From The First Day: Just like a perfect dream, I don't ever wanna leave...

**Brow Down, Goggles Up - We Brought Eight Back to Rupp**

2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four

New Orleans, LA

March 31, 2012 - April 2, 2012

The 2011-2012 University of Kentucky basketball season could be summed up in one word....AMAZING! In mid-March I had been lucky enough to see the Wildcats play in Round 3 of March Madness in Louisville (check out my Looking at the crowd entry). If that was the only game I attended for the season, I was going to be happy...although it was constantly at the back of my mind that the Final Four just happened to be during the Spring Break at the school I worked for. UK went on from Round 3 to face Indiana University in the Sweet 16...the same Indiana University that gave UK one of their two losses. I had decided that if Kentucky won in the Sweet 16, I was going to purchase tickets for the Final Four and Championship games down in New Orleans....and hope that they made it through the Elite Eight so I wouldn't have to sell the tickets I had just bought.

Kentucky ended up winning in the Sweet 16 against IU and I hopped on StubHub and found a ticket for the Final Four and Championship games. Unlike my Round 3 games in Louisville, I decided not to take the chance of buying two tickets since I didn't have anyone in mind to make the trip down with me. I was going to be making the trip by myself...as long as they won in the Elite 8 against Baylor. I was going to make sure that everyone I knew was cheering for Kentucky in this game to ensure that they moved onto the Final Four. I was going to be so mad if I had bought the tickets and they ended up not making it. I made sure that I even tweeted Brian to ensure that he was cheering for his Wildcats. To my surprise, he even tweeted me back...my first chirp from Brian Littrell! This might have made me even more excited than the fact that I would be going to the Final Four if Kentucky won. I mean, not only was it a tweet from Brian, but it was a tweet about the University of Kentucky Wildcats...it was my two favorite things in one.

Kentucky ended up going on to beat Baylor...they were making the trip to the Final Four for the second year in a row AND they would be facing one of their biggest rivals...the University of Louisville. It was going to be the Battle of the Bluegrass in New Orleans. I was just so happy to be able to be going to the Final Four, but the fact that they were going to be playing U of L made me even more excited because of the rivalry that these two schools have. The next week of work was going to go by so slow and I desperately needed Spring Break (most people who work in a school setting know this feeling well). The Final Four game was going to be held on the first Saturday of my Spring Break and the Championship game on the Monday.

Flying was going to be out of the question because flights were about $200 each way. I was going to have to make a 16 hour minimum drive down to NOLA by myself. There was no way I was going to be able to spend that much money on this trip. There was also no way I was going to pay $200 a night to stay at a hotel in New Orleans, at least for those hotels that happened to still have room (which was not very many). A hotel an hour outside of the city was booked instead. It was going to be a long drive but I couldn't really take the Friday off before Spring Break because of my work responsibilities so I was going to have to leave striaght from work at 6pm, which would get me to New Orleans at 10am on Saturday at the earliest if I made no stops along the way. We all know that was never going to happen.

Michigan City, IN -> New Orleans, LA

Luckily, I was able to leave work an hour early on Friday but I still didn't get out of the city until 6pm because of a short stop I had to make in order to show that I was a proud member of the Big Blue Nation. My car was ready to go and so was I! My next stop...New Orleans, LA.

Proud Member of the Big Blue Nation - Kentucky Wildcats - Final 4

Go Big Blue!

Nothing really exciting happened on the drive down, which can be a good thing compared to some of my past road trip surprises. I had a whole discography of Backstreet Boys to listen to and I made sure to stop often at every rest stop, since I was getting tired. About half way to New Orleans, I decided that I needed to sleep for a bit before I continued on. While the game was not until the evening, doors opened at 2pm and I wanted to make sure I got there as close to that as possible since I was in a new city and did not know what traffic was going to be like. This meant that I could only sleep for about 3 hours and I wasn't about to get a hotel for that little amount of time. So, once I crossed over into Missouri, I found a rest stop, crawled into the back seat, set my alarm, and slept. With so little sleep, I was going to have to rely on adrenaline and excitement to get me to NOLA. At 5am, I continued my trip and it was at this point that I started running into Final Four traffic, displayed by the flags, magnets, and car decorations. Fellow Wildcat fans honked as we passed one another and I only got flipped off once...by a Kansas fan, go figure (there will be more about that later).

