never attended an NCAA Tournament basketball game before Friday, but the 1992 Kansas University graduate and Olathe resident will never forget his first postseason experience.
Marozas arrived ticketless at 10 a.m. at the Fan Fest tent adjacent to Kemper Arena. Seven hours and 10 beers later, a victory in a pep rally push-up contest had Marozas and a friend walking into Kemper with third-row tickets. They’re the best seats he’s had since sitting in the Allen Fieldhouse student section 12 years ago.
“This will be awesome … unbelievable,” he gushed before KU’s 78-53 first-round victory over Illinois-Chicago. “Now I’ve got to call my mother-in-law because she’s watching my kids. I have to make sure she can watch them for the rest of the night.”
Lower-level tickets were selling for $125 apiece, so Marozas said he could save his money for tickets to the game Sunday or possibly the Sweet 16 next weekend in St. Louis if KU makes it that far.
As for the Jayhawks’ chances, Marozas is optimistic.
“I think they’ll get through this weekend and I hope they can upset Kentucky (in the Sweet 16),” he said. “If they upset Kentucky, I think they can go all the way.”
Most KU fans were just happy to see the Jayhawks play in Kansas City.
“We got our tickets a year ago hoping KU would play here,” said Trent Guyer, a 2001 KU grad from Moundridge who attended the game with wife Cathy, a 2002 Kansas graduate. “When we heard Sunday that KU made it here we were even more excited because we knew we’d see a team we really care about.”
Added Cathy: “We just kept saying ‘We get to see KU on Friday!'”
More than 2,000 crimson-and-blue-clad KU fans flocked to the Fan Fest tent, the tournament’s premier preparty destination. They slurped Boulevard beer, listened to live sports talk radio and scarfed down mountains of beef and baked beans from the Golden Ox while savoring the 70-degree weather.
Mike Lowe, a 1988 KU graduate, said the scene Friday was identical to the last time he partied outside Kemper. He and his wife, Lisa, engaged in similar celebrations 16 years ago when the Jayhawks beat Oklahoma, 83-79, in the 1988 title game.
“It was just a magical ride,” recalled Lowe, who lives in Overland Park. “They weren’t supposed to be there, they were a severe underdog and they just kept walking the ladder.
“It feels like the same kind of atmosphere at this place. Obviously this is just the first step, but it’s pretty cool.”
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