KANSAS CITY, Mo. — You’ll find basketball fans from across the country in Kansas City this weekend ahead of the Big 12 semifinals on Friday at the T-Mobile Center downtown.
Three of the four remaining teams in the Big 12 Tournament are newer to the conference after the realignment: BYU, Houston, and Arizona.
“We are excited about being in Kansas City because it's a nostalgic thing, we were doing all the fun things we used to do as young adults,” Lorna Lawrence said.
The Big 12 semifinals are more than a competition for Kirk and Lorna Lawrence. It’s a chance for their past and present to meet.
“To be able to join the Big 12 is a positive for Arizona. We get much more national recognition because our games are on earlier on TV,” Lorna Lawrence said.
As KC natives, Texas residents, and Arizona fans, the team that the Lawrence's claim is one of the Big 12’s newer ones with success to celebrate.
While this is nothing new for Texas Tech fans like Dani Brady, the tournament bringing them to Kansas City hits different for the Lubbock, Texas, native.
“I mean, to see red and black everywhere? It's not far from red and gold,” Brady said. “He's our favorite child. You're not supposed to have one, but we may have one in Lubbock, Texas, and it's Patrick Mahomes and Brittany.”
BYU fans like Cameron Hatch are also newer to the Big 12. But while he’s excited for the competition, he’s also eager for the camaraderie.
“This is only our second year in the Big 12, BYU, so it's pretty exciting. But first time to Kansas City,” he said. “Getting out and seeing different parts of the Midwest and different parts of the country is pretty awesome. And the competition is crazy.”
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KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
