While the Syracuse University community begins to recover from the shock surrounding the murder charge against senior Brian T. Shaw, basketball fans from around the nation flocked to the Carrier Dome for the NCAA Regionals, the largest sporting event held on campus this year.

But while the mood was somber for many in the community, most of the basketball fans didn’t seem phased by the incident.

With North Carolina State, North Carolina, Villanova and Wisconsin all vying for a spot in the Final Four in St. Louis, people from outside the Syracuse area were more concerned with the happenings on the basketball court.

‘We’re here to have a good time,’ said Dale Davis, a NC State fan from Goldboro, N.C. ‘It’s an isolated incident, and it doesn’t affect what we’re doing here. We drove 10 hours to get here and we’re here for all three games – win or lose.’

Davis’ reaction was the consensus among the fans visiting Syracuse. After traveling hours to see the four teams compete, most people just wanted sit back and enjoy the games.

Visitors viewed the incident as a normal occurrence for a city. Davis learned about the allegations while watching television yesterday morning, but didn’t change any of his plans for the weekend. He still felt comfortable around Syracuse, and his only complaint was the drastic change in temperature between North Carolina and Syracuse.

While the local media heavily covered the events surrounding Shaw’s arrest and arraignment, SU spokesman Kevin Morrow said he hadn’t received any inquiries from reporters outside the Syracuse area.

Some fans, like Paul Wachowicz from Buffalo, hadn’t even heard about the incident until he arrived at the game. His attitude about Syracuse and the NCAA Regionals didn’t change once he learned of the allegations.

‘In any city around, you’d have that,’ Wachowicz said. ‘If you took a compass on a map and drew a circle, something like that would happen in just about every city in that circle. It’s been a pleasant experience for me.’

Even if the visitors had been affected by the allegations, the university couldn’t do much to change their feelings. The NCAA heavily governs all aspects of the tournament, and Syracuse had to adhere to those regulations.

While the Syracuse Police Department continues to investigate the death of Chiarra Seals, the Regionals continued as if nothing happened. Fans turned out in droves, as expected, and the intense atmosphere in the Dome was normal for an NCAA Tournament match-up.

The 30,196 fans that filled the Carrier Dome last night set a NCAA Regional record for an on-campus arena.

‘The individuals have come to root on their teams,’ Morrow said. ‘This is a tragic situation that’s affected many lives. I just don’t see how this would affect the NCAA games. This wasn’t a crime that occurred on campus. It was a violent crime which took place in the city. Violent crimes occur across the country every day. I don’t mean to lessen this tragedy, just to put it in a larger context.’

Published on March 25, 2005 at 12:00 pm