The energy was high in Spokane on Thursday, as the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs took on the No. 4 Florida State Seminoles in the Sweet 16.
"I have a feeling that nobody got much done at work today," said Drew Rieder from the Gonzaga Alumni Office.
For scores of Zag alumni, the best place to watch their team in the Sweet 16 was together. One of the official alumni watch parties was at David's Pizza near the Spokane Arena.
"We're really happy to see the Spokane community turn out for this game," Rieder said. "Obviously it's a rematch from last year... everybody's super happy about where the Zags are at."
"This has been awesome. It's a really enthusiastic, great environment," said Gonzaga fan Joe Miller.
"You can tell every time somebody makes a basket. Everybody cheers," said Rashel Williams, who works at David's. "So I could literally be working and just covering my eyes, and I know exactly what happens."
The first half was a bit chippy but the Zags were dominating.
"I like it," Miller said. "A little bit of old-time basketball."
"I'm feeling good," Rieder added. "But you know what, this is March Madness."
Rieder's caution was warranted. Things got pretty tense in the second half as the Noles fought their way to back within four.
"It was time to start sweating," one fan said.
"The whole second half was tense," said Mark Starr, owner of David's.
But the Bulldogs never fell behind and pulled away late for the big win over the team that knocked them out of the NCAA tournament in the second round last year.
"You can't watch any better ball than that," a fan said.
"They stemmed the tide and held them off, so that's the sign of a great team," said another.
For the alumni, it was a proud moment and some well-deserved payback to FSU.
One fan called it a "little bit of revenge" and another said "this was our comeuppance."
But revenge wasn't the priority for everyone. For most people, a Sweet 16 win is a Sweet 16 win.
"I think they look at Florida State as just being a very good team and they're proud to beat them," a fan said.
The Elite Eight is next but that's not where most Bulldog fans have their sights set.
"This year, we're looking for the natty, man. We're looking to go all the way," Rieder said.
"This is the year. I can feel it in my bones," one fan said. "It's all the way. Number one Zags!"
"The outcome was awesome. We knew we'd see it through, Saturday's gonna be a great game," Starr said.
Many of the alumni in attendance at David's on Thursday will be back again for that game on Saturday against Texas Tech, as GU tries to win their spot in the Final Four.
Watch a recap of the Gonzaga vs. Florida State game here:
