Bill Pachuco was driving to Austin from Fort Worth when he saw the sign at George’s Restaurant: “Sic ’em Bears / Open Sunday.”

He pulled off Interstate 35 in time to catch the second half of the Baylor University men’s basketball game against Duke in the NCAA South Regional final Sunday.

As Pachuco ordered his drink, the Bears were leading by a point and the crowd was happy.

Baylor University fans Kristen Teague (left), a speech pathology graduate student, and Leslie Long, an alumnus, react with dismay Sunday at George’s in the final minutes of the Bears’ loss to Duke.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

Pachuco, an Austinite who roots for the University of Texas, said George’s was his favorite spot in Waco to catch a game.

“Y’all have great fans,” Pachuco said. “I love Baylor. You’re our representatives from the Big 12 now.”

Pachuco had joined a standing-room-only crowd at George’s, 1925 Speight Ave., which was open on a Sunday for the first time since the Dallas Cowboys were in the NFL playoffs, manager Kevin Lopez said.

Baylor supporters turned out across Waco to watch the big game. And although the Bears lost, fans remained steadfast in their support for a team that had made it further in the NCAA postseason playoffs than any Baylor squad since 1950.

Students on campus were glued to their TVs and radios. About 50 gathered in the SUB, the student union building, to sprawl to watch the action on three big-screen TVs.

Conversation was subdued. But cheers erupted at every Duke miss or dunk by Baylor’s LaceDarius Dunn.

Nicholas Fernandez, a sophomore neuroscience major from Corpus Christi, said he’s proud of how Coach Scott Drew has guided the Bears.

“They’ve really picked up their game from last year,” he said.

More cheers followed as the first half closed on a strong Baylor run that gave the Bears a 35-32 lead.

Across town, Buffalo Wild Wings had brisk business thanks to a packed crowd of fans, including a row of students clad in the Bear Pit’s signature striped shirts.

Waco native Jamie Vela, 29, said the success of the men’s and women’s basketball teams this season galvanized the community’s support.

“You drive down Valley Mills and you see ‘Go Bears’ on signs all the way down,” he said.

He said a Baylor win “would be good for the school, and it would be good for Waco. You hear about the Longhorns, you hear about Texas A&M — how often do you hear about Baylor?”

Meanwhile at George’s, Lopez estimated 140 people were watching. Several managers and waiters went to Houston’s Reliant Stadium to witness the contest themselves.

“Man, I don’t have any nails left,” Lopez said as the teams traded the lead midway through the second half.

Baylor alumnus Leslie Long, sitting with friends on the Big O Deck, said he was looking forward to a Baylor-West Virginia matchup.

“I think Duke and Baylor are the two best teams left in the tourney,” he said.

As the game neared its end and it became clear Baylor would lose, people began filing out to the parking lot. Many had glum looks on their faces. Some cursed.

“Now I’m drunk,” a man said, frowning. “And I have to drive home.”

Lawrence Vasquez, who watched the game with friends Jorge Tremillo and Reuben Padillo, said they’ll be back tonight for the women’s regional final game.

“We’re upset, but it’s not all bad,” Vasquez said. “We’re still in history, you know? We’ve never made it this far before.”

Said Tremillo, “We’re proud of them.”

cwinchester@wacotrib.com

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