photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Fans fill Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence following KU's Final Four victory on April 2, 2022.

Just like last weekend, throngs of University of Kansas basketball fans took to the streets of downtown Lawrence on Saturday, climbing up traffic lights, hopping on their friends’ shoulders for a better view and filling downtown with the Rock Chalk chant.

That’s because yet again, KU notched another big victory in the NCAA Tournament — 81-65 against Villanova in the Final Four in New Orleans. That sets KU up for a chance to win its first national title since 2008 in just a few days.

In Lawrence, Massachusetts Street was closed to vehicles for the day, and the postgame celebration in downtown was still going long after the final buzzer. Kansas fan Jordan Davis was among the revelers downtown, and she said it was great to witness the “culture” of Kansas basketball on full display.

“I feel so excited that everyone is so excited,” Davis said.

A little farther down the street, Matty Sibbett was soaking in the moment. He said he had a feeling, even before tipoff, that the Jayhawks would win — he felt goosebumps for three hours straight starting an hour before the game, and he said “goosebumps don’t lie.”

Before he moved to Lawrence three years ago, Sibbett had hopped around cities on the West Coast. But he said he “found his place” here, in part because of his love of KU basketball, and he was thrilled to celebrate alongside hundreds of his fellow fans on Saturday.

“This is a moment we all get to experience after two years of isolation,” Sibbett said.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Light poles were climbed in downtown Lawrence following KU’s Final Four victory on Saturday, April 2, 2022.