UConn fans show out for first round of NCAA tournament despite late tip-off

If a UConn team is playing and fans weren’t lucky enough to get to the game, they are probably glued to any TV they can find that has it.

Elicit Brewing in Manchester had the game, and UConn fans packed the place, even for a late tip-off.

“I mean, look at the number of TV’s, you’ve got the bar service open early, it’s a great vibe here tonight,” said Jeff St. George.

Friday has been a long one, but fans aren’t backing down. A 10:30 p.m. tip just meant a lot of other basketball before the Huskies hit the hardwood.

“We got our brackets going and money on the line, UConn will be a nice finish at the end,” Julie St. George said.

Jeff and Julie said it was about getting there early to help set the tone.

“Hype up the UConn crowd here, get the crowd rowdy, I think Danny would want that,” Jeff said.

UConn chants and cheers were locked and loaded before the game even started.

“We had people here at noon, and they are staying until UConn finishes,” said Amanda Fromerth, Elicit Brewing’s General Manager.

The brewery said March Madness keeps business booming regardless of who is on, but what about when UConn is on?

“When they score, the whole entire place explodes,” Fromerth explained.

Ask any fans, and you could say the confidence in the UConn men is high.  

“I feel like we are just going to blow them out, we are incredible, we are UConn,” said Wes Roser.

But superstition often wins out, and even if the Huskies go up, fans are staying locked in for a long night.

“We gotta be here the whole time, until the last bucket goes in,” Roser said. “There are a lot of games you think it’s in the bag, you go home, and they lose, so you gotta stay and just make sure you don’t jinx it.”

Others agree.

“Keep it going, we need that energy with you guys tonight,” Jeff St. George said.

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