Michigan State Fans Subdued As Spartans Fall

EAST LANSING, Mich.—Michigan State fans watched in quiet resignation Monday night as their beloved Spartans fell to North Carolina in the NCAA national title game.

The Spartans were torpedoed by a first half that sometimes found them down by more than 20 points to the Tar Heels. But even after they went into halftime behind 55-34, the sea of fans decked out in green and white who flooded bars and restaurants near campus wasn’t ready to give up.

Those gathered at Tripper’s sports bar in East Lansing still belted out the Spartan fight song with gusto as they watched the game, which was taking place in Detroit’s Ford Field, just 90 miles from the sprawling Michigan State campus. They cheered as the song blared through the restaurant’s sound system during halftime, shouting “Fight! Fight! Fight, team fight!“

On campus, thousands of people watched the game on the huge electronic scoreboards at the Breslin Center, Michigan State’s basketball arena.

But bars began clearing out as North Carolina finished off the Spartans 89-72. The campus and neighboring commercial strip in East Lansing were quiet within 45 minutes of the game’s end.

Many fans said they were still proud of the Spartans, a No. 2 seed that knocked off two No. 1 seeds - Louisville and the University of Connecticut - to get to the final game.

“I’m happy that they were able to stay with them (the Tar Heels) after that 10-minute slaughter” in the first half, said recent Michigan State graduate Erich Haezebrouck of Delta Township, near Lansing. “No. 2 out of 64 teams - that’s pretty impressive, especially since they weren’t supposed to make it that far.“

Michigan State senior Melanie Betz of Eaton Rapids, who watched the game at Tripper’s with Haezebrouck and others, remained optimistic early in the second half that the Spartans could pull off a miracle. But she was satisfied with the outcome.

“I’m a little disappointed, but I’m still very proud of them,“ said Betz, 21.

The Spartans’ defeat made a difference in the city’s mood. Although some fans had partied in the streets after Saturday’s win, East Lansing Police Lt. Kevin Daley said fans were subdued Monday night and early Tuesday.

“The streets are barren. Everything is dead,“ he told The Associated Press.

As of 1 a.m. Tuesday, East Lansing police had arrested three or four people they said were trying to set furniture on fire and jailed another half dozen for disorderly conduct, Daley said. About 2,500 people had gathered at the Cedar Village apartment complex near campus, but the after-game crowd wasn’t courting trouble as police kept an eye on the gathering, he said.

During the game, patrons at Tripper’s moaned at the Michigan State baskets that didn’t drop and the loose balls that got away. But they also cheered wildly when the Spartans managed to connect with the basket, or to grab a rebound away from the pesky Tar Heels. As the second half started, the intensity level ratcheted up, with fans clapping harder and cheering louder as the Spartans tried to chip away at the North Carolina lead.

Sarah Nicholson of Lansing usually is a University of Michigan fan, but she was at Tripper’s to support the Spartans.

“I want a Big Ten team to win,“ said Nicholson, 24, before half time.

Earlier in the evening, 5-year-old Alex Farr had energetically waved a green flag emblazoned with the Spartan “S” during the fight song, then yelled, “Go White!“

He clearly inherited his Spartan spirit from his dad, Josh Farr of East Lansing. The elder Farr is such a Michigan State fan that his co-workers at Gordon Food Service in Brighton don’t even call him by his real name.

“I don’t think people even know my name at work. They all call me ‘Spartan,“‘ said Farr, decked out in a green Michigan State T-shirt and ball cap.

Enthusiasm for a possible repeat of the Spartan’s 2000 NCAA championship had run high in the East Lansing area before the game. Even Gov. Jennifer Granholm wore a green Michigan State sweat shirt under her dark business jacket Monday during a bill-signing at the Capitol in downtown Lansing, just three miles from the college campus.

“Not to put more pressure on them of course, but they really have become a symbol for our state,“ Granholm said. “You know, a symbol of what can happen when you work really hard. As (coach) Tom Izzo says he’s got a blue-collar team and all they do is work, work, work. It’s a great statement about them, certainly. But it’s a great, uplifting moment for us.“

The Spartans were in the Final Four for the fifth time under Izzo and got the rare opportunity to play in the finals in their home state. Michigan residents, watching their storied auto industry implode and struggling with the nation’s highest unemployment rate, welcomed the diversion.

“I think really, this is so much more for us about a psychological impact,“ Granholm said. “I know that I speak for 10 million Michigan citizens in saying thank you to this team, thank you to coach Izzo, for really being Michigan’s team and Michigan’s `uplift’ during this very, very tough time.“

About 230 police officers were posted around the Michigan State campus on Monday night, but few people lingered outside long in the cold. Snow still covered parts of the campus and downtown after an overnight snowstorm and temperatures at the end of the game were around freezing and heading lower.

After the Spartans beat the University of Connecticut heading into Monday’s game, about 2,000 people gathered Saturday night and early Sunday morning near Cedar Village to celebrate after Michigan State defeated Connecticut 82-73. Sixty people were arrested, but police said the celebration was peaceful.

Police said there were no serious postgame incidents late Monday or early Tuesday at the apartment complex with a reputation for rowdiness.