'Come cheer for the Cinderella': March Madness teams arrive in Milwaukee seeking local support

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Exactly 900 miles separate the center of Troy, Alabama and Fiserv Forum. Wednesday night's cold, wet weather wasn't unusual for a Milwaukee spring, but the head coach of Troy University's basketball team noted it was a bit different than what he's used to in March.

"It is a little cold," Scott Cross observed. "It definitely is a lot cooler than Troy, Alabama, that's for sure."

As Troy basketball players and staff walked into the Mecca restaurant for dinner in the Deer District, they got their first look at the arena where they'll participate in March Madness.

Eight teams are in Milwaukee for first and second round men's NCAA tournament games Friday and Sunday. That includes two of the biggest brands in college basketball, Kentucky and North Carolina. 

Kentucky, a 3 seed in the 16-team Midwest bracket, will open Friday night against Troy, a 14 seed. Christina Yue, the director of engagement for the University of Kentucky's alumni association, said she expected at least 300 people to pack the team's temporary headquarters at OnTap, the restaurant inside the Brewhouse Inn and Suites downtown.

"OnTap has been amazing to work with, that crew," Yue said. "We reached out a couple weeks ago and asked if they would be interested, and he was the first call I made when we heard 'Milwaukee.'"

Yue said if anyone wanted to stop by, they'd be welcomed as an honorary Wildcats fan. She described a pep rally set for Friday afternoon that aims to replicate the feeling on Kentucky's campus ahead of big games.

"A ton of swag," she said. "Our standards are pompoms, 'Go Cats' buttons and stickers, the 'Cats! Cats! Cats!' cheer that we always do. Band and cheer will be joining us."

Other downtown bars will play similar roles this weekend. Uncle Buck's outside the Deer District will host Illinois fans Friday while supporters of Iowa State will gather at Mo's Irish Pub. 

The other schools in Milwaukee this week are Ole Miss (University of Mississippi), Lipscomb University and the winner of Wednesday's play-in game between Texas and Xavier University.

Kentucky is an 11.5-point favorite against Troy in Friday night's game, which will be broadcast on CBS 58. Cross said he believed getting hometown fans in his team's corner could go a long way toward his Trojans pulling off a huge upset.

"Come cheer for the Cinderella story," he said. "We have a great basketball team. We'd like the think the closer the game is, the longer it goes, the more the average fan will cheer for the Troy Trojans and maybe put a little pressure on them."

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope made his own headlines this week when he jokingly offered on his radio show to reimburse gas mileage for fans who make the drive from Lexington to Milwaukee.

"I'm gonna say something I'm gonna regret, but it's only a seven-hour drive," Pope said. "If anybody's having trouble with gas money, hit me up. Let's go."

Pope is familiar with Milwaukee. He played in 108 games for the Bucks over the span of two seasons between 2000 and 2002. He told reporters this week he and his wife had their first child here, and he still has an affinity for Kopp's Frozen Custard.

When asked about Pope's comments, Cross smiled and said if that's what it takes to get Troy fans to make the 900-mile trek, he's willing to pony up.

"I might, yeah. They can hit me up," Cross said. "To put a few extra people in the stands, without a doubt."

Here is the schedule for 2025 March Madness games at Fiserv Forum starting Friday:

• (3) Iowa State vs. (14) Lipscomb, 12:30 p.m., TNT
• (6) Ole Miss vs. (11) North Carolina, 3:05 p.m., TNT
• (3) Kentucky vs. (14) Troy, 6:10 p.m., CBS 58
• (6) Illinois vs. (11) Xavier/Texas, 8:45 p.m., CBS 58

The winners will face off Sunday in a pair of second round games. Time and broadcast information for those contests will be announced later this week.