Arizona Wildcats Men's Basketball - Game Day Traditions

Game Day Traditions

Arizona's home games include many traditions involving the The Pride of Arizona pep band and the Zona Zoo.

• Before every game, the band splits into four sections in the four sides of McKale Center. They play Bear Down Arizona in sequence before the band runs back to the student section in the north stands and plays all of Bear Down. The band also yells "Hi fans!" to the fans, who respond by yelling "Hi band!" and "Hi Sean!" to head coach Sean Miller, who responds by waving to the band. The band also yells "Hi Niya!" to Arizona women's basketball coach Niya Butts.
• While the opposing team's players are being introduced, the student section turns their backs to the court. As each player's name is announced, they will yell "Sucks!" In the interest of sportsmanship, though, the Athletic Department is attempting to phase this tradition out.
• During the first four minutes of each half, or until the first media timeout, the band and students have several chants.
  • Every time an opposing player dribbles, the yell is "Boing!"
  • Every time they pass, the yell is "Pass!"
  • Every time they try to shoot, the yell is "Brick!"
• When an opposing player fouls an Arizona player, the band and students chant, while pointing at the opposing player, "You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! On you, that's who!" If the foul occurs during a shot and the player makes the shot, the chant is instead "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! No no no no! No no no no! No no no no! No no no no! Don't touch me!"
• If an opposing player accrues four fouls during the game, they will chant "Four!" four times while waving four fingers. If a player fouls out, the band plays the beat from "Another One Bites the Dust," concluding with the band and students yelling "Hey! We're gonna get you too!" They will then chant "Left! Right!" as the player walks back to the bench and yell "Sit down!" when the player sits.
• When opposing players are attempting foul shots, besides attempting to distract the player, the band and students have several chants, but the only constant one is yelled if the player misses their first shot of a two-shot foul, in which case they yell "Nice shot, buddy!"
• If Arizona is beating an opponent by a comfortable margin late in the game, the band and students will chant "Go start the bus!" repeatedly. If an opponent makes a big play, they will chant "It just doesn't matter!"
• Since the 1980s, the "Ooh Aah Man" Joe Cavaleri has made appearances at McKale to pump up the crowd. He starts by spelling out "A-R-I-Z-O-N-A!" with his body as the crowd chants along. He then directs the crowd in chanting "U of A!", first by each side of the arena, then by the north and south sides and east and west sides simultaneously then by the whole arena. His routine usually involves pulling off his shirt and pants to reveal another Arizona shirt and shorts underneath. Unfortunately, Cavaleri was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and has only made a few appearances during the 2010-2011 season.
• At the end of every home game (and every Arizona athletics event the band is present at) the band plays Arizona's alma mater, "All Hail, Arizona!" Students and fans link arms, sway as they sing and jump up and down while singing the last part of the song.