Students proud in defeat

A big-game atmosphere filled the Jake Nevin Field House last night, even though the actual basketball was being played 575 miles away in Detroit.

Screaming, stomping fans. Amped-up music. Balloons and beach balls batted in the air. TV satellite trucks, parked wheel to wheel outside. It was all excitement - until the final somber moments.

When the Villanova Wildcats jumped out to the first score against the favored North Carolina Tar Heels, nearly 600 students watching on a big-screen TV were dancing on the old hardwood of the Depression-era arena where the school's 1985 championship team had played.

"This means everything to me," said sophomore Justin Day, 19, an electrical engineering major from Stevens, Pa. "How many times does it happen that your team goes to the Final Four while you're in college?"

Day, dressed like most students in a blue Villanova T-shirt with the big "V" on the front, was asked if he has spent any time studying during the day.

He smirked: "Are you kidding me?" The whole campus of 6,250 undergraduates had only one thing on its mind - basketball.

Every time the Cats put the ball up, the mostly-under-21 crowd stood with raised arms in hopeful anticipation. When North Carolina went to the foul line, the students waved their arms to distract the shooter's attention. When North Carolina hit a shot, it was as if the air went out of the room, a sudden vacuum of silence.

The Cats just couldn't seem to catch up as the rest of the first half unfolded. Fifteen points. A dozen. Nine, at best. They never got closer.

John Hull, 19, a sophomore chemistry major from Albany, N.Y., wasn't ready to panic. "Villanova's got the game; we just need to remember to concentrate," he said.

Freshman Sarah Kumar, 18, a biology major from East Brunswick, N.J., said the excitement was an experience she'd never forget.

Candidly, she said, she's not much of a sports fan. But rooting for the team as it has marched through the NCAA tournament has been an experience that united the campus in a magical way.

"I can see the spirit everywhere," she said. "It brings us all together."

As the second half opened, Villanova quickly reduced Carolina's lead to five points. The fans were suddenly expectant again. Then Carolina widened its lead. Clearly, this was going to be a tough night.

Hull, who had been so optimistic about Villanova's chances, said he admired the toughness of the team's players, who he said "never quit."

"I couldn't be more proud of Villanova right now," he said.

Michael Cianfrani, 47, of Trooper, said win or lose, the thrill of this experience would last a lifetime for the students. "There are no losers tonight," he said. "Only winners."

Contact staff writer Tom Infield at 610-313-8205 or tinfield@phillynews.com.