Mason beats S. Carolina

[Ricky Del Rio]

I hope the Shox can show the same poise that GMU showed against So. Carolina come Jan-March. GMU has a couple new players that will be real good in coming years.

Let's schedule them again. I already miss the budding rivalry games.

And I was being sarcastic about the "Mid-Major" label. We all want it gone here, but the media isn't gonna let it die.

Besides, what label should the mid-major schools have? America loves labels.

Some of my favorites are as follows:

The working men and women of America.

Big Oil.

Working poor.

[Indy23]

I still get a kick out of the GMU fans rock chalking at the end of the KSU game. Awesome. They're going to be a nightmare of a first-round game for someone.

I'm sure you meant to be complimentary, but the team that I saw on TV is good enough to be a single digit seed. I don't think they are a cute, little mid-major who will give somebody a scare. I think they are a threat to make the round of 16 again, maybe even in the role of the favorite this time. I don't know if I would have had a problem with your comment if I didn't know you were a KU guy, but I do know you allegiance and I did have a problem with the comment. Any team that has been to the F4 as recent as GMU should be more respected than that.

I agree with you that Mason looks like a very good team and I can see how my comment could be taken as condescending. It wasn't intentional.

I don't think you can put too much stock into these November games, though. So much can happen between now and March. And I don't know how much respect you think a FF team from two years ago deserves, but I put an equal amount of stock in the fifth-place CAA finish and lack of a postseason Mason earned last year.

But don't get me wrong, Mason has a good program and it looks like an awfully talented team this year. And their band director is awesome.

[RipEmUpShox]

GO MASON!

[tropicalshox]

No matter what the TV guys say, the November games are not very meaningful if you play in a decent conference. A good, or bad run in January and February has much more weight.

[GoGMU]

Has to do with respect and class. Their fans deserve both as they have always demonstrated both to us. Even before and after the games they were always very respectful and classy, hard to hate a school with fans like that.

Thanks, shockerfan. The good vibes are appreciated.

Too be fair, I'm sure there are WSU fans who recall that amidst our "classy" fans we also had a few trolls stop by here before and after our three games in '06. Every team has 'em. Should we ever get that home-and-home going they'll likely be back and you'll be reminded that we have do our share of morons (feel free to slam them -- just don't hold it against all of us :) ). And while I think most of you who visited DC for the Sweet 16 game had good experiences, I recall seeing a few posts here about obnoxious, drunken idiots with Mason gear on giving some WSU a hard time.

But I think those sorts are a small minority. Generally, I think our fans sort of take after our team -- scrappy, not arrogant and enjoying every minute of this stuff.

No matter what the TV guys say, the November games are not very meaningful if you play in a decent conference. A good, or bad run in January and February has much more weight.

tropicalshox, I agree completely that good or bad runs late in the season are much more important. Where these games matter is strength of OOC schedule and RPI. When you are a bubble team (as GMU was in '06), the OOC schedule and RPI becomes huge.

Unfortunately, as WSU knows all too well, quality mid-majors (yeah, I hate the term, too) have a tough time getting games against BCS schools.

Take care, all. Beat up on App State!
:goshocks:

[shocks771]

Heck of a win by Mason last night over Drexel. 85-38, wow!

[lbruggs85]

It's quite a tribute to the GMU fans we met a couple of years ago that GMU has become a favorite of WSU fans.

They beat us in our house, probably cost us a better seed in the Dance, took us out in the round of 16 - and now we root for them through their season and hope to schedule them in the future.

Has to do with respect and class. Their fans deserve both as they have always demonstrated both to us. Even before and after the games they were always very respectful and classy, hard to hate a school with fans like that.

I'm sorry to bring this up, but were any of you at the sweet sixteen game that we lost to George Mason? I have never been so insulted in my life by another team's fans. The hundreds of George Mason fans walking by us in the concourse after the game were so rude and so vulgar i could not believe it. It is hard for me to read about how classy these fans are.

[RoyalShock]

lbruggs,

We had numerous classy GMU fans on this board that year.

There were several stories of rudeness at the NCAA game. The GMU fans here explained that they experienced a large increase of bandwagon fans, many of whom were jerks.

So when the classiness of GMU fans are mentioned, it's largely due to the banter we had with them on the boards, not on the street.

[Wushock41]

I'm sorry to bring this up, but were any of you at the sweet sixteen game that we lost to George Mason? I have never been so insulted in my life by another team's fans. The hundreds of George Mason fans walking by us in the concourse after the game were so rude and so vulgar i could not believe it. It is hard for me to read about how classy these fans are.

I would agree. The fans that post on this site, assuming that's who the thread is referring to, are great. However, I also experienced the Sweet 16 vulgarity and again when we attended the road game last year at mason. The older fans we met were great but as for the students, who yelled the "F" word repeatedly at my wife as we walked into the arena, shouted the "F" word at us and threw gum at us the entire game; they pretty much showed themselves to be scum. (this wasn't just a few students out of the entire student section but MOST of the student section). As Kyle's dad posted on here, they also chanted "F" you Wilson in unison to Kyle as he shot free throws late in the game. I've never seen such a low class of student fans in my entire life. Let's not take a few nice posters on here and make that out to represent the entire Mason fanbase.


:roll:

[GoGMU]

Let's not take a few nice posters on here and make that out to represent the entire Mason fanbase.

Fair enough. I heard those stories, too. It's an embarrassment to the school. It might be worth pointing out, though, that I also heard a number of Shockers' fans report very cordial interactions with Mason fans.

Still, the actions of those students are inexcusable -- absolutely shameful.

[RoyalShock]

Sad as it is, when you combine a bandwagonner and an immature student with an apparent lack of vocabulary, you get an embarassing, foul-mouthed jerk.

I hope our students are more respectful than that.

Just like almost EVERY fanbase, I'll assume there are classy GMU fans and not-so-classy GMU fans, and deal with each accordingly.

[GoGMU]

Sad as it is, when you combine a bandwagonner and an immature student with an apparent lack of vocabulary, you get an embarassing, foul-mouthed jerk.

Particularly when you mix with alcohol.

We were averaging about 3500 fans per game until '06. Suddenly we were getting 10,000 at the Patriot Center and probably 16,000 of the 20,000 at the Sweet 16 game were cheering for Mason. Clearly these were not just the longtime fans -- they were the definition of "bandwagonners".

Anyway...great win over App State! Now take care of UMBC.

[ABC]

I experienced both good and bad at the Sweet 16 game.

I have a generally good impression of GM and root for them in all of their games, including their win over K-State.

[Wushock41]

My two experiences so far aside, I hope we continue or start the series again. I think our schools have more in common that not; I loved the arena you play in; great atmosphere (after attending so many road games with venues 1/2 sold it was nice to visit an exciting sold out game; (now I know how excited visiting fans must feel when visiting KOCH); we have a decent amount of alumni in the area and playing each other would keep the good tournament runs of 2006 for both of us talked about again which is great for exposure.

I hope I can get more experiences with GMU fans and I'm sure over the long haul they would be great. And yes, I root for ya 'all also; always will.