They believed until the end.\nThousands of fans swarmed theaters, houses, bars and restaurants -- any room that had a television -- almost uniformly clad in red, white and "Indiana" emblems hoping for a Cinderella season with a fairy tale ending.\nA day and early evening full of girls dangling from car windows, high-spirited honking, long lines and hard partying gave way to a night when nobody remained outdoors. The parking lots stood open, class buildings stood empty and the only sounds were reflected cheers.\nWhen the buzzer sounded and IU came up short by 12 points, everything turned inside out. Nobody remained inside. The streets filled with chaos as people kept cheering for their team or took out their frustrations on parked cars, lampposts and windows.\nTensions ran high at Assembly Hall before tip off. The crowd, all 10,000 of them, was a sea of red and white, and rolls of toilet paper arced gracefully from the top of the bleachers. Giant beach balls traversed the crowd and wave after wave wound its way around the hall. The crowd erupted as pre-game coverage began, and every shot the Hoosiers took was celebrated as the first and the best. \nThe courtyard was empty at Collins Living-Learning Center but the air around the building was filled with boos and screams of joy as students watched pregame action from dorms and the lounge in the main building.\nLights in the lounge were dim but more than made up for by the electrically-charged atmosphere. Students sat on couches, chairs and the floor eating and watching TV on a large projection screen. As he balanced on a chair eating a sandwich and Funyuns, senior James Brown predicted that the Hoosiers would carry the game.\n"It's going to be ugly for Maryland," he said. \nBrown, who chose to watch the game from home at Collins so he wouldn't have to wait in line for hours at a bar, explained that an Indiana win is inevitable because of his "hot/cold theory": the team was cold for the beginning of the Duke game, then became hot in the second half; a trend that has perpetuated since then, leaving them ready and able to win against Maryland.\nOn the screen, the game began with military carrying out an American flag from the remains of the World Trade Center and with the introductions of the team. IU's starters enjoyed loud cheers from the Collins crowd, while Maryland's players -- particularly Juan Dixon -- were vigorously booed as they ran out onto the court.\nAs turnovers and a lack of baskets plagued both teams during the first minutes of the game, Brown remained confident but laughed, "This is starting to look like a high school game."\nA slightly more subdued crowd sat in front of the two big screen televisions in the Commons at the Indiana Memorial Union. As IU fought to overcome a Maryland lead, about 30 people watched each television. As he and some friends reclined on the wooden chairs, Pete Hinnefeld, a freshman, said he wasn't feeling very good about the game.\n"I think Maryland's outplaying us so far," he said. "But that happened in the Duke game. There is always definitely a chance for us to play better once (Jarred) Jeffries is not worried about his two fouls."\nSuddenly, the group erupted with energy as Kyle Hornsby sank a three pointer. \nOn the edge of campus at a house on East Third Street, 15 people -- all except one wearing red Indiana shirts -- crowded around the television set. Groans and expletives escaped their lips as the team missed a number of shots in a row. Six minutes and 11 seconds remained in the first half and IU was down by seven. \n"We made it to the championship and that's what counts," said junior Justin Barnes. "They've done great things with what they have, and they will win."\nJunior Leanne Foldenauer echoed Barnes' sentiments. \n"We're down right now," Foldenauer said. "I think we can still win it."\nFoldenauer sat quietly on the edge of the crowd, but her eyes remained on the screen.\n'We're a second-half basketball team," she said. "We have heart, and that's all that matters."\nThe crowd remained somber as the clock wound down on the first half and IU continued to trail behind Maryland. \nDownstairs at the Union hotel front desk, seniors Katie Suttles and Jeremiah Brown were two of the few IU students stuck working on the Hoosier's big night. Although Suttles admitted she'd rather be home, she did acknowledge it was nice of their boss to allow a TV in the back so they could see the game. Brown cheered from the back as the TV showed Tom Coverdale making a last-minute basket as the half came to a close. He emerged behind the desk smiling.\n"(The game) is very competitive which is good," Brown said. "It's good seeing it's competitive because Maryland is such a good team."