Game 24: HOMECOMING! GMU (18-5 / 9-1) vs Rhode Island (15-7 / 4-6) on Saturday, February 8, at 4:00 PM.

Pikapppatri8

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PiKappaPhi Alumni group will be representing mad fiesta style at Homecoming pregame.

Rowdy, Loud, agile, mobile and hostile!
 

Yossarian

Sixth Man
Lotsa luck--forecast is for wintry mix in the afternoon.
IMG_7721.jpeg
I shall shiver and drink my way through the discomfort, a la the “drinking beer outside in the cold” scene from The Last Detail.
 

undertherock

Specialist
10 of the 12 highest announced attendance for games at EBA were played in February.

TOP EAGLEBANK ARENA CROWDS

1. James Madison 2/2/08 9,840* MASON, 72-46
UNC Wilmington 2/16/08 9,840* UNCW, 75-73
Northeastern 2/14/09 9,840* MASON, 64-53
Towson 2/28/09 9,840* MASON, 71-59
Old Dominion 2/5/11 9,840* MASON, 62-45
James Madison 2/12/11 9,840* MASON, 82-68
Old Dominion 2/4/12 9,840* MASON, 54-50
Virginia 11/9/12 9,840* MASON, 63-59
9. Wichita State 11/18/06 9,804* Wichita St., 72-66
Old Dominion 2/3/07 9,804* ODU, (OT) 66-56
11. James Madison 2/17/01 9,702* MASON, 79-66
12. James Madison 2/26/00 9,676* MASON, 76-64

* - All permanent seats sold
I understand Paul Hewitt ruined the program, but why are we not able to come anywhere close to these numbers? Were those mostly students who only enrolled at the school because of the Final Four? Was there a hardcore fanbase that stopped showing up? Does Gen Z just not care about the basketball team at their university?
 

Verdad

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I understand Paul Hewitt ruined the program, but why are we not able to come anywhere close to these numbers? Were those mostly students who only enrolled at the school because of the Final Four? Was there a hardcore fanbase that stopped showing up? Does Gen Z just not care about the basketball team at their university?
It's as simple as winning - #11 and 12 were against our local/main rival who was better at the time, helped fill the arena and that was on the heals of NCAA appearances in 99 and 01.

#1-10 are all during or soon after 06 Final four, and NCAA appearances in 08 and 11. It's all about the NCAA tournament - not relevant if you don't make it.
 

mkaufman1

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GIVING DAY 2023
I understand Paul Hewitt ruined the program, but why are we not able to come anywhere close to these numbers? Were those mostly students who only enrolled at the school because of the Final Four? Was there a hardcore fanbase that stopped showing up? Does Gen Z just not care about the basketball team at their university?
what @Verdad said but also

1) capacity is different now with the tarps
2) a lot of the fan base created during the eras referenced above are now adults with full time jobs and families. Some of them may not even be in Northern VA anymore. Add to the fact that some of the alums who were interested in that era may not be able to attend games anymore for whatever reason.
3) NCAA tournament appearances and winning big brings the attention. We have started down the right path with winning at home a LOT the last few years, but we need to make an NCAA appearance for everything to really open up with fan interest.
4) Its easy to keep folks involved when you make the NCAAs 3 times in 5 years, including several NCAA wins. Its hard to get people when you have been irrelevant for 14 years.
 
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JimP

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A little cold and flurries going to disuade you?

Weak sauce
I will be driving down from upstate ny after work today. I will stay in Gettysburg, where I will help defend the far right flank of the Union line. (an upstate ny'er led a much less heralded but perhaps as important charge as Chamberlan on the left) Battle weary but pumped, I will likely trudge through freezing rain from from bar to bar in and around University Plaza. A glorious victory inside the Pat Dome (sorry Eagle Bank) surely awaits. The following morning, I will make a hung over but well worth it drive home.

FIX BAYONETS!!!!!!
 

gmubrian

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what @Verdad said but also

1) capacity is different now with the tarps
2) a lot of the fan base created during the eras referenced above are now adults with full time jobs and families. Some of them may not even be in Northern VA anymore. Add to the fact that some of the alums who were interested in that era may not be able to attend games anymore for whatever reason.
3) NCAA tournament appearances and winning big brings the attention. We have started down the right path with winning at home a LOT the last few years, but we need to make an NCAA appearance for everything to really open up with fan interest.
4) Its easy to keep folks involved when you make the NCAAs 3 times in 5 years, including several NCAA wins. Its hard to get people when you have been irrelevant for 14 years.
Two comments:
If I recall correctly, there used to be 8 tarps, 2 each in each of the 4 corners. Last home game there was only one tarp up, blocking only half of one corner. The other tarps were not there. I don't know if that is a permanent change or just a remnant of the arena being used for other events and something right before or after our game.


Begin Rant:
Not directed at you, but, the whole argument of needing to make NCAA tournament on a regular basis makes me sad. I'm not disagreeing with it being true, but it is a sad statement about the average Mason/college basketball fan. Are those really the fickle fans we want/need to cater to? Maybe we have to, but that makes me sad. They don't deserve to see the games when we do finally break back in if those fans are not with us through the journey.

Especially in this current era where the P5 seems to have unlocked the code to preventing non-P5 teams from getting many at large bids. I have said it before, but, you always hear people lamenting about wanting to see the non-P5 succeed, seeing the tournament Cinderella, seeing a David beat a Goliath. Where are all of those people during the regular season? They aren't coming to the non-P5 games or watching them on TV. They either aren't watching any college basketball or they are watching the P5 they claim to root against. Those people think they are the solution. In reality, they are the problem.
End rant.
 

mkaufman1

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GIVING DAY 2023
Two comments:
If I recall correctly, there used to be 8 tarps, 2 each in each of the 4 corners. Last home game there was only one tarp up, blocking only half of one corner. The other tarps were not there. I don't know if that is a permanent change or just a remnant of the arena being used for other events and something right before or after our game.


Begin Rant:
Not directed at you, but, the whole argument of needing to make NCAA tournament on a regular basis makes me sad. I'm not disagreeing with it being true, but it is a sad statement about the average Mason/college basketball fan. Are those really the fickle fans we want/need to cater to? Maybe we have to, but that makes me sad. They don't deserve to see the games when we do finally break back in if those fans are not with us through the journey.

Especially in this current era where the P5 seems to have unlocked the code to preventing non-P5 teams from getting many at large bids. I have said it before, but, you always hear people lamenting about wanting to see the non-P5 succeed, seeing the tournament Cinderella, seeing a David beat a Goliath. Where are all of those people during the regular season? They aren't coming to the non-P5 games or watching them on TV. They either aren't watching any college basketball or they are watching the P5 they claim to root against. Those people think they are the solution. In reality, they are the problem.
End rant.
100% with you. Unfortunately bandwagons are a big thing in sports. Not much we can do other than piss and moan (and show up in our own way and do the opposite of what these folks do).
 

Verdad

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It is the reality - for some reason the NOVA community for the most part ignores that Mason exists. I live in an HOA with nearly 2,000 homes about 15 minutes from campus - my house is the only one that ever has a Mason flag or cars with Mason stickers.

Each spring our neighborhood newsletter announces where kids go to college - there are never any that go to Mason.

When it comes to public interest, we are light years behind UVA, VT, JMU, other VA schools and out of state "power" conference schools.
 
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