Celebrations Abound in Nashville after Big Bearcat Win Date: March 17, 2000 By: John Bach and Chris Curran Photos by: Lisa Ventre Archive: General News Nashville -- It was a day to celebrate and dream in Nashville, Tennessee as the UC Bearcats easily won their first-round game in the NCAA men's tournament. After the shock of Kenyon Martin's injury last week, the victory rekindled hopes that UC would prove they truly deserve to be the Nation's Number One. Photographer Lisa Ventre and writer John Bach captured the excitement from the tiniest fan to those who were around to celebrate the back-to-back national championships in the early '60s. Add the city of Nashville to the places 14-month-old Bradley Greene has taken in a UC basketball game. The little fan has big time loyalty to the Bearcats. He and the rest of UC's following watched the Bearcats win their first-round NCAA tournament game Friday against UNC-Wilmington. "He went to his first game at three weeks old," Bradley's mother Kelly Greene (CBA '85) said. "We went to Boston last year, and this year we went to Hawaii, Memphis and now here." Greene said she was thrilled to see UC win without Kenyon Martin. "It was nice to see all the players contribute. We had four players in double figures." "March Madness" is no understatement for the Greene family. Husband, Jim, a graduate of the University of Kentucky, was driving from Cleveland to Nashville following UK's win in the Midwest bracket. "He bleeds blue. I bleed red, and this boy has mixed blood," Greene joked. Inside the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, the Bearcats shared center stage with the Bearcat Band and cheerleading squad. The center is serving as the host site for the South Region First and Second Round of the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament. Dick Friedman (below), special assistant to the President, was joined by Rod Nall and his wife Gail for the trip to Nashville. They didn't need to watch the polls or brackets to decide where the Bearcats ranked. It was a unanimous #1 from this group of fans. Check Sports Information for updates on the tournament action, and check News and Events for features and photos from the Division of Public Relations.