For those of you who have long since given up on Tufts' athletics, here's a ray of hope: the men's basketball team has clinched a home berth for the first two rounds of the NESCAC postseason tournament. The Jumbos' first-round game will be against Colby at Cousens Gym at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, and here are the top 10 reasons to get out of bed and pack the stands.
10. Be that guy. You know which one: the really obnoxious fan everyone says is annoying but secretly loves.
9. How else will you know whether Reggie's sporting the full 'fro or the A.I. cornrows?
8. Come see a team that has an even lamer mascot than the Jumbos. Seriously, do white mules even exist?
7. In case you haven't been to any men's games yet, they're ridiculously fun to watch. Their style is vaguely reminiscent of the '02 St. Louis Rams. The Jumbos lead the NESCAC in points per game and are last in points allowed.
6. Forget the Cameron Crazies, here come the Medford Maniacs, Jumbo Junkies, Gantcher Groupies, Cousens Crackheads? (ok, maybe not, but we can dream.)
5. For those of you who don't leave the dorm without your jeans neatly tucked into your Uggs, we promise it's totally ok to wear brown and blue together on Saturday.
4. Jumbo fans can be downright creative, not to mention nasty. Last Friday against Trinity, chants of "Go back to New Jersey" to then-NESCAC player of the week Tyler Rhoten echoed throughout Cousens. Next came a chorus of "Safety school." (Umm, a little hypocrisy there? We didn't want to go Ivy League. We swear.)
3. Baseball hasn't started yet. Football's over. The NHL canceled the season. The NBA's boring, and you don't get ESPN. It's time we all started coming around to Tufts sports.
2. The team has never been ranked as high as No. 2 in the history of the NESCAC. If the Jumbos can pull it off, winning the tournament would earn the team an automatic bid in the Div. III National Championships as well as bring some serious pride to the Hill.
1. A 75-year-old fieldhouse full of screaming fans, bouncing balls, and shrill whistles is exactly what the doctor ordered for your hangover.
-- By Liz Hoffman, Jessica Genninger and Dave Pomerantz