\nAt the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., during halftime, the smell of dark coffee mixed with tension filled the lobby, where many families watched the game. Freshman Amanda Rice was optimistic, although the team was down six points and seemed to be in a rut. \n"I think we'll be fine," she said. "Eventually." \nUp the street, Nick's English Hut, 423 E. Kirkwood Ave., was packed at halftime. Walking past a "Full" sign and the Bloomington city fire code posted on the front door, senior Mandy Verner came outside to smoke. She said she had been at Nick's since 1 p.m. \n"Since the Duke game, I've not paid attention to the second half and every single time they've won," Verner said. \nShe said her boyfriend was just as superstitious. \n"My boyfriend has been wearing the same clothes since the Duke game," she said. "His roommate is wearing the same clothes, but he hasn't washed them." \nTo chants of "Let's go Hoosiers," students packed into Kilroy's Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St. The doors closed to additional people around 8 p.m., an hour before the game started. It was standing room only at 11. Students couldn't even move. They stood on chairs and tables and rested on top of other people's shoulders. \nSophomore Charlie Crowe said, "I've never seen anything like this in my life. The atmosphere is incredible. This is IU and IU basketball ball at it's best." \nThe tension is in the air. The smoke is thick. The cheers are loud. At the Video Saloon, 105 W. Seventh St., owner Mike Black watched the Hoosiers attempt to overtake the Terrapins in the second half.\n"It seems like we're always behind and then somebody hits a three," Black said. "If the storyline stays the same, we're going to win."\nSitting at a table in the bar, Elizabeth Peterson, a social scientist getting her Ph.D at IU, said the antics of the crowd are more interesting than the game itself.\n"It's all very primitive," she said.\nStudent reactions at Assembly Hall ebbed and flowed with the tide of the game, with raucous cheering when the Hoosiers were performing well and dejected chattering when they weren't. Cheerleaders attempted to invigorate the sullen crowd during the lulls, but the crowd needed no prompting when IU led for 13 seconds. \nThe buzzer sounded and Maryland fans cheered the school's first ever NCAA national championships. At Showalter Fountain, the site of intense celebration during IU victories of the past, the only sounds in the air were the buzz of helicopters and obscenities as fans emerged from game-watching locations and headed towards Kirkwood Avenue.\nAn IU alumnus who now lives in Michigan approached the fountain. Identifying herself only as Neema for fear that her co-workers would read the paper, Neema admitted that she drove down today to witness the national championship celebration she missed in 1987.\n"So it's over?" she asked.\nBut the night wasn't over for all the fans. Groups of students marched from all corners of campus toward Kirkwood Avenue. About eight or ten students tore down two light posts in front of the Auditorium; another light was taken out.\n"A group of about 50 people came and that bunch broke loose and started breaking those things," said Indiana University Police Department officer Charles Caragol.\nPeople swarmed out of bars, houses and dorms to once again converge on the area around Kirkwood Avenue. Although the crowd was large, the atmosphere was more subdued than it had been in days past. But cheers of "Go Hoosiers" and "Hoosier Pride" still echoed on the streets. \n"We had faith until the end," Allison Graham, a sophomore, said. "We hadn't been down here until tonight and it's absolutely insane."\nBottle rockets went off as people attempted to climb light poles; police had removed the wires that stretched from the lights across the street to discourage students from hanging from them.\n"I just wanted one more win for my last year," said Chris Johnson, a senior. "But instead I'll party down here."\nAt 11:45 p.m. the giant television screens at Yogi's Grill and Bar, 519 E. 10th St., showed highlights of the recently ended national championship game. Loud music played over the speakers, but the lack of people and conversation made the bar seem oddly quiet. Busboys wiped down empty tables and swept up garbage scattered across the floor. \nThe scene was very different from a half hour earlier. \n"It was pretty intense for the most part," said Chris Littrell, a waiter at Yogi's. "It kind of dropped off at the end. During the last five minutes (of the game) it seemed like everyone's mood dropped." \nLittrell said the bar and restaurant areas of Yogi's had been full since 2 p.m. Monday afternoon. \nAaron Potts, an IU alumnus, now lives in Washington D.C. He managed to make it back to Bloomington for the championship and said, despite the loss, he was impressed with IU's season. \n"I'm happy that we made it this far," Potts said. "If you would have told me a month ago that (IU) would be playing in the final game, I would have called you crazy."
