A crowd gathered Wednesday outside of Viejas Arena at San Diego State University to send the Aztecs off to compete in the Final Four.
“I am so excited, you cannot even believe it,” Sabrina Soto, an SDSU student and native San Diegan, told NBC 7. “I’ve been waiting for this for so long. Every year I’m like, 'We’re going to get the Elite Eight. We’re going to the Final Four.' So it’s just like a dream come true. I can’t believe it.”
Head Coach Brian Dutcher was one of the first people to greet the crowd on the way to the buses. He took a few minutes to thank supporters by shaking hands. He also smiled for a few photos, and signed a young fan’s basketball.
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The rest of the team followed shortly after. They made similar rounds before loading into their respective bus and heading to the airport to catch their flight to Houston.
Bryce Garrad is an SDSU student and big Aztec fan who was at their Elite Eight game in Kentucky. He plans to follow them to Texas this week in his signature red and black wig to lead the student cheering section.
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“This team right now will be a team of legend forever, and no matter how many games you win — zero, one or two — there will be a banner in the rafters of Viejas Arena that will show the accomplishments of the season,” Garrad said. “San Diego loves you, win or lose, whatever happens.”
The team's next match-up is against Florida Atlantic University on Saturday. Tipoff is at 3:09 p.m.
Viejas Arena is hosting a watch party for fans at home who want to get together to cheer on the team. According to SDSU's website, the event is open to the public; no tickets are required to enter. Doors will open at 2 p.m.
