Wake up to alarm at 5:50 a.m. Check.

Starbucks coffee and muffin. Check.

6:15 a.m. sit outside Buffalo Wild Wings, 1012 Mass. St., with blankets and a chair to wait for doors to open at 10:30 a.m. Check.

Katie Blair, a 20-year-old Kansas University freshman, was on top of her check list today to score seats for herself and 13 of her friends, “to get the best seat here, in front of the big screen,” she said.

She may have been the earliest KU fan at the sports bar to wait for a 7:47 p.m. tipoff for a much anticipated Final Four Game, KU versus North Carolina, but she wasn’t alone. At least 28 others were right behind her.

Blair said she’s just a little worried about making it through the day, but it’s worth it.

“This is like my dream game,” she said.

Soon after doors opened, Buffalo Wild Wings was at standing room only.

It was a similar situation at Joe Shmos, 724 Mass. Burke Cornum, general manager, said 40 people were lined outside the restaurant at 10 a.m. before doors opened at noon. He’s expecting to reach their capacity, 325, in a few hours.

Justin Flowers, 28, KU student from Lawrence, showed up at 10:30 with a deck of cards to keep him occupied.

Outside the sports bars, Massachusetts Street is awash in crimson and blue. Joseph Hunter, of Lawrence, is helping add a little more color by painting faces outside Ben and Jerry’s, 818 Mass.