The UK Wildcats will have to settle for second place this year. Fans gathered wherever they could cluster around big screen TVs for the NCAA Men’s Championship game.
Despite nearly-continuous light rain and winds gusting at times over 20 miles per hour, loyal Wildcat fans waited outside bars on sidewalks when there was no more room inside.
Even the McDonald’s on South Limestone was packed with a crowd gathered around it’s wall-mounted screens.
While early in the evening, police reported that the crowds were generally well-behaved, following the 60-54 loss to UConn, some resorted to anti-social behavior. The Mayor’s office reported shortly after midnight that at least 14 couches were burned.
Lexington Police, augmented by officers from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the State Police, reportedly used rubber bullets and tear gas to break up some incidents on State Street.
While definitely a smaller crowd than the one that gathered Saturday night, this was a much rowdier group, fueled apparently by disappointment and alcohol.