Huge "welcome home" celebration for Badgers in Madison on Sunday


MADISON (WITI) -- There was a huge crowd at the Kohl Center in Madison on Sunday, March 30th to welcome the Wisconsin Badgers home. This, after the Badgers defeated the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday night to advance to the NCAA Tournament's Final Four. The Badgers are 2014 West Regional Champions.

This is just the second time in school history the Badgers are headed to the Final Four!

The team arrived at the Kohl Center around 4:00 p.m. Sunday -- and a pep rally followed, with head coach Bo Ryan and players addressing the crowd.

On hand was the trophy received in Anaheim -- with a souvenir net from the game draped over it.

The Badgers defeated Arizona on Saturday 64-63.

"Happy as can be -- dream of a lifetime!" a Badgers fan said.

"Man, this is crazy! Thank you everyone for coming out and supporting us. I heard things are bigger in Texas. Hopefully we'll get a bigger trophy," Badgers Center Frank Kaminsky said.

"The biggest thing we were talking about through this journey is that it's amazing what you can accomplish when you're not worried about who gets the credit," Badgers Head Coach Bo Ryan said.

Coach Ryan thanked his players and coaches over and over again -- but the big focus was on the fans.

"We hope to see you down in Texas," Badgers guard Traevon Jackson told fans in Madison.

The Badgers are leaning on a phrase that has become their slogan this season as they look forward to Texas.

"Our slogan is 'why not us?' Why can't we finish things up? Why can't we win two more games?" Badgers guard Josh Gasser said.

"Just making it to the Final Four makes anything a victory, but I have a feeling -- have a good feeling we're going to win," a Badgers fan said.

FOX6′s Tom Pipines is headed to Texas to cover the Badgers run in the Final Four. Look for his reports on FOX6 starting Thursday!