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2016 NCAA Tournament

Inside Kimmel Food Court during the Syracuse University men’s basketball team’s win over UVA

By Sara Swann

The crowd inside Kimmel Food Court for the Syracuse University men’s basketball game against the University of Virginia was small but enthusiastic on Sunday night.

For most of the night, a crowd of about 20 to 25 students inside Kimmel was mostly quiet, cheering only when SU scored.

Several SU students were lined up waiting outside of Kimmel before it opened at 6 p.m. Many students came into Kimmel during the game, but left soon after they got food.

Only about 10 students stayed in Kimmel throughout the whole game, but once SU shrunk the deficit and took the lead against UVA, those students started to yell and cheer non-stop.

During the second half of the game, all eyes were glued to the many television screens inside Kimmel — all playing the SU game — and even the Kimmel employees stood around and watched the game.



With about four minutes left in the game, Department of Public Safety officer Joe Shanley — commonly known as “Officer Friendly” to SU students — joined the Kimmel crowd to watch the game. “Hey guys,” he greeted. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed! I’m so nervous.” The tension inside Kimmel was palpable as SU gained momentum and all of the students in the dining hall were on the edges of their seats. When the final buzzer sounded, the screaming and cheering was at an all-time high. A few students stood on their seats, jumping up and down with excitement as the SU men’s basketball team solidified its spot in the NCAA Tournament Final Four by topping No. 1 seed Virginia 68-62.

Emma Frazier, a senior communications and rhetorical studies major, said at halftime that if SU won and went onto the Final Four she would “buy more beer and go to Castle (Court)” to celebrate.

Frazier chose to watch the men’s basketball game at Kimmel, she said, because it was free and she could buy food with her SUpercard Food account.

She added that she didn’t watch the SU women’s basketball team, which won in its game against No. 7 seed Tennessee and is also headed to the Final Four, earlier on Sunday because she was celebrating at Castle. But she said she was keeping updated with the game the whole time.

“I’m just as hype for women’s basketball,” Frazier said.

Amya Tulipe Hosenn, a junior political science and classics dual major, said she faltered in her belief that SU would win the game during the first half, but then she came back when the team bounced back.

“They’re known for bouncing back,” Hosenn said. “It’s been awhile and we so deserve this.”

Hosenn added that Malachi Richardson deserves a shout out for winning the game. The new players are awesome too, she said.

Hosenn was sitting with two of her friends — Anay Waghale, a graduate student studying electrical engineering, and Sanket Karnik, a graduate student studying computer engineering, inside Kimmel during the game. Both Waghale and Karnik said they were with SU the whole time.

“We’re gonna be champs,” Karnick said.





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