Despite Northwestern basketball’s devastating loss Saturday afternoon, fans packed into a North Side bar still clapped at the end of the game.
In their first-ever appearance in the NCAA basketball tournament, the Wildcats faced the West Region’s top-seeded Gonzaga, which was 33-1 for the season. They lost 79 to 73.
Jeff Purdie, 38, of Wicker Park, said the team “played like garbage” during the first half but came back during the second half.
“I’m not happy with the result,” said Purdie, who watched the game from the top floor of the three-story Kincade’s Bar and Grill. “It’s not like we played great and just came up short. We really squandered a lot of opportunities.”
The purple and white balloons in front of Kincade’s could be seen a block away, beckoning Northwestern alumni to a celebration of the season—if not Saturday’s game. Inside, fans wearing Northwestern apparel crowded all floors of the bar, standing shoulder to shoulder, straining to get a view of the screens hanging from the walls.
Justin Brown, 23, of River North, echoed Purdie’s sentiments but said the comeback itself was exciting.
“It’s nice to see them fight back,” Brown said. “I think it will build a lot of excitement for next season…It was a good year to be an” alumnus.
Purple was the color of choice Saturday afternoon as fans clutched their beers. During the second half especially, each basket inspired a roar of cheers and applause, and as the scores got closer, the bar got louder. Three-point shots drew high fives around the room, and each missed basket had people throwing their hands up, saying, “C’mon!”
Rachel Kaplan, 24, of Bucktown, said she watched every game this season and is looking forward to the next.
“We lose (players Sanjay) Lumpkin and (Nathan) Taphorn for next season and I think they will be very missed, but at the same time, our core team is still there so our hopes are still high for next year,” Kaplan said.
Purdie said he is looking forward to next season despite some members of the team leaving. He believes the team can win the Big Ten next year.
This season has been a new experience for fans used to never making the NCAA tournament, Kaplan said.
“We’re all very confused right now,” she said. “It’s a unique feeling to be disappointed. I don’t think any Northwestern fan can complain about the effort they put up this season, and we’re so proud of them.”
Many joined college friends to revel in the unexpected and short-lived glory of an NCAA berth.
Ry Crist, 30, who graduated in 2008, drove up from Louisville, Ky., with a friend for the game. Although the odds were stacked against his alma mater, he had hopes that this year would be the “Cinderella” year.
“Every Northwestern fan really bleeds for this team,” Crist said.
A win would have been beneficial for not only the tournament but also the basketball program and the school going forward, Crist said.
Sofia Porter-Castro, 24, and her friend Marie Keith, 24, who both graduated in 2014, had a reunion this weekend planned for months since their group of friends all moved away after graduating.
“We were not planning on this game,” Keith said. “We were planning on this reunion, and all this happened so this was the obvious choice.”
“Obviously this is so special for all of us alums because this has never happened before,” Porter-Castro said. “So it’s really exciting to feel like there’s still a culture even after we’ve graduated. It’s a culture of support. For so long Northwestern has been an underdog in athletics.”
The team will have to play at Allstate Arena in Rosemont next season because of a $110 million renovation of their home venue, but Kaplan believes attendance will be the highest ever.
“Going to Northwestern, no student thinks that you’re going to be watching these NCAA games, and it’s just so incredible,” Kaplan said. “None of us expected that. We’re good at football, we’re not good at basketball. It’s just an indescribable feeling to be able to watch our team represent us on a national stage like that. It’s pretty phenomenal.”
Twitter @GraceWong630
