CHICAGO (WLS) — Excitement is building among University of Illinois Fighting Illini basketball fans for Saturday’s Final Four appearance. The excitement is especially high for one west suburban family who has quite a history with the university, and there is nowhere they would rather be than in Indianapolis for the game on Saturday. ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch The Fighting Illini are in the house, The Big House. They took to the practice floor at Lucas Oil Stadium Thursday morning in preparation for the big game Saturday. Illini alum Kevin O’Brien still has to work this week, but he’s looking forward to a special time with his family Saturday. “You could wait your whole lifetime before you get another opportunity,” O’Brien said. “Our boys were right. You should take advantage of it.” RELATED | March Madness: Chicago-area sports bars preparing for Illinois-UConn Final Four game O’Brien is a 1987 Illinois graduate. Five of his seven siblings are also Illini graduates, including his twin sister Kathy. So, when O’Brien’s own kids were born, he and his wife have triplets, two boys and a girl, he raised them in the orange and blue tradition. It was just like his parents did to him, but based on academics and that value of a state school. “It was drummed into us growing up is you wanna get the best bang for your buck, and that’s where a lot of it came from,” O’Brein said. All three have graduated and are now all working full time, but they have all been enjoying the basketball team’s success this season. When O’Brien was growing up, the Illini were rarely good in major sports, but he’s always been a fan regardless and that made it easier to bring the kids. They’ve had many family experiences together going to the campus and to games. “Growing up it was easier to go to a game because they weren’t all sold out and you could get tickets inexpensively,” O’Brien said. “We took full advantage of that.” RELATED | Illini merch in demand at Chicago stores as fans prepare for Final Four match This season is a different story. Final Four tickets cost a small fortune. They won’t be in the front row, but they’ll be there, and that’s all that matters. “To experience this as fans together is, I’m really looking forward to it,” O’Brien said. Because Indianapolis is relatively close, it’s easier for a lot of Illini fans to get to the game without having to get flights or hotel rooms. The O’Brien family plans to leave Saturday morning, and If the Illini win, they say they will have to try to figure out coming back for the championship game on Monday.
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