SYRACUSE, N.Y.- March Madness is upon us, the time of the year when the entire city of Syracuse is glued to their televisions hoping the Orange can make a run for the title. Most years, Orange fans would have had many opportunities to see their team in person by now. This year was different. Fans have been watching from the couch all year.
Will Scott, a broadcaster for WAER, has been an avid Syracuse fan for his four years at the university. He was easy to spot- he always sported a bright orange suit in the front row of the student section. As a senior, Scott was disappointed he wouldn’t be able to experience the atmosphere of Otto’s Army once again, but because of WAER, he was able to broadcast several SU basketball games this year.
There were moments while being in the empty Dome that Scott wished there were fans in attendance. “When (Quincy) Guerrier had that alley-oop dunk against Clemson, the dome would have been rocking,” Scott said. “You have one of the best sports environments in the country at the Dome, so not having fans in there was just weird.”
As Syracuse preps to play in their first March Madness game, there have only been three SU games to date that have been open to the general public; at Clemson, and the two ACC Tournament games the Orange played in last week. Scott was at all three of those games. The atmosphere created by the visiting fans was great, according to Scott. “We were ‘air-fiving’ Syracuse fans behind us after big plays,” Scott said.
When Syracuse takes the court at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday night, fans will be in attendance for the fourth time this season. When it was announced that the Orange would be playing at Hinkle, an SU super-fan realized he would be one of the lucky ones that got to see his team play this year.
?@marchmadness, meet Hinkle Fieldhouse. pic.twitter.com/dOMoAeymUU
— Butler Basketball (@ButlerMBB) March 14, 2021
A transfer student from SU, Yuli Burstein now attends Butler University, but he still “bleeds orange.” Burstein was dreaming of this, and his dream came true. “For some reason I just knew they would play at Hinkle, and as soon as I found out I was like ‘I have to be at this game.’ I have to.”
Burstein has been attending Butler basketball games at Hinkle all season. Even though the capacity limit is 25%, he believes that the atmosphere has been great. “I’m so excited,” Burstein said, “we (Syracuse) can make a run.”
The game on Friday night will be a chance to see the Orange play, but Burstein believes it may also bring back a sense of normalcy. “It’s trending in the right direction for sure,” Burstein said, “I think that we should ease into it and not go in full, because we don’t want any more outbreaks, but it really does feel like it’s going back to normal.”
If Syracuse wins against San Diego State to move on to the second round of the tournament, that game will also be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Burstein plans to attend the second round game if it happens too. He also wants to come back to Syracuse to experience the Dome atmosphere again. “If there are two places to see a basketball game in the entire country, these are the two places,” Burstein said, referencing Hinkle Fieldhouse and the Carrier Dome.
While Burstein and Scott have been lucky enough to see their beloved Orange in person this year, the hope is that the rest of the Syracuse community can be in attendance at the beginning of the 2021-22 season this fall.
