The numbers didn’t matter anymore.

Eight seed, 10 seed, 12 seed, 16 seed — no one cared as hundreds of fans nervously stared at the Crisler Arena Jumbotron and waited for the announcement that was 11 years in the making.

With each successive bubble team called — Arizona, Minnesota, Southern California, Maryland — the drama built up, doubt growing in every mind. Fifth-year-senior guard C.J. Lee sat in a plush chair, hands held in front of his face as if he were praying. Michigan coach John Beilein slumped in his seat, scowling and shaking his head for every bracket that didn’t feature Michigan’s name. Fans rubbed their temples and booed other selections.

The Midwest, the West and the East brackets were called first. The tense murmurs and “what ifs” started to buzz through the crowd.

Then it happened.

The Michigan men’s basketball team was extended an invitation to participate in the NCAA Tournament.

It was great for the players, who celebrated as if it had just made the Big Dance for the first time in more than a decade — oh, wait — but yesterday was about more than the players and coaches.

It’s about the eight fans who have frequently painted themselves to spell out “MICHIGAN,” even during the 10-22 debacle last year.

It’s about senior Vince Coughlin, Super Fan and head of the Maize Rage club, who probably hasn’t missed a home tennis match in his four years in Ann Arbor, let alone a basketball game.

It’s about William Austin, a Crisler Arena usher for 26 years, who can’t remember too many moments as special as this one. He’d be going to Kansas City if he didn’t have to fulfill his professional obligations at the Michigan baseball games this weekend.

It’s about cheerleaders and band members and season ticket holders. Team managers, marketing representatives, alumni who watch every game from their couches, and ex-team members who played through four years of Tournament-less seasons.

It’s simply about everyone who has a vested interest in this team. It was a long time coming.

Because of that, the Wolverines’ Selection Sunday watch party wouldn’t have made sense without the fans there to go crazy with the team. And if you didn’t watch the program, Michigan had the rowdiest atmosphere of any tournament team.
Whether his team got in, Beilein knew everyone had to be invited.

"I made that decision yesterday,” Beilein said. “I had first said, just looking at the thing, I didn't want to make the decision. The next morning I woke up and saw the band members in the lobby studying, and then I saw a couple cheerleaders going out in the morning, so I said to myself that all of these people have sacrificed so much that we have to make this an inclusive thing.

“If we are in, we can enjoy it all together, and if we are out, it makes us stronger to come back and be ready to do it next year.”

The demand for tickets on Thursday is so high that only season ticket holders can request them — and they can’t ask for more than one.

Apparently, that sacrifice Beilein spoke of has reached the stands. Why go to class, worry about impending exams, friends, family, rent or anything else when your team’s in the Tournament?

After all, the fans, coaches, players, cheerleaders, ushers, band members, managers — they’re all in this together.

— Reid needs a ticket. E-mail him at andyreid@umich.edu.