Brittany Ausmus, Kathryn Helmke, Nate Jackson, Caralyn Martin, Sarah Meinecke, Matt Pera, Kara Salge and Travis Thickstun contributed to this story. They believed until the end.\nThousands of fans swarmed theaters, houses, bars and restaurants -- any room that had a television -- almost uniformly clad in red, white and "Indiana" emblems hoping for a Cinderella season with a fairy tale ending.\nA day and early evening full of girls dangling from car windows, high-spirited honking, long lines and hard partying gave way to a night when nobody remained outdoors. The parking lots stood open, class buildings stood empty and the only sounds were reflected cheers.\nWhen the buzzer sounded and IU came up short by 12 points, everything turned inside out. Nobody remained inside. The streets filled with chaos as people kept cheering for their team or took out their frustrations on parked cars, lampposts and windows.\nTensions ran high at Assembly Hall before tip off. The crowd, all 10,000 of them, was a sea of red and white, and rolls of toilet paper arced gracefully from the top of the bleachers. Giant beach balls traversed the crowd and wave after wave wound its way around the hall. The crowd erupted as pre-game coverage began, and every shot the Hoosiers took was celebrated as the first and the best. \nThe courtyard was empty at Collins Living-Learning Center but the air around the building was filled with boos and screams of joy as students watched pregame action from dorms and the lounge in the main building.\nLights in the lounge were dim but more than made up for by the electrically-charged atmosphere. Students sat on couches, chairs and the floor eating and watching TV on a large projection screen. As he balanced on a chair eating a sandwich and Funyuns, senior James Brown predicted that the Hoosiers would carry the game.\n"It's going to be ugly for Maryland," he said. \nBrown, who chose to watch the game from home at Collins so he wouldn't have to wait in line for hours at a bar, explained that an Indiana win is inevitable because of his "hot/cold theory": the team was cold for the beginning of the Duke game, then became hot in the second half; a trend that has perpetuated since then, leaving them ready and able to win against Maryland.\nOn the screen, the game began with military carrying out an American flag from the remains of the World Trade Center and with the introductions of the team. IU's starters enjoyed loud cheers from the Collins crowd, while Maryland's players -- particularly Juan Dixon -- were vigorously booed as they ran out onto the court.\nAs turnovers and a lack of baskets plagued both teams during the first minutes of the game, Brown remained confident but laughed, "This is starting to look like a high school game."\nA slightly more subdued crowd sat in front of the two big screen televisions in the Commons at the Indiana Memorial Union. As IU fought to overcome a Maryland lead, about 30 people watched each television. As he and some friends reclined on the wooden chairs, Pete Hinnefeld, a freshman, said he wasn't feeling very good about the game.\n"I think Maryland's outplaying us so far," he said. "But that happened in the Duke game. There is always definitely a chance for us to play better once (Jarred) Jeffries is not worried about his two fouls."\nSuddenly, the group erupted with energy as Kyle Hornsby sank a three pointer. \nOn the edge of campus at a house on East Third Street, 15 people -- all except one wearing red Indiana shirts -- crowded around the television set. Groans and expletives escaped their lips as the team missed a number of shots in a row. Six minutes and 11 seconds remained in the first half and IU was down by seven. \n"We made it to the championship and that's what counts," said junior Justin Barnes. "They've done great things with what they have, and they will win."\nJunior Leanne Foldenauer echoed Barnes' sentiments. \n"We're down right now," Foldenauer said. "I think we can still win it."\nFoldenauer sat quietly on the edge of the crowd, but her eyes remained on the screen.\n'We're a second-half basketball team," she said. "We have heart, and that's all that matters."\nThe crowd remained somber as the clock wound down on the first half and IU continued to trail behind Maryland. \nDownstairs at the Union hotel front desk, seniors Katie Suttles and Jeremiah Brown were two of the few IU students stuck working on the Hoosier's big night. Although Suttles admitted she'd rather be home, she did acknowledge it was nice of their boss to allow a TV in the back so they could see the game. Brown cheered from the back as the TV showed Tom Coverdale making a last-minute basket as the half came to a close. He emerged behind the desk smiling.\n"(The game) is very competitive which is good," Brown said. "It's good seeing it's competitive because Maryland is such a good team."