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Mar 23, 2008 1:04 pm US/Eastern
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Fans Support UMBC After Georgetown Loss
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
It was a good ride for UMBC's basketball team, which reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the team has been playing on the Division 1 level.
Gigi Barnett reports disappointed but proud fans gathered in downtown Baltimore to watch the team's loss Friday against the Georgetown Hoyas.
The Retrievers had much support from students, faculty and staff, as well as sports lovers across Maryland.
On Good Friday during spring break, the UMBC family forgot about vacation and packed the university's commons to watch the Retrievers get a shot in the NCAA big dance.
"We're hoping for the best. We're just going to cheer and pray," said one fan.
With every mention of the players, the coach or the school's name, it equated to national exposure for the Retrievers.
"This is huge, it's big. It's exciting because UMBC is a small campus, so by being a small campus you wouldn't expect a little school to be up in the big leagues," said a team supporter.
From every corner of the commons, they watched, glued to the action happening hundreds of miles away in North Carolina.
But to face off with a No. 2 seed like Georgetown takes confidence.
"They are not as good as they used to be, so they can be brought down too," said one patron.
Students aren't the only ones paying attention to UMBC. Basketball lovers at the ESPN Zone at the Inner Harbor watched to see what a Maryland university could do on the court.
Even though their team is headed back home, students say they're not sad. They say they're actually surprised and happy that their team made it this far. They also say there's always next year.
The Retrievers took a 66-47 loss to the Hoyas.
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