Bus trip sounds great, I'd take that if I weren't working the game. Would love to meet and chat with Mason fans.
I did grow up a Maryland fan. Dad (UMD, class of 1960) took me to Cole Field House in the 1970's and we saw McMillen, Elmore, Lucas etc. Over the years I continued to root for Maryland. Didn't go to school there, Elon (NC) instead. I saw perhaps the greatest era in ACC hoops from '81 thru '84. We'd hop in a car and drive to Chapel Hill and see Jordan, Worthy, Raleigh to see NCSU and Lowe, Wittenburg and Duke under Coach K was starting out. We knew folks with tickets, would buy outside or in some cases, sneak in. Went to the ACC tourney the year Lefty won his only ACC title, you get the idea.
I shot Maryland basketball in 2011-12 and 2012-13 for Inside MD Sports. I couldn't get to CP as often as I wanted from Northern VA, that's how I latched on to George Mason. Back in 2013 I just e-mailed someone in the Athletic Dept and was hooked up. Would give pics to GMU Hoops and just kept going under Hewitt, Paulsen and now Kim English.
Dad and I would always talk Terps though. The last conversation my son and I had with him before he died March 30 was Maryland's NCAA 1st round win over UConn and later their loss to Alabama.
Wednesday night I'm rooting hard for Mason while shooting but I will be wearing my Dad's Terrapin Club pin while doing so.