Everyone knew where to meet.

Minutes after the Penn State men's basketball team upset North Carolina last night, hundreds of people streamed onto East Beaver Avenue to cheer at cars and trucks zooming by in an impromptu victory parade.

There were no injuries, citations or property damage, said State College Police Chief Tom King.

"The students who came here were very cooperative," King said. "This was truly a celebration."

He suggested that a riot situation was averted because the gathering had a purpose and he thought most of the students were not drunk.

On Beaver Avenue, Undergraduate Student Government President Matt Roan agreed with King's take on the scene.

"For the number of police who are here, the crowd is pretty well-behaved," Roan said. "I think it's the lack of alcohol."

As Penn State clinched its 82-74 win and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, students who had been watching the game on television started filtering out into the area known as "Beaver Canyon" around 7 p.m.

Jam-packed jeeps, convertibles, sedans, trucks and a few bicycles drove by blaring their horns, while passengers hung out the windows and tried to liven the crowd of people gathered on either side of Beaver between McAllister and Hiester Streets.

Every few minutes, the crowd came up with a new chant:

"We are Penn State."

"Titus Ivory."

"Sweet 16."

"We want Temple."

"Switch sides."

"Please don't 'Mace' us."

The largest disruptions to traffic came from people throwing toilet paper and pedestrians dashing across the street in both directions.

At the corner of Beaver and Locust Lane, a game developed. The crowd on either side of the street would bounce around, count down from five, flood the street and switch sides, dodging cars and police.

Officers focused on trying to keep the masses of people on the sidewalks. At 7:40 p.m., they brought out riot gear, but did not use it.

Dozens of men and at least two women entertained the crowd by baring some skin, as they ran down the street or poked out of vehicle sun roofs.

Don Morgan (senior-kinesiology) was watching the game with a few of his friends and his dog, Jules. On a hunch, they all went out to the street after the win.

Jules looked happy.

"I've had her at bigger parties than this," Morgan said.

Bigger than this?

"Well, not more than this."

An open-top jeep carried a woman wearing a bear costume, which bore more than a passing resemblance to the Nittany Lion mascot.

Later, the same vehicle zipped by with a man in a Santa Claus costume.

"I'm making a film this weekend and I'm like, I have a bear's head lying around," said Mike Foley (sophomore-film and video), who was still wearing his white beard and red suit after the ride.

As he spoke, some people nearby started chanting, "We want the lion." They picked up his friend in the bear suit. Soon, she was crowd-surfing.

The bars were also packed with rowdy fans.

"It was crazy," Jonathan Biolow said. "People were jumping up and down and cheering, something that you only see happening during football season up here."

Biolow, who graduated from Penn State two years ago, watched the game with a few of his friends at The Sports Cafe & Grill, 224 W. College Ave yesterday.

Students celebrated with traditions more common to fall sports victories.

People rattled cow bells and chanted "Goalpost," while a truck drove by showing off a stand-up Joe Paterno.

Penn State spokesman Steve MacCarthy came to survey the crowd.

"I keep hoping the temperature is going to chase them away," he said.

The basketball team was scheduled to arrive back at University Park Airport at 11:45 p.m., MacCarthy said.

Penn State will face Temple in the regional round of the men's tournament Friday in Atlanta. When the two teams met earlier this season, the Nittany Lions prevailed.

At about 8:15 p.m. yesterday, the partying crowd vanished within minutes.

King organized a make-shift street corner press conference.

One or two stereo systems continued to blast music from apartment windows, and piles of paper towels and streamers lay strewn along the edges of Beaver Avenue.

King said he was glad things didn't get more out of hand.

"We just can't have destruction and injury," he said, adding that a celebration — but not a riot — was to be expected after last night's game.

"I enjoyed that victory as much as any of the students, I guarantee it," King said.

Collegian Staff Writers Daryl Lang and Josh Daeche contributed to this article.