As Jeff Oster sipped his beer in front of a big-screen television at Pourhouse Sports Grill, he kept repeating, “This is good for the program.”

The University of North Texas alumnus and Northwest school district teacher cut short his spring break trip to San Antonio by waking up at 6 a.m. to drive to Denton to watch his college basketball team compete in the NCAA tournament.

It was all about the atmosphere, and he wanted to be in Denton.

UNT’s 82-62 loss in Oklahoma City to Kansas State was disappointing, he said, but it was good for the Mean Green to be on national television.

“I’m glad they made it to the big dance,” Oster said. “We were a big underdog, and it showed.”

Even though UNT was outmatched, it was clear the team played with heart, he said.

With the game being played during spring break in the early afternoon, the glitz and glamour typically reserved in Denton for the occasion was downplayed at sports venues throughout town.

However, die-hard UNT fans like Oster were at watch parties to support their team.

The game had Denton restaurants and other venues offering drink and menu specials to fans, including free food. Pourhouse extended its St. Patrick’s Day green beer offer.

UNT hosted an on-campus watch party at the Syndicate, where university employees primarily watched the game, with the campus emptied of students.

At the beginning of the game, when UNT briefly was competitive with Kansas State, business seemed to be booming, said Ali Kohandani, owner of DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks on University Drive.

But by halftime, when Kansas State had a significant lead, customers began to trickle out of the restaurant, he said.

“People are sad, and business reflects that,” Kohandani said. “It’s just like a Mavericks game.”

In 2007, the last time the Mean Green reached the NCAA tournament, there were green beads, crowds and parties at venues across town, said Josh Martin, an alumnus and self-proclaimed “biggest fan” of anything UNT.

There’s usually a big party on Fry Street, Martin said, but the roadway remained rather calm Thursday afternoon and not all the venues there were open.

Dan Mojica, owner of Dan’s Silverleaf on Industrial Street, opened up his bar early for the game, but not many fans showed up to watch.

As UNT’s Denton crowds waned, pockets of hopeful fans continued to grow, saying that despite the loss they still love the basketball team.

Sarah Carroll, a recent graduate of UNT, said she thought it would be a closer game but the Mean Green will likely be stronger next year.

It was good for UNT to play Kansas State, which has a much higher profile than UNT, Oster said.

The rough game clearly showed a difference between the universities’ recruiting, Oster said, which at UNT could be helped by the team’s presence on national television.

“You don’t just immediately beat Kansas State, but we’ll be bigger and better next year,” he said.

CANDACE CARLISLE can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is ccarlisle@dentonrc.com.