I got to the hotel at about 1pm and got cleaned up quickly (19 hours after having left home the day before). I still had an hour drive to get to the arena and had no idea what traffic was going to be like since I had been told that New Orleans traffic is not much fun. However, I had absolutely no problems getting to the arena. Maybe it was because I was there earlier than most since the first games didn't start for several hours. As I parked I couldn't believe I was actually there...I mean there was a very strong possibility that I was going to get to see my favorite team win the NCAA championship, something that was definetly on my bucket list.

I was going to get to see two games that evening. First was the University of Kentucky against the University of Louisville. The second game was going to be Kansas University against The Ohio State University. One reason I enjoy getting to games early is because I enjoy watching the warm ups of the teams, it is just that little bit extra that you pay for in your ticket but not a lot of people take advantage of. As the arena started filling up, I started to meet the people around me. One thing I learned about the Final Four is that there are people who come from all over who had bought tickets very early on hoping their teams had made it this far in the tournament. When their teams do not make it, many of them still come anyway. To my left was a couple who were fellow Kentucky fans. At least I wasn't going to be completely by myself in rooting for the Wildcats. To my right was the gentleman who had sold my ticket on Stub Hub to me because one of his party could not come. They were from New York and were Syracuse fans. The people in front of me were Texas fans and then there were some VERY rude Kansas fans in front of them. Behind me were some Ohio State fans.

It was finally time for the game to start. Monica sang the National Anthem and the starting lineups were announced and whoever had made Baylor's bright yellow uniforms for the tournament must have also made University of Louisville's neon red/orange unifroms.

Starting Lineup - Terrance Jones #3, Doron Lamb #20, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist #14
Anthony Davis #23, Marquis Teague #25

Time to get the show on the road!

Even though UK had only lost 2 games the entire season, U of L was not going to make the game easy for Kentucky. Louisville outrebounded Kentucky 40-33 with a 16-9 advantage on offensive rebounds, the main reason Louisville was able to keep up with Kentucky. However, Kentucky was not going to let Louisville win this game and they played hard...so hard that Anthony Davis went flying off of the court twice, making it all the way into the media row once. Whenever one team made a run, the other team answered with their own. Kentucky went into halftime leading by 13 points.

Marquis Teague for 2

Anthony Davis going over the defender

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist driving the lane

Darius Mille driving the lane

However, Louisville came out in the second half with a 15-3 run and a 3-pointer to tie the game at 49 with 9:11 to play. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who had only played 23 minutes due to foul problems was not going to let this happen and made back to back baskets. The Wildcats then regained control when Jones scored on a jumper and Miller made only the second Wildcat 3-pointer of the game. Just so Louisville wouldn't get any wild notions of a late comeback, Kidd-Gilchrist threw down a monstorous dunk with 1:05 left to play. The Kentucky crowd was on their feet and we were one step closer to a championship after shooting 57% and beating Louisville 69-61.

Kentucky fights for the rebound

Darius Miller takes it up the court

Anthony Davis fights two Louisville players under the basket

Terrance Jones drives to the basket

Kentucky celebrates - headed into the championship game!

As I mentioned earlier, the Kansas fans in front of me were very rude. As the clock ticked down to zero of the Kentucky game, they turned around and started flipping off all of the Kentucky fans behind them and stating how the team is all a bunch of "one and dones" anyway. Their team hadn't even played yet and I honestly think they knew that if they were going to have to play Kentucky, they were going to get beat. It wasn't just that but just a lot of the things they were saying during the game as well. So, I did the rational thing during the next game of the evening and cheered as best as I could for Ohio State. The Ohio State fans that were behind me were great. They were good sports about everything, to the point where they were teasing their own team when they made mistakes. Unfortunately, Kansas came out on top and I hoped that those Kansas fans would not be there for the championship game.

