All dark at the Zoo

For hardcore Panther fans, blackout prep is a two-day event.

More than 24 hours before the Pittsburgh men’s basketball team faced off with the University of Virginia Cavaliers, fans from the Oakland Zoo were already lined up for the game in the Petersen Events Center, wielding sleeping bags, air mattresses and Roc pillow pets.

The Panthers blackout game, inaugurated in the 2014-2015 season, has become one of the most anticipated games of the season. Students who do not sleep over in the Pete’s lobby will typically show up around 6 a.m., ready to cheer their team.

Dedicated Oakland Zoo members showed up beginning at 11 a.m. the morning before the game to camp out in the Petersen Events Center. Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor

Ryan Foley, the vice president of the Zoo, distributes “cheat sheets” with dirt on the opposing team’s players before the game Saturday. Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor

Foley, a senior health information management major, arrived at the Pete at 11 a.m. the day before the game to set up for the sleepover. He said the blackout game “took on a life of its own” during the 2015-2015 season when the Zoo introduced it.

Foley was expecting about 150 people by 2 a.m. Saturday morning. Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor

“The fact that these kids are willing to sleep over for 24 hours on a cold floor is a great way for the students of all years to come together in one place,” Foley said. “We are all cheering for the same goal.”

First-year pre-pharmacy major Saxon Hartman, the second person in line behind Foley, has only missed two games this year. Friday night, she had a setup on the floor for the sleepover, complete with an air mattress. Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor

Shankar Dandapat, a first-year computer science major, holding his black t-shirt for the Zoo. Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor

“Everyone is super into the Zoo. There is so much additional enthusiasm that other groups seem to lack. It has really matured over the years,” Dandapat said.

Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor

“Black makes it more intense than it already is,” Emily Irwin, a junior mechanical engineering major, said. “[It] brings everyone’s spirits up and makes us want to win even more.”

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article misattributed Emily Irwin’s quote to Charlie Hansen. The article has been updated to reflect this change. The Pitt News regrets this error.

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