NCAA News Wire

Arizona’s Elite Eight loss leads to riot

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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Tucson, Ariz., police dispersed several hundred students on Saturday night who poured onto the streets after Arizona’s 64-63 overtime loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.

Police shot pepper spray and bean bags into the crowd. No injuries were immediately reported, but approximately 10 people were arrested.

The crowd spilled onto University Boulevard from bars and restaurants, where they were watching the game on television, to protest the Wildcats’ loss in the West Regional final in Anaheim, Calif. There were reports of beer bottles, smoke bombs and firecrackers being thrown.

The Daily Wildcat, Arizona’s student newspaper, reported that 60 to 70 officers were on the scene in riot gear. The paper tweeted sightings of students being affected by tear gas and some getting struck by bean-bag rounds. But officers were able to control the situation without major incident, according to witnesses.

Arizona was trying to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2001.

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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