\nAt the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., during halftime, the smell of dark coffee mixed with tension filled the lobby, where many families watched the game. Freshman Amanda Rice was optimistic, although the team was down six points and seemed to be in a rut. \n"I think we'll be fine," she said. "Eventually." \nUp the street, Nick's English Hut, 423 E. Kirkwood Ave., was packed at halftime. Walking past a "Full" sign and the Bloomington city fire code posted on the front door, senior Mandy Verner came outside to smoke. She said she had been at Nick's since 1 p.m. \n"Since the Duke game, I've not paid attention to the second half and every single time they've won," Verner said. \nShe said her boyfriend was just as superstitious. \n"My boyfriend has been wearing the same clothes since the Duke game," she said. "His roommate is wearing the same clothes, but he hasn't washed them." \nTo chants of "Let's go Hoosiers," students packed into Kilroy's Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St. The doors closed to additional people around 8 p.m., an hour before the game started. It was standing room only at 11. Students couldn't even move. They stood on chairs and tables and rested on top of other people's shoulders. \nSophomore Charlie Crowe said, "I've never seen anything like this in my life. The atmosphere is incredible. This is IU and IU basketball ball at it's best." \nThe tension is in the air. The smoke is thick. The cheers are loud. At the Video Saloon, 105 W. Seventh St., owner Mike Black watched the Hoosiers attempt to overtake the Terrapins in the second half.\n"It seems like we're always behind and then somebody hits a three," Black said. "If the storyline stays the same, we're going to win."\nSitting at a table in the bar, Elizabeth Peterson, a social scientist getting her Ph.D at IU, said the antics of the crowd are more interesting than the game itself.\n"It's all very primitive," she said.\nStudent reactions at Assembly Hall ebbed and flowed with the tide of the game, with raucous cheering when the Hoosiers were performing well and dejected chattering when they weren't. Cheerleaders attempted to invigorate the sullen crowd during the lulls, but the crowd needed no prompting when IU led for 13 seconds. \nThe buzzer sounded and Maryland fans cheered the school's first ever NCAA national championships. At Showalter Fountain, the site of intense celebration during IU victories of the past, the only sounds in the air were the buzz of helicopters and obscenities as fans emerged from game-watching locations and headed towards Kirkwood Avenue.\nAn IU alumnus who now lives in Michigan approached the fountain. Identifying herself only as Neema for fear that her co-workers would read the paper, Neema admitted that she drove down today to witness the national championship celebration she missed in 1987.\n"So it's over?" she asked.\nBut the night wasn't over for all the fans. Groups of students marched from all corners of campus toward Kirkwood Avenue. About eight or ten students tore down two light posts in front of the Auditorium; another light was taken out.\n"A group of about 50 people came and that bunch broke loose and started breaking those things," said Indiana University Police Department officer Charles Caragol.\nPeople swarmed out of bars, houses and dorms to once again converge on the area around Kirkwood Avenue. Although the crowd was large, the atmosphere was more subdued than it had been in days past. But cheers of "Go Hoosiers" and "Hoosier Pride" still echoed on the streets. \n"We had faith until the end," Allison Graham, a sophomore, said. "We hadn't been down here until tonight and it's absolutely insane."\nBottle rockets went off as people attempted to climb light poles; police had removed the wires that stretched from the lights across the street to discourage students from hanging from them.\n"I just wanted one more win for my last year," said Chris Johnson, a senior. "But instead I'll party down here."\nAt 11:45 p.m. the giant television screens at Yogi's Grill and Bar, 519 E. 10th St., showed highlights of the recently ended national championship game. Loud music played over the speakers, but the lack of people and conversation made the bar seem oddly quiet. Busboys wiped down empty tables and swept up garbage scattered across the floor. \nThe scene was very different from a half hour earlier. \n"It was pretty intense for the most part," said Chris Littrell, a waiter at Yogi's. "It kind of dropped off at the end. During the last five minutes (of the game) it seemed like everyone's mood dropped." \nLittrell said the bar and restaurant areas of Yogi's had been full since 2 p.m. Monday afternoon. \nAaron Potts, an IU alumnus, now lives in Washington D.C. He managed to make it back to Bloomington for the championship and said, despite the loss, he was impressed with IU's season. \n"I'm happy that we made it this far," Potts said. "If you would have told me a month ago that (IU) would be playing in the final game, I would have called you crazy."
