SU Fans Go Orange as ‘Marathon Men’ Face Oklahoma

ABC On Campus reporters Torie Wells and Meghan Lisson blog: Whether they’re wearing orange T-shirts or orange scrubs, Syracuse basketball fans on and off campus are gearing up for tonight’s Sweet 16 game against Oklahoma. Everywhere you turn, people are wearing orange.  Though the color doesn’t flatter many, today everyone looks great.  Tours on campus picked a perfect day for guides to show the real heart of this campus. “We go through this every year because SU’s got a great basketball team,” said Cheryl Pittman, a nurse at Crouse Hospital, sporting orange scrubs. “You just see everybody pulling together and you get that hometown excitement.” The bars are a sea of orange as students claim their seats in front of the big screens.  All that orange is bringing in green for businesses, too, as restaurants gear up for a big night. On campus, dining halls are staying open later, supplying chicken wings and pizza to hungry students.  The spirit can even be seen in the food, with orange- and blue-themed baked goods.  As always, the dining hall staff is showing that it too bleeds orange. Off campus, some bars are offering two-for-one drink specials, hoping to get students to pick them as their game-day home base.  And it’s not just the food.  The bookstore is hopping as people get their last-minute orange gear, including the infamous “Marathon Men” shirts commemorating SU’s epic, six-overtime win against UConn. Whether the men win or lose tonight, everyone’s favorite color today is orange.