By Kayla Pickrell

Fans rushed University Plaza in excitement when the Cats won the Final Four game against Louisville, leading UK to the national championship game Monday.

Mere seconds after the game, fans erupted the intersection of Euclid and Woodland avenues waving American and UK flags in unison.

“This is what we waited for for the last four years,” said Rachel Hensley, a political science and Spanish senior. “There is no way the Cats will not win the national Championship.”

Within minutes, chants of “Go Big Blue” belted from the mouths of 2,000 students strong.

Fireworks and beer bottles were flying.

“What other school has fireworks for a game like this?” Larissa Caton, an international studies freshman, said after a series of fireworks went off. “This is absolutely insane.”

Police lined the sidewalks of the plaza while fans continued to celebrate the Cats’ victory.

Not one Louisville fan was outwardly spotted in the crowd.

“I grew up in Louisville, and this is what I came here for,” Jenny Zimmerman, a kinesiology freshman, said. “Right here is where I want to be.”

Fans printed off blown up heads of men’s basketball players that floated above the crowd.

“Cat City,” a UK remix of Tyga’s “Rack City” played while fans sang along and crowd surfed.

“We sprinted here from the dorms, we could only expect the most from UK fans,” Alison Stavola, an equine science freshman, said. “This is more than I expected now that I am here.”