NCAA fans enjoy March Madness in Pittsburgh, except a few from Cleveland

It was one of those scenes that can make a person yearn for the carefree days of youth — when a few cold ones, some tunes, and tickets to a couple of NCAA Tournament games are enough to make your day.

And so it was for a couple of guys from Ellwood City, 21-year-old Broc Boariu and 22-year-old Noah Rinker. They showed up to root for Ohio State in their first round game vs. Loyola Chicago, not necessarily because they are big fans of the Buckeyes, but because they were literally banking on them to win.

“I went to Penn State but I bet on Ohio State,” said Rinker, who didn’t seem to be conflicted by rooting for one of the Nittany Lions’ archrivals, regardless of the sport.

Among the group of four, none sported any Ohio State gear. Boariu held up a shirt emblazoned with the silk-screened words “Positive Vibes Only.” Ohio State would have to get by Loyola Chicago for these kids to collect.

“If any Loyola Chicago fans come near us, we’re kicking them out,” said Boariu. “It’s all Ohio State today.”

Before they went inside for the 12:15 p.m. tipoff, they tailgated in the parking lot across from the main entrance to PPG Paints Arena.

With the sound of Empire of the Sun’s “Walking on a Dream” emanating from the open hatch of their SUV and a cooler stocked with beer, the friends were engaged in a heated game of “Beer Die” (one half of a pair of dice). A white folding table featured a cup of beer in each of the four corners. Dice are thrown in the air and points are awarded depending on where the die lands, the most points coming when the die lands in the cup of beer.

“Where else would you want to spend a Friday?” said Boariu.

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In general, the fans came from Columbus and Philadelphia and Newark, Del. They were rooting for Ohio State, Villanova and the University of Delaware respectively. That’s really no surprise as those are rabid fan bases driving relatively short distances.

Chicago is a little farther away, a seven-hour drive from Pittsburgh. But the Loyola Chicago fans showed up too, hoping they would be able to see the Ramblers repeat the run they made to the Final Four in 2018.

“One game at a time sir,” said 35-year-old Loyola fan Jennifer Brooks, who is originally from Cleveland as is her husband Matthew, who was standing in line with her. When asked by a reporter if she liked Pittsburgh, Brooks replied, “Not as much as Cleveland.”

The remark drew the ire of the Steel City natives around her.

Another Loyala fan, 36-year-old Ammar Bahrani of Chicago, wore a maroon and gold scarf, the Ramblers’ school colors.

“We’re definitely in the toughest region I think, not somewhere we haven’t been before,” he said. “I think they can go deep.”

Like many Loyola fans, Bahrani was happy to be heading into a building featuring the presence of 102-year-old team chaplain Sister Jean Delores Schmidt, commonly known as Sister Jean and a part of the Loyola basketball scene for decades.

“It starts with faith,” he said.

Would he be sticking around Pittsburgh if Loyola lost to Ohio State?

“Yeah there’s no better atmosphere than college basketball.”

Inside PPG Paints Arena, 21-year-old Villanova students Alexa Panuccio and Angelica Garcia scurried to get to their seats. The Wildcats were taking on Delaware in the second game of the early session and both seemed confident in their team’s ability to advance.

“We’re coming in as the two seed. I think we have this in the bag really. I’m definitely confident in our Cats,” said Panuccio.

Garcia said she was not worried about Villanova’s chances of beating Delaware.

“We saw some Delaware fans today and they tried to boo us but we didn’t let that throw us of our game,” she said.

Panuccio said she had never been to Pittsburgh.

“I like it so far. It seems amazing,” she said. “But I’m a creature of Philly where my Cats live, so I’m partial to Philadelphia.”

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Garcia was excited for the weekend and planned to stick around Pittsburgh whether Villanova won or lost.

“We just got here but this seems like a cool place to be,” she said. “Obviously it wouldn’t be ideal if we lost, but we’re in a new city. We’re going to explore and we’re excited.”

The two said they’ve already spent a lot of money on gas to get to Pittsburgh but that it was worth it.

As things turned out, Villanova ended up crushing Delaware, 80-60.

And in the early game, Ohio State beat Loyola 54-41, which certainly had to dampen Sister Jean’s spirits. But the twenty-somethings from Ellwood City, Broc Boariu and Noah Rinker who bet on Ohio State, would be walking back to the parking lot happy. And perhaps partying a little bit more.