Fans experience highs, lows

By Jonathan Kealing     Mar 12, 2007

Kansas fans leaped to their feet with every point and change of possession Sunday afternoon.

Those who wanted to cheer on their team, but couldn’t make it to Oklahoma City, did the next best thing: They gathered with friends in homes and bars around town.

Kellie Hoffman, of Kansas City, Kan., came to Lawrence to watch the game at the Phoggy Dog, 2228 Iowa, with three of her friends.

“This is my first time watching a KU game in Lawrence,” she said midway through the second half, as Kansas trailed. “I’ve never watched a game here.”

As regulation time wound down, Hoffman let out several screams of excitement, especially as the lead see-sawed back and forth. Her friend Mike Strano, a KU student from Leavenworth, had plenty of criticism for the officials, but he said he wasn’t worried about the game’s outcome.

“It’s a pointless game; selections are already in,” Strano said.

That idea was confirmed when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s chairman said on CBS after the game that the committee had decided Kansas would be a No. 1 seed, win or lose.

When the game concluded, though, no matter how much the fans said the game didn’t matter, virtually all of them jumped into the air with high fives and hugs all around.

Kansas had won its fifth Big 12 Tournament title.

“I’m glad it was a roller coaster, instead of knowing we were going to win,” Hoffman said. “It was so much more exciting and it just proves we can win.”

A group of about 75 die-hard KU fans even went to Allen Fieldhouse to welcome the team back after its victory. Some fans waited as long as two hours outside and in their cars until the buses rolled in right before 10 p.m.

This was the first time Bob Bonnel had come back to welcome the team, and he brought his family, including two children, with him.

“I think the game was a test. I knew we’d come back,” Bonnel said.

As the bus rolled in, the fans let our a Rock Chalk Chant they continued as the team walked through the door.

Next stop: Chicago.

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