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Fans, still aglow from Elite Eight win, welcome team back to Breslin Center

March 30, 2015

Lamont Davis, dressed from head and toe of Spartan memorabilia, sat at the front row with a group of his friends Sunday at Breslin Center, eagerly a waiting the arrival of the men's basketball team. 

Fresh off of MSU's victory in the Elite Eight over Louisville earlier the same day, Davis couldn't wait to celebrate the program's first Final Four appearance since 2010 with the same team who will compete in Indianapolis Saturday. 

As a freshman, Davis said taking part of the experience of watching the game on the scoreboard was a way to get a better connection with the team, who he watched as a kid at his West Bloomfield home.

"I grew up watching the Spartans, and now in college, I get to be a part of the celebration," Davis said. "I get to be a part of history, which is really special."

That was just a fraction of the excitement which was seen inside the arena for the festivities, as more than half of the lower bowl was crammed with students and alumni a like. Chants of "Go Green, Go White" and "Yes, Yes, Yes" were echoed all the way up to the rafters, with replay of MSU's ninth Elite 8 win in the program's prolonged history shown on the video screen. 

When the team was first sighted coming out of the tunnel, the crowd rose out of these seats to welcome back their beloved Spartans. Phones were taken out of pockets to capture the electricity that was happening around them, "We love you" was repeated to certain players, and the fight song was played on high for everyone to sing along. 

The last one to walk onto the hardwood was head coach Tom Izzo, who followed behind his players, who were still wearing the Final Four hats given to them following the game. Some were even wearing the net on their hats and wrapped around their necks. 

When the 60-year-old was first spotted, the crowd went up in a frenzy, congratulating him on reaching his seventh Final Four since taking over the position back in 1995. When he received the warm welcome, his arms went up in the air, knowing what his team just accomplished over the weekend. 

The first one to grab the microphone to address the audience was Izzo, who first admitted that he lost his voice, blaming it on the "damn referees." But statement though that he couldn't be more thankful for the handfuls of people who showed up, despite the rain and snow that was pouring outside the arena. 

"These guys have been through hell this year, through injuries and missed free throws," Izzo said. "But they kept bouncing back. I can't tell you how proud I am. You would have been proud as Spartan fans and students and alumni, that place (Carrier Dome) was 70-30 MSU people."

Izzo later went on to talk about not winning the Big Ten championship this year.

"Those banners are on the side of the court," he said. "Final Four banners look down on the court. I prefer the ones that look down on the court." 

M-V-P chants were issued to Travis Trice, the last senior to address the crowd following Keenan Wetzel and Branden Dawson.

"I just want to thank you guys, this is truly amazing," Trice said. "Everybody else is probably at home or at the bars, but you guys came here to support us. We want to thank you for the ups and downs, it's been a roller coaster season, you guys are true fans."

But the Most Outstanding Player in the East Regional wasn't done feeding to the crowd, as four simple words almost blew the arena roof off with crowd applause. 

"We're not done yet," Trice said. 

With the victory over the Cardinals, the Spartans will now face Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils, who defeated Gonzaga in the South regional final, in the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:09 p.m. on April 4. 

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