Fans flood Koch Arena to watch Mass Street take on Florida TNT in the TBT

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is happening in Wichita, and fans flooded into Koch Arena at Wichita State University to see their favorite returning alumni from KU and Wichita State.

The University of Kansas’ “Mass Street” took on Florida State University’s “Florida TNT” on Monday.

“I’m excited to see the crowd get into it, I want to see a close game and everybody have fun,” said Harper Jonas, a Mass Street fan.

Students, alumni, and fans rallied support with excitement about having a KU game in Wichita.

“We don’t have to drive two and a half hours to see our favorite team, so it’s awesome,” said April Zoglmann, a KU alumnus.

Watching alumni hit the hardwood again takes fans back to the first time they watched their favorite players dominate.

“I grew up watching these players all my life, so it’ll be great to see … I think it’s going to be surreal, and it’s a great experience to get to see where they’re at in their lives and look up to them even more,” said Trace Fowler, a KU freshman.

One alumnus in particular stuck out.

“Frank Mason III,” said Jonas.

“We get to watch Frank Mason,” said Brittany Haribson, a KU alumnus.

“Frank Mason and Lagerald Vick. All the guys, it’s really good to see them together,” said another Mass Street fan.

The former Jayhawk won the 2016-17 Naismith Trophy, given to the best college basketball player in the nation. The Sacramento Kings drafted him 34th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, and he went on to play several seasons in the NBA.

Fans rooting for KU have their sights set on what’s next.

“I hope we win. I hope we win big so we can play WSU on Wednesday night ,” said Harbson and Zoglmann.

This year, 64 teams are battling it out across eight regions. At the end of the month, the winner of the Wichita Regional will face the winner of the Houston Regional in the quarterfinals. Shortly after, the semifinals and $1 million winner-take-all championship game will be held on Aug. 2 and Aug. 4 in Philadelphia.

Mass Street reached the Regional Final after winning Monday night 76-59.

Meanwhile, the Aftershocks, largely made up of former Wichita State players, lost 79-74 to Team Colorado.

Mass Street will play Team Colorado on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Charles Koch Arena.

To learn more about the TBT, including their upcoming schedule, click here.

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