KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Another year, another Big 12 tournament in the books, and it did not disappoint as college basketball fans from around the country named Kansas City their home for the weekend.
Five days and 15 games later, the red carpet was rolled out for the best college basketball conference in the country. Having only been in the Big 12 for three years, this tournament has turned into a tradition for one Houston fan.
“Kansas City is phenomenal, and actually, it’s a wonderful break from Las Vegas; it’s a much more middle America, heart of America, wonderful time. It’s kind of like being a kid at a spring festival,” Matthew Forestierr said.
As for Arizona, this is only their second year in the Big 12. While not as many of their fans showed out compared to other schools, one Bearcat says just wait until next year
“Everybody has been extremely friendly, and rivalry, you know, all the banter that goes with good competition,” Mario Zappia said. “As far as Arizona fans, now that we know it’s here, this is our second year, we’ll start coming in force.”
The Big 12 tournament is contracted in Kansas City at T-Mobile Center through 2031. One Iowa State fan tells FOX4 that it should stay here because no place does it better than Kansas City.
“It’s got to stay in Kansas City,” Jeff Saunders said. “You can’t go anywhere else, this is the heart of basketball, started in Kansas, you’ve got to keep it here. It’s just basketball country, I can’t see it going anywhere else.”
As the day turned to night, the party at Power and Light didn’t stop. With the players done taking the court, grammy award winner DJ Khaled took to the stage.
“DJ Khaled, is like, I’m his biggest fan,” Jayla Smith said. “Like for real, I’m his biggest fan, I’ve known him forever. He’s my favorite, he’s amazing.”
As for the tournament, Arizona crowned themselves champions of the BIG 12 with a win over Houston.
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