By Glypie Grider
ST. LOUIS — Troy Fortwegler, a senior at the University of Louisville, predicted it would be a low-scoring, close game, but he didn’t actually expect the Cardinals to fall to the Illinois Illini in the semifinal round of the NCAA Final Four Tournament.
“There won’t be any reason to head home until Monday,” Fortwegler said before the Louisville-Illinois match-up Saturday afternoon. “We’re thinking positively, and there’s no ‘going home’ until after we bring home the championship.”
But the Cards ended their first trip to the Final Four in 19 years with a 15-point loss to the Illini.
Fortwegler hadn’t anticipated the Cardinal loss and was busy after the game trying to figure out if he would stay for the championship round between Illinois and UNC Monday night. “We’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do. We hadn’t figured on this.”
Shawnte West, a U of L graduate student in the Public Administration program, said she’s going to see St. Louis since she made the 265-mile trip west. “I’m here so I might as well see as much as I can.”
Hope amidst the disappointment
The Cardinal faithful were disappointed after Saturday night’s loss, but several were able to reflect on the Cardinals’ history-making season and look ahead to next year.
“I really expected [the Cardinals] to win all the way, but I’m not disappointed with the loss,” West said. “We’re in the top four in the country — nobody expected that.”
“I’m really disappointed, but I’m really happy they got this far. They really deserved it,” said U of L student Amber Ruhl.
Ruhl’s friend Joy Lanham added, “This is a good year for Louisville basketball. I’m really happy for them.”
In addition to their first NCAA Final Four appearance in 19 years, the Cardinals also won the Conference USA Tournament Championship and were named C-USA season champions. And head coach Rick Pitino has made history by taking three different teams to the Final Four: Providence, Kentucky and most recently Louisville.
“I’m glad we made it this far. It’s okay about the loss — we’ll just get them next year,” said junior Shanae Cherry.
“Die-hard fans” glad to be in St. Louis
Hundreds of fans made the trip west to St. Louis late Friday night or early Saturday morning to cheer on the Cardinals.
Some had tickets to the games, others didn’t, but all were excited to be part of the Final Four madness.
Sophomore Stacy Bradley, Cherry’s friend, didn’t have a ticket to the game and watched the game on television in a nearby sports bar. Cherry watched the game from inside Edward Jones Dome, courtesy of the Student Government Association-sponsored lottery.
Twenty-four-year-old Frankie Hilbert sent his ticket request to the SGA at 11:59:58 p.m. on March 28 so it would get there by midnight when the lottery selection began.
Adorned in a red and black headdress and a U of L jersey, Hilbert joined with many friends and fans in St. Louis. Hilbert said he can remember watching U of L’s NCAA Final Four appearance 19 years ago when he was five, but only barely.
“I’m excited to be here for the first real Final Four I can remember,” he said. The fact that he was sitting 10 rows off the floor only added to his excitement.
A trio of freshman U of L students and 17-year-old Doug Davenport of Ballard High School missed out on winning tickets to the game, but the group still trekked to St. Louis in hopes of finding some before the 6:07 p.m. tip-off.
“We didn’t think twice before coming here [to St. Louis]. It was pretty spontaneous, but this is one of those chances that may never happen again,” Earl Boykins said.
“We’re die-hard fans and just to be in this atmosphere is something amazing,” Greg Willis said. Blaine Lawrence rounded out the group of ticket-seekers.
Let’s get the party started
While some Louisville fans were debating whether to stay for the championship game or sell their tickets to desperate Illinois fans late Saturday night, others were preparing for a night out on the town. As one fan said, “The game was fun, but now we’ve got to have some fun and try to wash away the misery.”
The names of the bars and clubs didn’t matter, as several streets around the St. Louis riverfront were filled with beer stands and music. Orange Illinois shorts clearly outnumbered the red, but Cardinal fans claimed they still flocked to the post-game parties.
