By Will Wright and Morgan Eads

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Seconds after the buzzer marked UK’s win over the University of Louisville on Friday night, thousands of basketball fans sprinted onto State Street from all over campus. After the smoke from burning couches settled, beer bottles, uprooted stop signs and the charred remains of furniture littered the street.

The UK Police Department made no arrests and had no report of injury on campus, said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe. On campus, students acted “responsibly and respectfully while enjoying a great game,” he said.

As street-cleaning trucks scrubbed mud and broken glass off the pavement around 3:15 a.m. on Saturday, about 30 Lexington police officers had their end-of-the-night debriefing on the corner of State and Elizabeth streets.

Incident Commander Ken Armstrong told the circle of officers that the celebrations on State Street and University Avenue were a good example of how patience pays off when controlling a crowd.

“We just worked with the crowd to ensure a safe, secure area,” Armstrong said. “The vast majority of people who came out here … were celebrating responsibly.”

Armstrong said the change in tone from the 2012 Final Four celebrations must not just be attributed to police preparation, but the crowd must be given credit as well. Two years ago, UK beat the University of Louisville in the NCAA Tournament Final Four game, which resulted in flipped cars and burnt couches, and one car was even set on fire.

“The crowd wasn’t disorderly or violent in any way,” Armstrong said about Friday’s celebration. “We would like to see that same thing when the Cats win again.”

Despite having helped put out eight to 10 fires on and around State Street, Battalion Chief Jeff Nantz also said that this year’s crowd was more placid than it was in 2012.

Some of this, he said, is because cars were removed from the street so they would not be flipped or burned. Also, the crowds “jovial spirit” kept the celebrations positive.

Lexington police posted signs during the week warning that all cars parked on the street would be towed. Before the celebration, tow-trucks were driving up and down State Street looking for violators.

UK President Eli Capilouto and UK Athletics were among those asking fans over social media to celebrate responsibly, using the hashtag #respecttherivalry.

“Our expectation was that students would have a good time, but do so responsibly and safely,” UK spokesman Jay Blanton said. “Our sense is that the vast majority of students did just that. We expect that to continue and know that the vast majority of our students want and expect the same. “

The streets were mostly clear of people by 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, save a few people making their way home, stepping over littered beer cans and burnt skeletons of furniture. One of those students was Dean France, an accounting junior who joined the celebrations two years ago when UK beat Louisville in the Final Four..

“(This was the) highlight of my college career,” France said.

Uprooted stop signs from the corner of State and Elizabeth streets bobbed up and down in the mass of people as they were carried through the streets.

“That’s what I saw the first year … the signs walking through the crowd,” France said. “It was a nice repeat from last (time).”

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