The Kansas Jayhawks may have been playing nearly 2,000 miles away, but on Saturday evening, bars and restaurants in Lawrence held the same intensity as Allen Fieldhouse radiates during a home game.

Though the throngs of fans that packed sports bars and restaurants headed home disappointed, for almost two hours the town stood at attention and watched Kansas take on UCLA.

Finding an empty seat from which to view Saturday night’s regional championship game proved nearly as difficult as squeezing into the student section at the Fieldhouse.

As early as 4:30 p.m., many sports bars, including Zig and Mac’s Sports Bar and Grill, 1540 Wakarusa Drive Suite L, JB Stout’s Bar and Grill, 721 Wakarusa Drive Suite 100, and 23rd Street Brewery, 3512 Clinton Parkway, were filled to capacity. The scene at Bigg’s Barbeque, 2429 S. Iowa, was no different.

“This is the most people I’ve seen here for any game,” said Joe Preiner, Bigg’s waiter and Apple Valley, Minn., sophomore. “We had people show up two hours ahead of time. It’s even more crowded than during Thursday’s game.”

The fans at Bigg’s rode a roller coaster of emotions throughout the game as the Jayhawks fell behind the Bruins. During the first half, fans stood and loudly cheered after each Kansas steal. However, when UCLA started to pull away late in the first half, the Kansas supporters became less vocal.

As the final minutes ticked off the clock and Kansas tried to crawl back into the game, most fans already felt the Jayhawks’ tournament run had come to an end.

A few patrons headed for the exits early, but most sat in a state of mournful silence. One fan cheered the team’s effort with applause and the statement, “There’s nothing wrong with a trip to the Elite Eight.”

Massachusetts Street was similarly reserved after the game. People milled around outside bars and waited in line at ice cream parlors, but there was no revelry to be found.

Although people around town felt more than a little deflated on Saturday night, early Sunday morning was a different story. About 75 die-hard fans awaited the team’s 4 a.m. return to Allen Fieldhouse. When the team arrived and stepped off the bus, the crowd cheered and held up signs that read “Thank you Jayhawks.”

Shari Stimetz, a 1971 Kansas graduate who has greeted the team every year for the past 25 years, said she felt her unconditional loyalty was the least she could give the players in what she described as an “incredible year.”

If the solidarity shown by Stimetz and the other early-birds present at the Fieldhouse on Sunday is any indication, the team’s failure to reach the Final Four will have little effect on the psyche of Kansas fans.

After all, it’s not the end of the world for the Jayhawk faithful: the 2008 NCAA Tournament is only about 350 days away.

Kansan sportswriter Asher Fusco can be contacted at afusco@kansan.com

— Edited by Katie Sullivan