I took the hour drive back to my hotel but I was too pumped to sleep even though I was way sleep deprived. Luckily, the next day was just a day of relaxation since the championship game was on Monday. I had originally planned on possibly going to explore the city but I decided that since I was by myself, it wouldn't be a great idea...nor would it be much fun. So I slept a good part of the day, which felt amazing because of the little sleep I had gotten with the drive down and the stress I had been under at work. I did find a little local restaurant for dinner and had my fill of some Cajun cuisine with a nice sampler platter. I was also extremely lucky that the city I was staying in happened to have the theater chain for which I happened to have free movie passes. So for the first time in my life, I went to a movie by myself. I saw The Lorax because I am absolutely in love with Zac Efron and even a movie with just his voice makes me happy.

Then Monday came....Championship game day!!! I was so absolutely pumped. I left the hotel in plenty of time to get to the dome for the Final-Four Tip Off Tailgate at Champions Square where there would be a pep rally and a performance by Better Than Ezra. I knew of the group but can't tell you any of their songs. However, it was free so I wasn't going to pass it up. A DJ got the crowd going...a crowd of mostly Wildcat fans. The sky grew darker and darker and darker....and then it started to rain. Okay it wasn't just rain...it was a flat out storm with thunder and lightening. Therefore, the pep rally and Better Than Ezra performances were cancelled (that's what you get with outdoor events though). The small crowd that was there headed up to the Superdome but all we could do was wait since the doors were not open yet. Luckily, the crowd wasn't super huge yet so the staff allowed us to get under the over hang to stay out of the downpour. Bolts of lightening struck not far from the dome and the thunder was deafening. They decided to let us into the arena early to get us out of the weather hazards. Since I was able to stay under the over hang and was there early, I stayed dry for the most part....I could not say the same for the people from Syracuse that set next to me that were soaked to the bone right before the game.

Since I was in the arena early, I got to see the student practicing their flash mobs that they were going to perform later. I only recorded the Kentucky student section (which, by the way was way fuller than the Kansas student section) when they performed it during the game.

UK Student Section Flashmob - Party Rock Anthem

This was it, the moment I had been waiting for all season...the moment that the University of Kentucky was going to return to their rightful place as champions and be able to raise their 8th National Championship banner...we just had to get through the game with the Kansas Jayhawks. The storm was so bad outside that you could actually here the thunder inside the arena, even over the roar of the crowd and speakers.

This game wasn't going to be easy, much like the Louisville game had not been easy, but I knew this group of guys had the fight in them. It didn't help that Kansas had been fighting all season long in come from behind victories and that Anthony Davis did not have a good shooting night (just 1 for 10 with his only shot falling with 5 minutes left to go in the second half). However, he showed that he could still contribute to the team with 16 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 assissts, and three steals. It truly demonstrated how well this team worked together to make something happen. Luckily Doron Lamb led the team with 22 points, including back-to-back threes to put the Cats up by sixteen with ten minutes left. I forgot to mention that the very rude Kansas fans from the night before were back this game and they were awfully quiet each time Kentucky got a nice lead. That felt really good and proved that one really shouldn't run their mouth or else it'll come back to bite you in the butt.

Driving to the hoop

Lamb for 3

Teague driving to the basket

Miller for 3

Moving the ball around the court

Rebounding

Kidd-Gilchrist to the hoop

Wiltjer for 3

Davis over the defense

However, with 1:37 left to go in the game, Kansas had cut the deficit and the Wildcats were only up by 5 points. It was a two possession ball game with a lot of time for something to go horribly wrong. Instead I was able to take this footage at the end of the game...

They had done it! The Wildcats had gone the season only losing 2 games and winning their 8th National Championship. After 14 years of waiting for the trophy to come back to Lexington (their last championship was in 1998), Kentucky was going to be able to raise another banner at Rupp Arena. I could not even begin to tell you how excited I was as that confetti came streaming down on the court. I had actually witnessed one of the greatest teams in college basketball win a national championship.

I was smiling from ear to ear as the team and the fans partook in the ritual of playing and singing "My Old Kentucky Home," a ritual that occurs after every basketball game, win or lose. I'm not from Kentucky but it is the place I truly feel the most at home when I'm there so I proudly stand and join the Big Blue Nation in the ritual anytime it happens. And I'm not going to lie, I totally had tears streaming down my face as this played because I was just so happy to be a part of all of it.

