From Courtside: Inside Arizona's Elite Eight Win

The noise, the pressure, the celebrations, and what it was like to take pictures of one of the biggest games of March Madness from just feet away.

Purdue players look on during the Elite Eight matchup against Arizona.

As I am writing this it has been about 3 weeks since I photographed Arizona v Purdue in the Elite Eight, and looking back, the experience was definitely one of the coolest I have had as a photographer.

I was there shooting alongside my dad, but I didn’t actually have my own spot on the court. I ended up talking to one of the people managing the event and she was able to give me an open seat on the floor. It was 100% the biggest basketball game I had photographed at the time, so I was definitely nervous, but mostly excited I even had the chance to be there.

Arizona attacks the basket against Purdue during the Elite Eight.

Just a couple hours earlier I was helping set up remote cameras in the rafters. Being that high above the court in an empty arena was pretty crazy, especially considering how packed it got that night.

Once the game started, I was sitting right in front of the Arizona band, which made everything so much louder, I had recently lost my airpods and the earplugs I was given weren’t much help. You never realize how loud a college basketball game can be from watching it on tv. Every time arizona made a big play, the band, crowd, and cheerleaders were basically right behind me. Some of the people in the band acknowledged me and asked me to take photos of them, which was pretty fun.

Anthony Dell'Orso shoots from three against Purdue.

I also got to meet the 49ers team photographer, he was really nice and we talked for a bit, which was another cool part of the experience.

I will admit I was rooting for Arizona, on account for them being who I chose to win all of March Madness.

The game wasnt as crazy as the Purdue v Texas game I had seen a couple hours earlier, but it was still a lot of fun to shoot. Being that close to the court makes everything feel much more real than watching it on tv. I was constantly trying to figure out where the next photo opportunity would come from.

Anthony Dell'Orso reacts during Arizona's Elite Eight win over Purdue.

Of course, one of the worst timed things that could happen to a photographer happened to me. My card filled up and right as I went back to the press room to transfer my photos, I could hear the crowd going crazy. I knew I was missing something, but by the time I couldve been back out there the moment wouldve already been over.

That is unfortunately just part of sports.

One Chance to Get it Right

The craziest part of the night came after Arizona had had won.

Before the net cutting ceremony I was told that photographers werent allowed to be on the court and had to shoot from the stands. Of course I listened to what the officials were telling me and headed up there, but when I looked back down I saw a bunch of photographers still on the court. Wanting to get the perfect shot, I came back down as quickly as I could.

By that point everything was happening at once. Since I went up into the stands I had my 70-200 on the camera and that is not proper when you are right under the basket. I was scrambling to switch lenses and cameras while players were celebrating and the confetti started to come down.

It was stressful, but I ended up getting some of my favorite photos from the entire tournament.

Arizona celebrates its Elite Eight victory over Purdue and a trip to the Final Four.

Arizona players celebrate after securing a place in the Final Four.

I got Arizona celebrating around the trophy with confetti falling everywhere, the team celebrating together, and later the coach walking around with the net after they had cut it down. I was close enough that I even got a handshake from him.

Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd wears the net after the Wildcats' Elite Eight victory.

Looking back, the night definitely didn’t go perfectly. My card filled up at probably the worst possible time, I missed part of the game because I was transferring photos, and I almost missed the celebration because I had gone into the stands.

But none of that really ruined the experience.

If anything, it reminded me how much of sports photography comes down to being in the right place at the right time. You can prepare as much as possible, but you never completely know what’s going to happen next. When something does happen, you just have to be ready to make something out of the opportunity you have.

I definitely didn’t get every photo I wanted that night. But I came away with some images I’m really proud of, got to experience an Elite Eight game from courtside, and learned a lot in the process.

For my first time photographing a game that big, I couldn’t really ask for much more.

Arizona's name fills the West Regional champion slot after defeating Purdue.