Fires, tipped cars and broken bottles littered campus and East Lansing streets Sunday night as thousands rioted after MSU's 85-76 loss to Texas in the NCAA Tournament.

Police greeted unruly crowds totaling more than 2,000 with tear gas, hoping to put an end to the chaos. But crowds persevered, cycling through Cedar Village, campus and to downtown for hours.

At least eight arrests had been made by 11:30 p.m., six of those being MSU students.

At least eight fires were set on and around campus and four cars overturned.

On Grand River Avenue, one fire was set in front of Espresso Royale Caffe, 527 E. Grand River Ave., and another at a bus stop in front of Berkey Hall.

Later, officials battled a Dumpster blaze on Bailey Street and another fire near the Main Library.

"It is all fun and games until fire breaks out," said finance sophomore Johann Bodensteiner, watching a fire burn on Grand River Avenue.

Within minutes of the start of the fire, police unleashed tear gas to disperse crowds.

East Lansing police Chief Louis Muhn gave officers working the crowd authorization to use chemicals if fires or other destruction occur, Lt. Kevin Daley said.

No-preference sophomore Marshall Colbert found himself hit with tear gas, and his eyes immediately began to water.

"I want to get some more - that was pretty exciting," he said. "We just followed the crowd and screamed. Boy, they don't call it tear gas for no reason."

The crowd scattered upon being hit with the gas, much of it heading east, toward the Cedar Village area.

It was the first time the department has used gas since the celebration following MSU's 2000 national championship.

Sitting in Espresso Royale, Amanda Manville watched as hundreds of rioters poured onto Grand River Avenue.

The flicker of the fireplace was drowned out by yells of "Go Green! Go White!" Manville and others were in shock.

"This is new to me," the merchandising management junior said.

Manville left the comfort of the warm patio and stood on the planters as ashes from a makeshift bonfire in the road fell to the ground like snowflakes.

A crowd of about 1,500 assembled in the Cedar Village area following the game. Officers dressed in full riot gear displayed pepper spray while about 20 officers on horseback worked to keep city streets clear.

Maria Hauska, a manager at Georgio's Gourmet Pizzeria, 1010 E. Grand River Ave., said she watched the scene in Cedar Village unfold from the back window of the restaurant.

"The police were protecting the restaurant really well," she said. "They are playing it safe."

"This is my first time seeing something like this. It's normal for college."

At about 8:20 p.m., most of the mob of people broke away from the contained area, running along the Red Cedar River toward the rock on Farm Lane. By about 8:40 p.m., about 800 people had reached Grand River Avenue, blocking traffic on East Lansing's main thoroughfare.

Soon after, police fired more than six tear gas canisters into the crowd. Some of the crowd reassembled in the Cedar Village area, where numbers again reached 2,000. Police were working to control the crowd past 9:30 p.m.

At about 10 p.m., more than 100 ran through the library, breaking signs and alarms near the door before setting fire to brush near the fountain in front of the building.

"I have a feeling I might be sitting out front tonight," library information desk worker Ryan Gartland said. "I don't think this will end anytime soon."

The group tipped over a police machine that measures cars' speeds and headed toward the Union, the history sophomore said. He said police were at the library in minutes.

Gartland said he thought the crowd was cheering until they began yelling expletives about the police.

"It began to be taunting," he said.

Smoke billowed from the fire in a dumpster on Bailey Street until about 10:40 p.m.

Journalism sophomore Sarah Thomas said she saw smoke and flames from the house of Theta Delta Chi and came outside to find out what was happening.

"We came walking in bitter cold with sandals on," Thomas said. "It's stupid because it makes a bad name for our college."

MSU spokesman Terry Denbow said the university will pursue action against students who are arrested as a part of the disturbances. The university created a policy after the 1999 riot allowing officials to punish students for off-campus activities.

"If you think you're celebrating the team, you're not," Denbow said. "You're insulting this team by taking the focus off it."

Several East Lansing stores, including Big Ten Party Store, 7-Eleven, Quality Dairy and Country Markett, stopped selling alcohol before 8 p.m. upon police requests. Some people in the Cedar Village area reportedly threw glass bottles and rocks at police.

On Friday night, 3,000 people flooded into the streets after MSU beat Maryland to move to the Elite Eight. Police arrested 18 people, including 15 MSU students.

MSU police Chief Jim Dunlap said it's hard for police to prepare for events such as this.

"The things I think are going to end up messy, end up pretty quiet and the things I think are going to be quiet end up pretty messy," Dunlap said.

Some people blamed police for the problems. Before the game ended, police were seen in the Cedar Village area.

"The more cops that come out, the more people come out to see it," said general management junior Jason McKay, who lives in the Cedar Village area. "It's a lose-lose situation."

Marketing sophomore Anthony Sebok said police were overreacting to the situation.

"We were peaceful on Friday," he said. "They're disturbing us by being out here."

Others approached the officers in good spirits, asking them to pose in pictures with their memorabilia from the events.

"Most of them were in good spirits, so we'll take pictures with them," East Lansing police Officer Dan DeKorte said. "I was just a little bit surprised at what they were doing."

One man walked up to DeKorte and asked him to sign an empty canister of tear gas. DeKorte declined the request.

On March 27-28, 1999, 10,000 people rioted in East Lansing, resulting in 132 arrests, including 71 MSU students. Prosecutors boasted an 86-percent conviction rate, sentencing 113 people for 55 felonies and 58 misdemeanors.

The rioting caused more than $250,000 in property damage to campus and East Lansing, while bringing the city and university together in offering $50,000 in rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of rioters.

No-preference sophomore Mike Foon said he thought the night remained calm compared to what could've erupted.

Education senior Tom Hancock, who lives in Waters Edge apartments and found himself in the middle of the mayhem, said the post-game gathering grew out of control.

"It's students versus cops tonight," he said.