Sea of red inside Lucas Oil Stadium as Badgers get ready to battle Duke for the title!

INDIANAPOLIS (WITI) -- The Wisconsin Badgers faced the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament's championship game, with tip-off set for about 8:15 p.m. Monday, April 6th, and it was a sea of red inside Lucas Oil Stadium as tip-off approached Monday evening, and the atmosphere was electric!

The Badgers were hoping to win their first national championship in 74 years! The last time they accomplished this feat? 1941!

Badgers fans here at home hoped for a big party on State Street following a Badgers victory over Duke -- and hundreds of Madison police officers were prepared to keep folks safe.

Ahead of the big game, Badgers fans gathered for a pep rally in Indy!

The Badgers posted pep rally details on their website -- UWBadgers.com.

Wisconsin Athletics, in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Alumni Association hosted the "National Championship Game Tailgate and Pep Rally" on Monday, April 6th, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (ET) in advance of Wisconsin's matchup with Duke.

The UW Band and UW Spirit Squad performed at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

The event was held in Exhibit Hall C of the Indiana Convention Center.

Ultimately, though it was a hard-fought battle, the Badgers fell to the Duke Blue Devils 68-63.