Brittany Ausmus, Kathryn Helmke, Nate Jackson, Caralyn Martin, Sarah Meinecke, Matt Pera, Kara Salge and Travis Thickstun contributed to this story. \nWhen the buzzer sounded and IU came up short by 12 points, everything turned inside out. Nobody remained inside. The streets filled with chaos as people kept cheering for their team or took out their frustrations on parked cars, lampposts and windows.\nTensions ran high at Assembly Hall before tip off. The crowd, all 10,000 of them, was a sea of red and white, and rolls of toilet paper arced gracefully from the top of the bleachers. Giant beach balls traversed the crowd and wave after wave wound its way around the hall. The crowd erupted as pre-game coverage began, and every shot the Hoosiers took was celebrated as the first and the best. \nThe courtyard was empty at Collins Living-Learning Center but the air around the building was filled with boos and screams of joy as students watched pregame action from dorms and the lounge in the main building.\nLights in the lounge were dim but more than made up for by the electrically-charged atmosphere. Students sat on couches, chairs and the floor eating and watching TV on a large projection screen. As he balanced on a chair eating a sandwich and Funyuns, senior James Brown predicted that the Hoosiers would carry the game.\n"It's going to be ugly for Maryland," he said. \nBrown, who chose to watch the game from home at Collins so he wouldn't have to wait in line for hours at a bar, explained that an Indiana win is inevitable because of his "hot/cold theory": the team was cold for the beginning of the Duke game, then became hot in the second half; a trend that has perpetuated since then, leaving them ready and able to win against Maryland.\nOn the screen, the game began with military carrying out an American flag from the remains of the World Trade Center and with the introductions of the team. IU's starters enjoyed loud cheers from the Collins crowd, while Maryland's players -- particularly Juan Dixon -- were vigorously booed as they ran out onto the court.\nAs turnovers and a lack of baskets plagued both teams during the first minutes of the game, Brown remained confident but laughed, "This is starting to look like a high school game."\nA slightly more subdued crowd sat in front of the two big screen televisions in the Commons at the Indiana Memorial Union. As IU fought to overcome a Maryland lead, about 30 people watched each television. As he and some friends reclined on the wooden chairs, Pete Hinnefeld, a freshman, said he wasn't feeling very good about the game.\n"I think Maryland's outplaying us so far," he said. "But that happened in the Duke game. There is always definitely a chance for us to play better once (Jarred) Jeffries is not worried about his two fouls."\nSuddenly, the group erupted with energy as Kyle Hornsby sank a three pointer. \nOn the edge of campus at a house on East Third Street, 15 people -- all except one wearing red Indiana shirts -- crowded around the television set. Groans and expletives escaped their lips as the team missed a number of shots in a row. Six minutes and 11 seconds remained in the first half and IU was down by seven. \n"We made it to the championship and that's what counts," said junior Justin Barnes. "They've done great things with what they have, and they will win."\nJunior Leanne Foldenauer echoed Barnes' sentiments. \n"We're down right now," Foldenauer said. "I think we can still win it."\nFoldenauer sat quietly on the edge of the crowd, but her eyes remained on the screen.\n'We're a second-half basketball team," she said. "We have heart, and that's all that matters."\nThe crowd remained somber as the clock wound down on the first half and IU continued to trail behind Maryland. \nDownstairs at the Union hotel front desk, seniors Katie Suttles and Jeremiah Brown were two of the few IU students stuck working on the Hoosier's big night. Although Suttles admitted she'd rather be home, she did acknowledge it was nice of their boss to allow a TV in the back so they could see the game. Brown cheered from the back as the TV showed Tom Coverdale making a last-minute basket as the half came to a close. He emerged behind the desk smiling.\n"(The game) is very competitive which is good," Brown said. "It's good seeing it's competitive because Maryland is such a good team."