Kansas University basketball history surrounded J.A. Long on Friday afternoon, just one day after his Jayhawks escaped with a 61-58 NCAA Tournament victory against Southern Illinois.

“My heart was pounding,” the fifth-grader at Overland Trail Elementary School in Overland Park said from inside the Booth Family Hall of Athletics at Allen Fieldhouse.

With a Final Four berth at stake in tonight’s regional final against UCLA, Jayhawk fans are thriving on the excitement. They hope this year’s team can win the NCAA championship.

“I think (Thursday was) the type of game we might have lost in the past,” said Brian Bellerive, of Salina, who was also visiting Allen Fieldhouse, with his children, on Friday.

The crimson and blue flags were flying around Lawrence as fans hoped the city would be celebrating tonight.

“After watching the Jayhawks recover from being down 22 points against Texas, I believe they can do anything. They’re so talented,” said Karen Warner, who has two degrees from KU.

She and her husband, Chuck, president of US Bank in Lawrence, have lived here 40 years. On Friday they proudly flew a flag outside their home in the 2200 block of Massachusetts Street.

Several businesses also have welcomed KU’s run in the tournament.

“Basically anything with a KU logo on it, they’ll take it – a lot of T-shirts and hats,” said Brian Hoffman, owner of Sports Dome, 1000 Mass.

With a victory, several Lawrence-area sports apparel retailers hope to offer Final Four T-shirts as early as tonight or at least on Sunday, if they can get them in stock.

A celebration could draw thousands of happy fans toward downtown. As with past big tournament games, extra Lawrence police officers will be on duty this evening, said Sgt. Paul Fellers.

With KU fans cheering against UCLA, one KU professor has an interesting history that involves both schools.

Marc Greenberg, professor and chairman of the department of Slavic Languages and Literature, has two degrees from UCLA.

He’ll be watching the game with a UCLA classmate, Masako Fidler, a Brown University associate professor of Slavic languages who is visiting the Greenberg family this weekend.

But Greenberg, who has worked at KU 18 years, says he’s a Jayhawk.

“There’s no big conflict there,” he said. “I’m proud of both teams, but obviously I’ll be rooting for Kansas to win.”