"My Old Kentucky Home"

The celebration continued as the team was presented with the Championship trophy (where I had to crack up when the team decided to tousle Coach Cal's hair) and cut down the nets...

Trophy Presentation

Cutting down the nets

The Celebration Continues

As the celebration would down, I was sad that I was going to have to leave. I knew celebrating would continue into the evening at the Wildcat's hotel and on Bourbon Street but I also knew the weather was bad, I was by myself, and I had a long journey ahead of me the next day. I knew I was going to have to go back to the hotel and celebrate on my own. First, I wanted to make sure all of the celebrating was done at the arena. I am glad I stayed because as the Wildcats made their way back to their locker room, several of the team members decided that they needed to go show some love to their families. It was great to see these guys trying to get through the crowd and climbing over seats so that they could get to those that mean the most to them and celebrate with them.

Celebrating with Family

Alas, it was time for me to leave the arena and head out into the stormy night. As I made the hour trip back to my hotel, my hands would not stop shaking...I'm pretty sure it was from the excitement and not the fact that bolts of lightening were hitting pretty regularly right off the highway I was on. I was on a high and I knew that sleep would elude me that night. It did as I searched the internet for celebrations going on throughout New Orleans and Lexington...wishing I could be there with the masses to help celebrate. I don't mind going to event alone but I can't help but think about how the trip would have been different had I been there with someone to help me celebrate and share in the happiness that I was feeling.

The next morning, with little sleep, I packed up the car and headed back north. I was hoping to be able to get home without having to stop to sleep but I was also on very little sleep. I was excited about two things though...I would be driving through two cities that are the homes of two of my favorite places to eat.

My first stop on the way back home was going to be in Memphis to get a burger and sweet tea from Dyer's on Beale Street because they have, simply, the best hamburger out there. It's not exactly the kind of burger that a health nut would eat, since what makes it so good is the "ageless cooking grease" that the burgers are cooked in. I scarfed down my burger but knew I had to save room because the real meal would be coming in a few hours...and it was a meal that there had to be room for. As I drove, I wished that I had gotten a few burgers to go. Usually, I make sure that I make it down to Memphis once a year (my sorority works very closely with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) but I'm not sure when I will be down that way again. It would have been nice to have some extra burgers for the week.

My next stop was a few hours north in Sikeston, Missouri to a place called Lambert's Cafe. This restaurant has been featured on numerous shows on the Food Network and is a must visit. They have three or four locations but this is the only one I have ever been too. Let me tell you why you have to eat at this restaurant....because it is just plain awesome for a number of reasons. First, you get SO much food. The dinners usually come with two sides. Then they have what are called "pass arounds." Basically servers come around with pots of fried okra, fried potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes, black eyed peas, and sorghum for your rolls. Oh and the dinners are all you can eat. I've never been able to finish a plate there because the original servings are already huge. The second thing that makes this place so cool is the food. Not only do you get a lot of it, but it is your down south, comfort type food. It is delicious. And the final thing that makes this place my favorite is the fact that they don't just pass out the rolls with your dinner...they throw them to you across the room. I mean where else can you get something like that? It was extremely odd going to a place like this by myself since I'm usually with a whole table full of girls when I go. However, I did run into some fellow Wildcats and had a nice chat with them after I had finished eating. I left Lambert's feeling like I normally do...miserable because I just ate way too much.

Because of my lack of sleep the night before, I had to stop in Illinois that evening to sleep. I had to be at the house early the next morning to be there for the electric company so it was not worth my money once again to get a hotel. So I found a rest stop, crawled into the back seat, and slept for a few hours...doesn't that sound familiar? People always ask me how I felt safe enough to do that. First, there were usually about 10-15 cars at the stops I went to...all with people doing the exact same thing. Second, these particular rest stops had security in place. I park in a place that is well lit and I lock my doors. By doing this I saved about $100 on hotels that I would have only used 3-4 hours at a time.

23 hours after leaving New Orleans, I finally made it home. My total traveling mileage was 2,034 miles and every single mile and minute I was in that car was worth it. I wished I had been able to go to Lexington afterwards instead to see the raising of the banner but that just wasn't a possibility. I was going to just have to be happy with what I witnessed...and trust me that was enough for me!