MADISON (WITI) -- The Wisconsin Badgers are in the Final Four for the second consecutive year! It's the first time in school history the Badgers have made back-to-back Final Four appearances. They'll take on the Kentucky Wildcats next Saturday evening, March 4th -- the same team they fell to by one point in the Final Four last year. Badgers merchandise is flying off the shelves ahead of next Saturday evening's matchup in Indianapolis.
At noon Sunday, March 29th, a handful of eager Badgers fans filed into the University Bookstore to get their hands on freshly-printed Final Four gear.
"We bought a big bag full of shirts yesterday and we had to come back today for more -- for the fresh stuff!" a Badgers fan said.
The store opened at noon, but employees got in early to set up and prepare for a big crowd of customers.
"The merchandise got here about 7:45. We got here at 8:00 and started putting it out right away. We split it up between all of our stores, so all of them have it today ready to go. I'm hoping that it's sold out, because then it means we're really busy, but no we're getting more every day, and we'll have more stuff later in the week as well," University Bookstore Clothing Lead Stephanie Blaser said.
As they were stocking up on the new merchandise, fans said they're proud to be rooting for the Badgers in a back-to-back Final Four appearance.
" I'm very happy for the team. Very proud that they are playing for Wisconsin and it's just great to be a fan," a Badgers fan said.
"I feel like I know them. I wanna just hug those guys, and they were so nice and it was just so nice to watch them cutting that net down yet again," a Badgers fan said.
And as loyal Badgers fans, they're hoping for another big win.