I went to the GMU campus during lunch today. I was expecting to see all sorts of celebratory decorations adorning the sidewalks and buildings. I was expecting to see students walking around with excitement pouring from their green- & gold-painted faces. As surprising as GMU’s performance this weekend in the NCAA tournament was, I was shocked to find scant evidence on campus that GMU was among the NCAA’s “Sweet 16.” The only sign was a Mason basketball jersey poorly adorning the statue of George Mason standing outside the Johnson Center. Maybe it was the time of day, but there was hardly anyone on the campus sidewalks. Nobody was rushing to class. There were no sounds, other than the mild wind moving freely through the open corridors of campus.
I headed into the Johnson Center and went inside the bookstore. Again, it was dead. But wait! There was a huddled mass gathered in the corner, where they sell Mason sweatshirts, tees and the like. But I didn’t see students there. Instead, it was a bunch of older folks, like me! Apparently, I wasn’t the only alumnus who thought to get some gear for this Friday’s game.
“We’re getting cleaned out,” the manager said to me, as I approached. I quickly grabbed an XL black GMU zip-up hoodie. It was the only one left of its kind. An older gentleman demanded to know where the GMU Sweet 16 shirts were. The manager said they weren’t arriving until later in the day. That was upsetting to the older man. It was slightly upsetting to me. “They’re probably white shirts anyway,” I justified to myself.
I checked out with a Mason hoodie, long-sleeve and a foam hand. I’ve never bought one of those cheesy foam hands before. But I thought it completely natural to bring one to the game this Friday.
And yes, I will be attending both games this weekend (Friday and Sunday) at the Verizon Center in D.C. I am assuming GMU will be playing both days. 
Thanks to eBay, I scored some center court, 400-level seats. Now all I need is a date. Preferably a Mason alumnus. I already asked Ap, who is currently a graduate student at GMU, but she’s not interested in going.
Anyway, it looks like my entire weekend will be spent in D.C. Friday night is the Mason game. Saturday afternoon is my first photography class at the Corcoran. Saturday night is Mike G.’s bachelor party in Georgetown. And Sunday is the second Mason game. I hope I can find parking!
