Conclusion of a series on The Battle of the Orange Line between GW and GMU in men’s basketball on December 2, 2009. We broke down the rivalry. Today: Hail to the buff and blue!
I think friend of the blog @dtearl summed it up best this morning on Twitter:”Wow. Something feels better about riding the orange line this morning, doesn’t it? #GWU”
Indeed it did Dave. Last night, after some good trash talking from the GMU Basketball Blog (glad you liked the banner picture!) GW came out playing some of their best basketball of the year. It certainly didn’t hurt that Mason was missing two of their starters, but that’s how these things work.The Colonials simply outdid the Patriots in every aspect of the game, and a 14-1 run to start the second half put the game out of reach.
So I am, of course, ecstatic that my favorite hoops team is now 5-1 and has a local victory to boot. But what makes me even happier is that this might actually become a rivalry. By all accounts, the crowd of 4,125 was raucous. And it wasn’t just the Colonial Army, apparently Mason fans made up ~35% of the crowd. Now, if I’m at the Smith Center, I hate opposing fans being there. But I kind of like it too. It makes for a fantastic atmosphere. So hopefully GW will return the favor and invade the Patriot Center next year. Regardless, let’s hope this turns out to be a regular thing. The Mason fans wanted to make fun of GW for taking this so seriously, but this can only be good for both schools. A real rivalry would sell tickets, garner media attention, and maybe bring us one step closer to getting GTown and UMD to grow the pair required to take a chance with we mid-majors. Can you imagine if the BB&T were a true local tournament (kind of like what it used to be, but local and with everyone) instead of the 3-game exhibition it is now? The Verizon Center would be insane.
So yeah, the win is great, but the chance at a rivalry is even better. I’ve got the utmost respect for Coach Larranaga and the Patriots for coming into the hostile Smith Center and working with a GW Athletic Department who is notoriously reticent to schedule anything fun for the fans. Here’s to hoping this goes beyond the 2-year commitment.
Loading ...
Recent Comments