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10:48:00 PM EST
Hearing a nation of fans cheering on some kids from Fairfax, VA
Front Row at the George Mason-UConn Classic
Chris and I were behind the bench for one of the great upsets in NCAA history -- an amazing game that we'll get into more on tomorrow's SBL -- and this courtside video of Mason winning at the buzzer should get the point across of what it was like to be there. For good measure, here's a video of UConn tying it at the end of regulation (earmuffs on the fan behind me). Both shots -- one miss, one make -- were absolutely heart-stopping.
Mason was just the better team today and throughout this region. As crazy as that sounds, they were fearless, versatile, well-coached, full of pride and so much joy. Credit their players, staff and fans on a victory they'll never forget and I'll always be thankful for witnessing.
Some start-to-finish notes and pics...
Mason fans prepare for tip-off.
-- No one on Mason is over 6'7".
-- Guy next to us on press row gives Mason a 3% chance of winning, "This would be Buster Douglas."
-- Hilton Armstrong walks out on the court before tip and starts screaming "Let's go!" as loud as he can.
-- About one-fifth of the crowd is for UConn, and they're all seated directly behind us.
-- No matter who GMU defends Rudy Gay with, he's going to have a 5" height advantage. He should score 40 today.
-- Gay airballs a 15-foot jumper.
-- Will Thomas drop-steps Armstrong (the Big East Defensive Player of the Year).
-- When Jai Lewis is on the line UConn fans chant "Slimfast!"
-- Jim Calhoun seems a LOT more relaxed today than he was on Friday night vs. Washington.
-- Marcus Williams' shorts go to hisshins and constantly slide off his waist.
-- UConn froshJeff Adrien seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He's the only Husky thatI actually like.
-- Mason is overcoming the height disadvantage with pure effort. They're not getting all the loose balls, but they're getting enough of them.
-- Calhoun can't find an answer for Jai Lewis on the block.
-- Josh Boone needs to let his rows out into a massive afro.
-- Mason fans are chanting "Where's my laptop?" at Marcus Williams.
-- Thomas takes Armstrong with the dropstep again. "Spider Arms" has a Secretariat heart.
-- Thomas looks like Dave Chappelle. Tony Skinn looks like Curt Flood.
-- Gay hits a jumper and thumps his chest at the Mason fans. Williams hits one and skips down the court smacking himself on the rump like he's riding a horse. These guys suck.
-- It doesn't help that UConn's fans are 99.99% the same as Yankees fans.
-- Mason fans in the darkened nosebleeds are wearing yellow shirts with green glow stick necklaces to great effect.
-- Folarin Campbell gets three the Hardaway at the end of the half to keep UConn within single digits. Great name. Folarin.
-- Mason is only 3-11 from three. Heat up and this is a ballgame.
-- The GMU band is playing "Livin' on a Prayer" again. I loathe the Jovi, but it sounds pretty good right now.
-- SI cover boy Lamar Butler hits a three to go up 1 with 11 minutes left.
-- Chris and I start debating whether Mason fans would rush the court if they pull off the shocker.
-- Buter makes a three And 1. It's starting to feel like something's happening here.
-- Both teams are going back and forth, back and forth. Fast pace, lots of scoring and lead changes. This is awesome.
-- Mason fans are chanting "Kryptonite!"
-- Thomas keeps on scoring on Armstrong and the guy next to me informs that Thomas was 6-0 vs. Gay in high school.
-- Mason, up four in the final minute, gets rejected twice in a row before Williams takes it back the other way to make a layup And 1 with 47 ticks left. This is when UConn pull it out. I'm really starting to hate them a lot.
-- The final minute is a blur that ends in Denham Brown bull rushing the baseline and laying it up at the buzzer. The ball bounces on the rim once, twice, three times before dropping in to force OT.
-- Thomas dropsteps Armstrong again. This no-name, 6"7" dude from the CAA is taking theBig East shot-blocking champion to the hole repeatedly. He's got 19 and 12. All the Mason starters are indouble figures and haven't come out of the game since there was 10 minutes left in regulation.
-- Folarin takes Gay off the dribble and makes a 15 foot fadeaway as the shot clock winds down. Mason up 4 with 1:01 left.
-- Guy next to me says, "These [bleep]ers are tough."
-- Williams hits a three (such a clutch player) to cut it to two with 21 left.
-- Jai at the line for two with 6 seconds. He misses both.
-- Brown takes the miss downcourt for a good look at 3 and... misses!
-- Bedlam... players on scorer's tables... ladders coming out of nowhere... green and yellow-clad fans roaring... a sign that reads "Billy Packer, How Do You Like Us Now?"... Butler and his dad hugging and crying... Chris and I on the court, overwhelmed... UConn, fallen foe... Mason, Final Four.
Luminaries of the college hoops media: ESPN's Andy Katz and my brother Chris
Heard at the post-game press conference...
-- GMU played baseball after practice each of the past two Tuesdays and will do so again this week.
-- Tony Skinn says being called Cinderella has “been working for us... We’ll stick to the script.”
-- Jai Lewis says, “We’re the CAA. Connecticut Assassin Association.”
-- Will Thomas says, "I think I just wanted the basketball more than them when the shot went up."
-- Tony Skinn to Rashad Anderson in the backcourt while Lewis was shooting free throws late in the game: "Y'all still think you’re going to Indianapolis?”
Dry-erase board in the Mason locker room after. It's in reference to Rashad Anderson's guarantee that UConn would go to the Final Four.
Related: Our new friends Yoni Cohen and Stewart Mandel were both on press row. Follow the links to find their recaps.
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Hey there--how would you feel about posting your photos and thoughts on our Mason Basketball Digital Memory Bank? We're at http://hoops.gmu.edu and you'd really fit right in... thanks so much!
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Nice Video! I sat six rows behind Mason's Bench and I didn't even think to bring a camera! Thanks also for the commentary (Skinn does kinda look like Curt Flood).
By the way, Victoria. Fairfax is also a town (aka "Fairfax City", but more appropriately it's a mid-sized town that is the county seat of Fairfax County). The address for the campus indicates "Fairfax, VA". Most residents of N. Virginia probably knew where GMU was before the tournament (but a doubt that many could have identified their school colors).
GO MASON!! -
LARRANAGA- A place or home on the field of a prairie.
As his Basque last name translates.
Perhaps now he will lead them to the "Gailur" (Mountain Top)
Gora! Gorka Mason (Hurray George Mason!) -
Was there a basketball tournament this weekend? Only thing I heard about in the sports reporting out this way was Barry Bonds sneezed or something.
4/9/06 6:51 PM