Loss stuns Tar Heel faithful

Disappointed faces, cries of disbelief and a collective sigh were just some of the reactions to the Tar Heels’ one-point loss to Duke on Wednesday night.

Fans who filed slowly out onto Franklin Street after the clock ran out were left speechless.

“I’m disappointed,” said Dave Moore, a University alumnus. “We were constantly behind.”

Other words repeated after the game included “terrible” and “depressed,” but several people also acknowledged that the game itself was exciting.

“It was a great game to watch,” said Eric Fletcher, another UNC alumnus. “Sean May played the game of his life.”

After the loss, most people headed off the streets to leave the gloomy atmosphere behind.

Chapel Hill police had extra officers standing by in case of a Tar Heel victory, but they were sent home soon after the game’s end.

As of 11:40 p.m., no arrests or citations had been issued.

Soon after the game’s end, a resident of Hinton James Residence Hall was treated for bleeding after punching his arm through a window, said a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.

Franklin Street bars were filled with swarms of Tar Heel fans watching their team play its archrival.

Stephen Johanson, general manager of Ham’s restaurant at 310 W. Franklin St., said the night’s attendance probably tripled normal business. The restaurant had to turn people away after reaching its capacity before the game started.

“You could barely move in there,” he said, adding that the nights of Carolina-Duke basketball games always draw the greatest number of people to the restaurant.

People started arriving at the restaurant about 5 p.m. to make sure they could get a table.

By 8:30 p.m., the restaurant was standing room only.

“Maybe if we cheer loud enough here, they’ll hear us over in Durham,” said UNC senior Beth Rodgers.

One particularly appealing aspect of watching the game at Ham’s was that everyone there was a Carolina fan, she said.

The restaurant was filled with stomping feet, cheers and people standing on tables.

“It’s like being at the game — the chants, bar, everyone yelling and cheering back and forth,” said UNC senior Janie Tarman.

Even the commercial breaks were filled with cries of “Let’s go Tar Heels.”

Moore echoed the sentiments of Tarman and Rodgers that Franklin Street was a great place to watch the game.

“People go crazier,” he said. “It’s a good time.”

Other bars and restaurants on Franklin Street filled up before the start of the game.

Fletcher and his friends watched the game at Italian Pizzeria III, at 508 W. Franklin St., because “everywhere else was full.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.