While most Syracuse University students packed into the Dome to watch the Orangemen claim the national title, handfuls of students clustered around televisions to enjoy the game with a few close friends rather than thousands of screaming fans.

One group of eight friends gathered on the ground floor lounge of Brewster/Boland to watch. Over a smorgasbord of cookies, chips and pizza from Domino’s, they waved frantically at the TV every time Kansas forward Nick Collison stepped to the free-throw line, erupted with every Kueth Duany 3-pointer and offered a running critique of forward Craig Forth’s performance. But it took some of the group until halftime to realize the true importance of the occasion.

“Hey, I just realized that we’re in the championship,” said Marquith Muhammad, a freshman industrial design major. “It just doesn’t seem real to me.”

When the obligatory halftime war report interrupted a Swedish Fish food fight, the eight refused to let it dampen their spirits.

“What they don’t really know is that Saddam is in the U.S. watching the game, and he’s rooting for Kansas,” joked Claudedian Cerat, a freshman political science major.

The friends were well aware that few students were enjoying the game the same way they were. For them, the reason for skipping the Dome party was a mixture of economics and atmosphere. Muhammad said that he wanted to to be able to talk to his friends during the game.

“Plus, its cheap, which is always a good reason when you’re in college,” Muhammad added.

Though the all-freshman group has been together since they met during the university’s SummerStart program, they started watching basketball together during the last few weeks of the tournament. They met in the same spot and in the exact same seats to watch SU vanquish Texas on Saturday night.

In the second half, the group was tight-lipped and nervous, alternately silencing nay-sayers and knocking on the Formica table to avoid jinxing a Syracuse victory. When Muhammad warned that Kansas’ Kirk Hinrich might catch fire, a hail of tortilla chips forced him to defend his position.

“I’m just saying the facts,” Muhammad said. “You can’t get mad at the facts.”

When the Orangemen were only a 3-pointer away from losing it all in the game’s final minutes, all eight friends were on their feet and silent. As the final seconds ran down, the scene changed. The group ran a lap around the Brewster/Boland lobby before charging out into the snow to join the mob of fans on Marshall Street.

Published on April 7, 2003 at 12:00 pm