'You can feel the energy': Thousands of March Madness fans flock to Fiserv Forum

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Fans from all across the United States showed up and showed out for the first day of March Madness in Milwaukee, traveling hundreds of miles to catch the action at Fiserv Forum.

"It’s a completely different experience than watching it on a phone or TV," said fan Kyle Sprecker. "You can feel the energy. You can feel the crowd going 'ahhhh' when a big three goes down, or maybe when a ref makes a call that you don’t like and you're all like 'ughh' and you just hear the boos."

Thousands of loyal fans are going the extra mile for March Madness, some driving hundreds of miles and others taking to the skies.

"We flew out from Alabama two days ago and have been hanging out in Milwaukee and seeing the sites," said fan Kyle Weidman. "It’s been a lot of fun!"

Fans are sparing no cost to cheer on their team.

"I would say 100% make the purchase, make the drive, you've got to be here," said Sprecker.

Fans are embracing the March Madness Mania loud and proud, hoping to see their team make it all the way and secure the National Championship title.

"You know looking for the big upsets," said Weidman. "It’s March Madness and you’ve got to root for the upset. The underdogs are always the ones you want to see win. We are here with the underdogs, and we are looking forward to it."

One Lipscomb fan says he and 70 other students took a fan bus to cheer on the Bisons and despite their loss, it was worth it.

"It’s a special time that not everybody gets to experience, especially bringing the amount of students we got to bring," said fan Jackson Gibre. "It’s a long trip, but it’s a memory’s they’ll have for the rest of their lives.”