The Massachusetts men’s basketball team ended its season on Wednesday night, but the men’s basketball Collegian beat writers had two more days to spend in the nation’s capital. 

After sightseeing on Thursday, the three of us spent all of Friday in Capital One Arena, taking in a quadruple header of quarterfinals in what is the final Atlantic 10 Tournament for the Minutemen. On social media, the A-10 is known to have some of the most passionate players, bands and fans in the nation, which made for a fun viewing experience.

Before our coverage moves over completely to the MAC, here’s everything we noticed out of this unique league on Friday: 

No. 8 St. Bonaventure vs. No. 1 VCU

• In the first half, a debate was sparked between Mike and this writer (Dean) over who had the better pep band: St. Bonaventure or VCU’s Peppas. I argued that the Peppas weren’t only better, but that they were one of the best pep bands in the nation. Mike appreciated the underdog mentality of the Bonnies’ band, saying that they sounded just as good as the Peppas with fewer people. Sam was the deciding vote, and the Peppas’ halftime performance of Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” gave VCU the win. 
• The A-10 event operations staff made a poor choice when looking for a St. Bonaventure fan to do a free-throw shooting contest. The participant took 10-15 free throws and made just one. 
• The jumbotron over the court is one of the most intricate designs we’ve all ever seen at an arena. With three different levels of screens that all get smaller from top to bottom, the jumbotron broadcasts almost every aspect of the game onto it. It’s a complete mesh of the plays on the floor, the score, player and game stats, the A-10 logo and a transcription of the game announcer. We all can agree that the jumbotron is very screen-intensive with too much going on for an average fan to enjoy.
• Speaking of the jumbotron, the flex cam with seven minutes to play brought out some characters. One VCU grandma with yellow foam fingers on each hand made sure to use one to point out her biceps. She was followed up by a young gentleman who thought he made the roster, flexing in a full Rams uniform, topped off with a headband for added effect.

No. 5 Saint Louis vs. No. 4 Loyola Chicago

• Mike initially picked Saint Louis to win this matchup, but after getting “goosebumps” from the Ramblers’ hype video, his opinion was quickly swayed. 
• In similar fashion to the infamous half-court controversy at UMass earlier this year, a fan at this game had his foot on the line during a shooting challenge. During a media timeout roughly halfway through the first half of this game, a fan was tasked with making a layup, free throw and three-pointer. This writer (Mike) paid close attention to where his toe took off from on his final shot, and I can say with confidence that it was over the line. He still received his A-10 swag bag, but I’m sure they’ll be taking it back from him if they look back at the footage.
• The Saint Louis Billiken mascot does not know what it’s doing. For much of the game, we would look over at the Billiken and it would just be standing completely still, with the occasional clap and point. But when the Billiken did decide to emote, it came in the forms of celebrating when Loyola Chicago scored or awkwardly chosen dance moves on the court with the rest of the Saint Louis cheer and dance teams. This game may have been the mascot’s first, and hopefully last day on the job.
• One guy got so excited that he got up on the jumbotron’s dance cam that he poured the rest of his bucket of popcorn on his head. The girl he was with didn’t seem too impressed.

No. 7 George Washington vs. No. 2 George Mason

• After catching this paper’s attention two years ago, Doc Nix and the Green Machine pep band were back in full force, bringing plenty of energy to Capital One Arena. Nix was dressed in a crisp off-white suit and pants, leading his musicians in energetic renditions of hit songs. 
• The jumbotron was too convoluted for its own operators, as the score of the game was broken on the main screen for 10 in-game minutes.
• Two Revolutionaries fans tried to connect with their players by creating posters that used modern-day lingo. One was a self-described “aura analysis” that called George Washington’s players “alphas” while everyone else was “betas”. The other poster kept it simple: a picture of George Washington’s mascot with the caption “all rizz, no cap.” These people may have accidentally made ground in the “12-year old obsessed with TikTok” demographic. 
• A-10 Tournament regular Tyler’s Amazing Balancing Act returned for two halftime performances on Thursday, with this being his second. During the six-minute show, he balanced wheelbarrows, ladders, ironing boards and more. His skills will always be impressive, but I’m sad to report that a script that was outdated in 2023 hasn’t changed (Like pulling out the whip and the nae nae. Eight years too late, Tyler.).
• George Washington’s band’s conductor either has an identical twin, or he was also the conductor of the UMass band on Wednesday. He changed from a maroon Minutemen-colored shirt into a Revolutionaries blue, leading all of the chants and cheers for both teams. Pretty fake if you ask us.
• The Patriots had one fan with a giant yellow fuzzy jacket on directly behind their bench, practicing his vertical jump after each George Mason made basket. It’s safe to say he didn’t get any higher as the game went on.
• During a break in the second half, the George Mason’s women’s basketball team was brought out onto the court and received a loud standing ovation from the Patriots’ fans. The women’s team won the A-10 tournament last week and clinched themselves a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. This crossover of the A-10 men’s and women’s basketball teams was a very cool moment to witness.

No. 6 Saint Joseph’s vs No. 3 Dayton

• The first and only mascot dance-off we’ve seen at the tournament occurred between Dayton’s Rudy Flyer and Saint Joseph’s The Hawk. While the upbeat music played, Rudy Flyer went first and showed off his best dance moves. Then, The Hawk stuck with what it knows best and continuously flapped its wings up and down for the duration of its turn. As the crowd’s cheers determined the winner, the fans (and Mike) seemed to enjoy The Hawk’s performance more. Dean and this writer (Sam) both agree that Rudy Flyer was snubbed of the win.
• For those who don’t know, the Hawk literally flaps its wings for the entire game. It actually swings its arms for over two hours straight without stopping once. This writer (Mike) did not believe it was a real thing before seeing it with my own eyes. I now understand why they get a full scholarship.
• One fan in the front row near center court wore a shiny gold jacket that you could see from a mile away. Unclear who he was cheering for. 
• Dean had a great appreciation for the St. Joe’s band’s use of percussion (yes he was a band kid). This writer (Mike) is hearing a lot of excuses about Dean’s affiliation with his school’s band back in the day.
• Between their face paint, oversized sunglasses and multiple sets of silly hats (those of the chicken and propeller variety), Dayton’s pep band was organized and better-dressed than most. 
• It was $24 for a chicken sandwich at concessions. The bun was hard as a rock.

Dean Wendel can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @DeanWende1. Mike Maynard can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @mikecmaynard. Samantha Sands can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @samantha_sands_.