MSU administrators were on hand in both Austin, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo., for the men's and women's basketball games Sunday, and said they were pleased with both the teams' and the fans' performances.
MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon attended the women's game in Kansas City, and said she received phone calls updating her on the progress of the celebrations in East Lansing.
Police estimated several hundred people crowded the city's streets Sunday, moving from Charles and Albert streets, to Cedar Village and onto campus. Two arrests were made for disorderly conduct, but police said the celebration was relatively calm compared to years past.
"From the reports that I received, students were really excited about what happened and were celebrating in, by and large, a really positive way," Simon said. "At this point, most of the eyes in the country will be not just on the basketball team, but on East Lansing. This is really our chance to have sports be a positive image builder for the institution."
MSU Board of Trustees members Dorothy Gonzales, Dee Cook, David Porteous, Joel Ferguson and Melanie Foster attended the men's basketball game in Austin, and several trustees said they hope to be in attendance at upcoming games.
"It was wonderful to personally be there to cheer the Spartans because the basketball arena was a sea of blue," Porteous said. "It looked like an ocean (with) a tiny sliver of rabid and very excited Michigan State fans."
Although the number of MSU supporters in the crowd was small, Porteous said those who were in attendance were "large in heart and excitement."
Ferguson said he is participating in a tournament pool, and he was the only one who chose MSU to be in the Final Four.
"The Michigan State people were very excited and very tense," he said. "It was a great game for those who didn't care who won. It was a very tense game for those who cared."
The Spartans' wins over higher-seeded Duke and Kentucky this weekend showed what the men's team is capable of, Gonzales said.
"It really puts us on the map now as far as athletics go," she said. "Not just athletic ability, but going on to bigger and better things."
Ferguson said he hopes future events in East Lansing mirror Sunday's excitement, which had fans celebrating peacefully.
"I'm not surprised," he said. "We've got great students. Only time I'm surprised is if something bad happens. I'm never surprised if something good happens."
The teams' wins reflect positively on the university, Porteous said.
"Coach Izzo and these players give their heart and soul to MSU, both on the court and in the classroom," he said. "And the very least that we can do is to respect their efforts by celebrating appropriately."
