NEW YORK — Romello White’s missed free throw in Dayton, Ohio, elicited a roar from nearly 540 miles away.

About 120 people, almost all donning some shade of Syracuse orange, erupted inside the East End Bar & Grill when Arizona State’s White clanked the freebie and SU’s Paschal Chukwu snared the rebound. Two pairs of sirens flickered after Chukwu was intentionally fouled and the withering mass of Orange cheered. The truTV broadcast displayed a young Arizona State fan crying, and the hollering grew louder.

A “Let’s go Orange!” chant broke out. SU’s First Four win over ASU was imminent. This is what they were there for. This was the environment they wanted to be a part of. This was March Madness.

The East End Bar & Grill is an affiliate bar of New York City’s Syracuse alumni club, Big Apple Orange. New York boasts more than 50,000 SU alumni, according to the university’s New York City website. On Wednesday night, a small contingent packed into a pub on 1st Avenue to watch the Orange play its first Tournament game in two years.

Outside the bar, passersby were greeted with an inflatable Otto the Orange, a game-day tradition. An SU flag flew next to a wood-paneled East End sign that was illuminated with an orange light. Inside, owner Kenny Bowen manned the bar in an orange Pearl Washington jersey.

An hour before gametime, a fan left the male bathroom, which had an orange stall door with ‘Syracuse” spelled diagonally in blue lettering, and noticed the 14 televisions lining the wall. Nine screens displayed the other First Four matchup that took pitted Texas Southern against North Carolina Central, yet few paid any attention. Most eyes were glued to other screens that showed a game that the watchers already knew the end result to: the 2003 National Title Game.

“Can you believe (Gerry) McNamara dropped 18 in just the first half?” one fan asked.

“This was the big part of the game, when (Keith) Langford got the fourth foul in the second,” another responded with an orange towel over his shoulder.

A woman walked into the bar, noticed the replay and posed for a photo while pointing at the screen. When Hakim Warrick swatted Michael Lee’s 3-ball late in the game, a now-packed bar cheered. The broadcast showed a replay, and a group of friends bumped fists.

When both games ended, all screens switched to the SU-ASU pregame. The lights dimmed. The first of soon-to-be many “Let’s go Orange!” chants trickled throughout the crowd just before tip-off. One fan explained to his friend, one of the few not in SU gear, that if “we didn’t lose to Boston College, our Tournament resume wouldn’t have been in doubt.”

Nick Alvarez | Staff Writer

The game began, and pitchers were poured and passed along. Oshae Brissett scored on a putback, and one fan turned to another and asked why he didn’t just dunk it. While both offenses sputtered early, some groaned while others lobbied insults at Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley.

SU’s offense went through a couple scoreless possessions, often ending in a contested jumper, and one fan described it as the “tried and true Boeheim offense.”

In the latter half of the first, Brissett fell to the ground and a sudden hush went over the bar. Yet, when truTV’s broadcast went to commercial, and the DJ blasted Chance The Rapper’s “No Problem,” nearly the whole bar sung the chorus. More drinks were ordered, and a light cheer trickled through the crowd when the freshman went to the line for his free throws.

Halftime came and went and SU hit just one field goal in the first five minutes of the second frame. During the scoreless stretch, some fans threw their arms out in front of them in frustration in an impromptu Jim Boeheim impression. Others offered tips to the 42-year head coach.

“We need to go to the press more,” one offered.

“We need to send Brisset to the post. They can’t stop him,” another chimed in.

The DJ played Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” during a commercial, and one fan took his hat off and banged his head to the beat, seemingly preparing himself for the Syracuse comeback to come in the final seven minutes.

The loudest “Let’s go Orange!” chant of the night took place after Brisset tied the game with an and-1 with 4:14 left. After his made free throw that gave SU the lead, an “Oshae” melody was sung to the common “Jose, Jose, Jose” cheer.

Two minutes later, moments before Tyus Battle hit the 3-pointer that gave the Orange the lead for good, a fan muttered to himself.

“Come on, Tyus. Time to improve that draft stock.”

The bar roared when the sophomore’s 3 snapped the net. Cups of beer were jutted into the air, their contents spilling on bystanders, though no one cared in that moment.

I watched Syracuse’s First Four win over Arizona State @eastendbar for @DOsports. Here’s the crowd reaction from Tyus Battle’s late 3-pointer that gave SU the lead for good. pic.twitter.com/m2yRMRvHWM

— Nick Alvarez (@nick_a_alvarez) March 15, 2018

The rest of the game played out and the crowd never seemed to stop cheering. Chukwu nailed three from the charity stripe in the final minute and Bowen grabbed handfuls of napkins and threw them into the crowd. DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” scored the celebration as fans stood on booths and hugged fellow alumni.

After the final buzzer, the crowd of vintage SU jerseys, polos and old marching band shirts thinned. Ubers were hailed and some stumbled into the cold New York City night. The celebration continued inside the bar, prepping for Syracuse’s Round of 64 matchup against Texas Christian on Friday.

“That was literally not even the first round,” one fan said, “but, it was still epic. A win’s a win.”

Published on March 15, 2018 at 12:46 pm

Contact Nick: [email protected] | @nick_a_alvarez