Arizona fans rally behind Cats as NCAA Tournament comes to McKale Center

Almost two full hours before the Wildcats tipped off Saturday night, a good-sized crowd had already formed outside McKale Center.

They weren’t waiting to get inside. Fans had already been let in for the 4:30 p.m. UNC-Stephen F. Austin matchup.

Most of the crowd was gathered around Sam Thomas’ merchandise table, which looked picture-perfect sitting in front of a giant inflatable NCAA March Madness bracket.

Thomas’ family stood quietly in the background, decked out in split University of Arizona and UNLV shirts, watching proudly as eager fans made their purchases, excited to be both appropriately dressed and supporting Thomas as she took on her sister in the Wildcats’ first round NCAA Tournament appearance.

Longtime basketball player and fan Teresa Dodson arrived at McKale early Saturday, lining up before 3 p.m. to catch the first game of the day.

Dodson moved to Tucson in 2015, but didn’t attend her first Wildcats women’s game until they started hosted the WNIT in 2019.

“I went to all those games and I realized they were going to be really good, so I became a season ticket holder,” Dodson said. “I’ve been a season ticket holder ever since.”

Dodson was in Las Vegas for the Wildcats’ Pac-12 Tournament appearance earlier this month, and like every other fan, was a bit disappointed they didn’t make it further.

“But that’s how it works,” she said.

Dodson stayed through the whole tournament, all the way to the end of the championship game, and was thrilled when it was announced that the Wildcats would be hosting the first and second rounds.

“I’m excited about today. I think they’ve been able to regroup. Cate (Reese) is back. Lauren (Ware) is back playing like she’s able to,” she said. “They feed off everybody when they’ve got a good thing going.”

A lifelong fan of basketball, Dodson played her whole life until she couldn’t anymore. After stints playing in high school, on various teams during her time in the Army and for team in Germany while stationed overseas, she decided to give college basketball a shot.

“Growing up I was one of the tallest on my team, and I could jump. I always played center or forward until I tried to play college ball and the coach told me I was too short and would have to play guard,” said Dodson, who stands 5’8” tall. “I’d never been a guard in my life, so that was the end.”

But she still takes in as much basketball as time will allow, and while she won’t be able to physically follow the Wildcats if they advance past the second round, due to work, she’ll be following along from her TV at home.

“I just like to watch ball,” Dodson said.

On Saturday night, Dodson had company.

The Wildcats were met with cheers from above as they made their way from their bus to the team entrance alongside McKale’s northeast side, with fans that had perhaps hoped for a pre-game glimpse of the team giving them a standing ovation from the arena’s upper-level, open-air patio.

The A-Store outside McKale Center was bustling, as sales clerks with bright red hair helped customers find the perfect size, style or souvenir to mark the occasion.

Fans snapped up jerseys featuring Lauren Ware, Cate Reese and Sam Thomas, priced at a cool $100.

The crowd only got bigger and as the first game drew to a close and with 45 minutes left before the UA took the court, fans took time to celebrate the milestone, taking pregame selfies and complimenting one other on their fashionable attire, which included red and blue sequined shoes, custom jewelry and accessories, and just about every basketball-related t-shirt the UA has sanctioned in the past decade.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Most fans had gotten the “wear red” memo, and for that last 30 minutes before tipoff, a steady sea of red descended upon McKale from all sides. Athletic department officials later announced an official attendance of just more than 9,500.

Inside McKale, as the Tar Heels wrapped up their victory over the Lumberjacks, dedicated UA fans watched closely, hoping for some insight into how the Wildcats could fare in during a second round matchup.

About halfway up the stands and a far cry away from their regular season seats across from the visitor’s bench, superfans Regina Wills, Gloria MacDonald, Elisa Almazan and friends checked their phones for pre-game coverage and sized up the competition.

Wills has been coming to games since coach Adia Barnes was a player, catching her first Wildcats game during Barnes’ sophomore year. Wills was in the stands when the UA hosted the tournament the first time, 24 years ago, so it was only fitting that she’d be back for their second opportunity to host.

“I’m really excited, I just feel that we’re going to go on and on and on,” Wills said. “I’m so excited for the girls, because I’ve been here when they’ve had like 50 people in the stands and now we have thousands, which is just awesome.”

Wills and her friends have been sitting together over in section 16 for years, after meeting through work and hobbies and bonding over their mutual love of the Wildcats. Soon enough, they’d become a crew.

“We get to see our girls warm up,” MacDonald — who’s had tickets since 1998 — said of their prime, regular season seats.

MacDonald, an educator for 37 years, appreciates the view she’s had from those seats and how it’s allowed her to really observe the Barnes’ coaching of her players as they come off the bench, along with their responses.

“I see the way they speak to each other. The coaching staff respects the players,” MacDonald said. “It’s a lot better than watching some of the coaches who scream at their players. I like the way Adia and Salvo really talk to them.”

The group has also been attending Barnes’ weekly radio show from its inception and remember when they were the only ones who showed up to listen, with their husbands in tow. They marveled at how things have changed, with Flora’s Market Run becoming the go-to spot on Tuesday evenings for fans of Barnes and her players.

“I love the camaraderie (of this team.) They work together and care for each other and have a love for the sport and each other,” Wills said. “And I love how Adia has brought them together and changed the culture. She’s made them believe that they can win.”

Wills is confident the Wildcats will make it far this year, saying she knows that season-ticket holders who gave up their seats during the teams down years regret the decision.

“Now they’re superb,” she said. “I’m excited to be a part of this crowd. You can really feel the energy when they play.”

By the time 7 p.m. rolled around, hardly an empty seat remained visible McKale, and as the game roared to life and fans rose and fell in their seats in unison like a high-speed version of the wave.

With dueling pep bands, the Lady Rebels and Wildcats competed on all levels Saturday night, but for longtime fan Sue Alexander, the outcome had been decided before the game even began.

As the teams left the court for halftime with the Wildcats leading by two, Alexander was feeling grateful that the team had finally gotten over the hump.

Wills and MacDonald were easily visible across McKale during the game’s second half, with Macdonald’s red, light-up rally stick serving as a beacon every time she and her friends jumped to their feet during the game’s second half.

As the Wildcats clung to a narrow lead which grew into a much larger spread in the game’s final minutes, the red rally stick was nowhere to be seen. MacDonald was on her feet — along with the rest of McKale — hands either restrained at her sides, clutched together in applause or thrown up in the air, depending on the moment.

And as the Wildcats closed out a 72-67 victory over the Lady Rebels, the crowd noise reached fever pitch as fans roared both for the victory and the officiating, which left many — including Dodson — frustrated.

“Seemed like we had two opponents for awhile — the refs and UNLV,” Dodson said after the game. “But we showed them we are a more mature team by being able to overcome everything at the end.”