Sometimes silence captures a moment better than words. It was silence that captured the mixture of shock, disappointment and frustration that Syracuse fans felt late Saturday night after falling to Michigan 61-56 in the Final Four.

It was a game that saw Syracuse jump out to an early lead, then fall behind by 11 at halftime. The Orange came charging back, and even cut the Michigan lead to two points with 20 seconds left, but its rally fell short in the end.

“It’s tough to look at the positives right now because I feel like we let that one get away. That was a tough loss,” said Tyler Simons, a freshman at Onondaga Community College. “But I thought it was a great season overall. We went further than everyone thought we would and did a lot of things experts said we wouldn’t do.”

Other fans weren’t as ready to reflect on the upside after the heartbreaking loss.

Syracuse resident Mary Thorpe’s initial reaction to the final moments of the game was one of frustration, both with the team and the referees.

“Unbelievable. Some of the calls that went against us were ridiculous and we just couldn’t get any breaks,” she said.

After the game clock wound down, Thorpe said it seemed like Syracuse couldn’t quite make the basket it needed at the end of the game.

Many fans were also disappointed in the way some Syracuse players performed in the biggest game of the season.

“It seems like (C.J.) Fair carried the team, but then guys like (James) Southerland and (Michael) Carter-Williams, who have been good all year, just didn’t contribute enough tonight,” said Richard Sa, a freshman architecture major.

Despite the fact that the Orange never led in the second half, fans who had packed into Varsity Pizza on Marshall Street maintained a positive attitude, with constant chants of “Let’s go Orange” and collective cheers with each basket that cut into the Michigan lead.

But when Syracuse’s final possession resulted in a turnover, Varsity went silent as reality sank in.

“It sucks. I know making the Final Four is a big deal, but right now I’m just frustrated and it’s depressing to come this far and lose, especially when it’s that close,” said Imran Khanbhai, a freshman management major.

After the game, the sense of disappointment spread throughout Marshall Street as fans slowly filtered out of local bars and restaurants. Some of them shouted in anger about the loss, while others had little to say.

The Syracuse Police Department and the Department of Public Safety were stationed at almost every corner around Marshall Street, which was closed to traffic throughout the game.

Most restaurants and bars began filling up with fans several hours before tipoff, and the atmosphere remained intense from start to finish.

Though most fans were left wishing the outcome of the game had been different, Steven McCarthy, from Camillus, said once the disappointment of the loss passes, fans should be happy about the team’s performance.

“It’s a tough way to end the season when you’re one game away from playing for a national championship,” McCarthy said. “But making the Final Four is really difficult. This is our first one in 10 years, so I think there’s a lot to be proud of looking back on this season.”

Published on April 7, 2013 at 2:30 am

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27