By Morgan Eads and Anne Halliwell

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Sweatshirts were set ablaze Monday night as hundreds of UK fans mourned their team’s loss to the UConn.

After the final buzzer,  State and Elizabeth streets filled with somber fans.

Sounds of breaking beer bottles filled the air, and crowds clustered around small fires.

The atmosphere differed greatly from the celebrations that followed UK’s Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four victories.

UK and Lexington police were out in full riot gear, in larger numbers than during this year’s previous celebrations.

Before the game even ended, police removed the stop signs at the intersection of Elizabeth and State streets.

After the final score was locked in, several of the riot police said, “OK, you can go home now. Just go home.”

A few fights broke out and more threatened as team loyalties clashed and crowds grew.

The crowd did not seem as receptive to police and firefighter presence as it had been in the aftermath of the last few games.

Later in the evening, wicker furniture was used to transport students above the crowd to cheers and applause.

Fireworks, including small rockets and firecrackers, arced above the crowd, along with flaming T-shirts.

Fans waved flags, scaled telephone poles and cheered for the Cats as often as they burned clothing and cursed UConn.

Some thought the large gathering was a show of loyalty.

High school senior Dustin Beeler made the road trip to State Street to watch the game.

“It’s great even when we lost,” Beeler said. “People, they stick with their team even if they did lose.”

Things seemed to escalate as the night wore on.

“This is great, this is what it should be,” BCTC student Brandon Ford said. “I just hope it doesn’t get out of hand. The later it gets and the drunker everyone gets, the more out of hand it will get.”

Mechanical engineering sophomore Elona Ryspayeva had been on State Street for several of the NCAA Tournament games, but she said that Monday night was different.

“This is a different atmosphere,” Ryspayeva said. “We’re just really angry and chanting things that are not for UK. We’re just chanting things about other schools because we’re upset.”

BCTC student Nick Davis came to State Street because he was sure the Cats would pull out a win.

“There is always next year,” Davis said. “I knew it’d be crazy either way.”