If you were to poll a hundred college students and ask what they’re favorite activity to do on a weekend was, I guarantee no one would answer, “wake up at eight in the morning.”
But that’s just what me and two friends did, all for the sake of seeing our team compete in the CAA tournament in person.
And even though it didn’t turn out the way we were hoping that it would, we all agreed that coming down was a great idea.
Seeing George Mason play is always an experience, win or lose. But watching the Patriots absolutely pulverize a Georgia State team that gave us trouble just a week earlier made winning that much more enjoyable, especially when you consider the importance of the game and what was at stake.
And as exciting as seeing George Mason come from behind and defeat an opponent is, it’s the atmosphere of being at the tournament with hundreds of other Patriot fans that I’ll remember most.
We all expressed the same emotions, whether it was joyous applause after a Mike Morrison dunk or frustration when the game started off slow.
The school spirit was alive and well; you can’t help but feel Mason pride when you chant “George!” and the fans in the stands yell “Mason!” right afterwards.
Beating a team by twenty during a tournament game is fun by itself, but having Doc Nix and The Green Machine there as well made for a perfect day.
Their performances always make for an enjoyable time, especially “Killing in the Name” and “Dream On.”
You can’t help but get pumped up when you hear the pep band play; their presence at games is crucial, especially at times when they are close.
The VCU game wasn’t very fun, but losing to a hated rival never is. A loss is a loss though, and I accepted it for what it was.
We already have our tickets punched for the NCAA tournament; this tournament wasn’t going to change anything.
You couldn’t help but hate VCU at that moment, whether it was the fact that they happened to be getting all the calls going their way from the refs or that they seemed to make every single basket they attempted.
Their fans even attacked our pep band, having signs that compared them to the show “Glee.”
We might ultimately be thanking VCU later down the road though; now that the winning streak is over, the team can now prepare for where it really counts, the NCAA tournament, addressing and fixing all the mistakes they made against the Rams.
When it was all said and done, the weekend ended up being one of the most fun I’ve had in a while.
I made the two-hour trip with some of my best friends and watched my school compete in the conference tournament; even witnessing them win a game.
And even though George Mason ultimately ended up losing on the second day, I can’t remember the last time I was as happy as I was the first day.
You can bet that I’ll make the trip next year, even if it means losing some sacred sleep.
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