\nAt the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., during halftime, the smell of dark coffee mixed with tension filled the lobby, where many families watched the game. Freshman Amanda Rice was optimistic, although the team was down six points and seemed to be in a rut. \n"I think we'll be fine," she said. "Eventually." \nUp the street, Nick's English Hut, 423 E. Kirkwood Ave., was packed at halftime. Walking past a "Full" sign and the Bloomington city fire code posted on the front door, senior Mandy Verner came outside to smoke. She said she had been at Nick's since 1 p.m. \n"Since the Duke game, I've not paid attention to the second half and every single time they've won," Verner said. \nShe said her boyfriend was just as superstitious. \n"My boyfriend has been wearing the same clothes since the Duke game," she said. "His roommate is wearing the same clothes, but he hasn't washed them." \nTo chants of "Let's go Hoosiers," students packed into Kilroy's Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St. The doors closed to additional people around 8 p.m., an hour before the game started. It was standing room only at 11. Students couldn't even move. They stood on chairs and tables and rested on top of other people's shoulders. \nSophomore Charlie Crowe said, "I've never seen anything like this in my life. The atmosphere is incredible. This is IU and IU basketball ball at it's best." \nThe tension is in the air. The smoke is thick. The cheers are loud. At the Video Saloon, 105 W. Seventh St., owner Mike Black watched the Hoosiers attempt to overtake the Terrapins in the second half.\n"It seems like we're always behind and then somebody hits a three," Black said. "If the storyline stays the same, we're going to win."\nSitting at a table in the bar, Elizabeth Peterson, a social scientist getting her Ph.D at IU, said the antics of the crowd are more interesting than the game itself.\n"It's all very primitive," she said.\nStudent reactions at Assembly Hall ebbed and flowed with the tide of the game, with raucous cheering when the Hoosiers were performing well and dejected chattering when they weren't. Cheerleaders attempted to invigorate the sullen crowd during the lulls, but the crowd needed no prompting when IU led for 13 seconds. \nThe buzzer sounded and Maryland fans cheered the school's first ever NCAA national championships. At Showalter Fountain, the site of intense celebration during IU victories of the past, the only sounds in the air were the buzz of helicopters and obscenities as fans emerged from game-watching locations and headed towards Kirkwood Avenue.\nAn IU alumnus who now lives in Michigan approached the fountain. Identifying herself only as Neema for fear that her co-workers would read the paper, Neema admitted that she drove down today to witness the national championship celebration she missed in 1987.\n"So it's over?" she asked.\nBut the night wasn't over for all the fans. Groups of students marched from all corners of campus toward Kirkwood Avenue. About eight or ten students tore down two light posts in front of the Auditorium; another light was taken out.\n"A group of about 50 people came and that bunch broke loose and started breaking those things," said Indiana University Police Department officer Charles Caragol.\nPeople swarmed out of bars, houses and dorms to once again converge on the area around Kirkwood Avenue. Although the crowd was large, the atmosphere was more subdued than it had been in days past. But cheers of "Go Hoosiers" and "Hoosier Pride" still echoed on the streets. \n"We had faith until the end," Allison Graham, a sophomore, said. "We hadn't been down here until tonight and it's absolutely insane."\nBottle rockets went off as people attempted to climb light poles; police had removed the wires that stretched from the lights across the street to discourage students from hanging from them.\n"I just wanted one more win for my last year," said Chris Johnson, a senior. "But instead I'll party down here."\nAt 11:45 p.m. the giant television screens at Yogi's Grill and Bar, 519 E. 10th St., showed highlights of the recently ended national championship game. Loud music played over the speakers, but the lack of people and conversation made the bar seem oddly quiet. Busboys wiped down empty tables and swept up garbage scattered across the floor. \nThe scene was very different from a half hour earlier. \n"It was pretty intense for the most part," said Chris Littrell, a waiter at Yogi's. "It kind of dropped off at the end. During the last five minutes (of the game) it seemed like everyone's mood dropped." \nLittrell said the bar and restaurant areas of Yogi's had been full since 2 p.m. Monday afternoon. \nAaron Potts, an IU alumnus, now lives in Washington D.C. He managed to make it back to Bloomington for the championship and said, despite the loss, he was impressed with IU's season. "I'm happy that we made it this far," Potts said. "If you would have told me a month ago that (IU) would be playing in the final game, I would have called you crazy."\nBrittany Ausmus, Kathryn Helmke, Nate Jackson, Caralyn Martin, Sarah Meinecke, Matt Pera, Kara Salge and Travis Thickstun contributed to this story.
