jameyer@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

Saturday night, roughly 1,500 fans witnessed something pretty unique. The No. 4 CMU women’s basketball team ended a near-flawless season with an RMAC Shootout championship. With that win over Colorado Christian University, they secured a trip to the South/Central regional tournament (think opening rounds of March Madness) that they probably already had locked up.

The last time I remember having this much fun watching basketball was the 2009-10 men’s team headed by Mike Dominguez. It was a blast, and the student section was a riot of drunken cursing and cheering. It’s an amazing experience for even a part-time sports fan. If you haven’t been to one of these games (75% of you), please put down the pipe/controller/homework (right…) and watch the 2013 CMU women’s basketball team.

The argument that fans need to have “Mav spirit” (whatever that is) and show up to these games out of pure, unadulterated love for this school is old, tired and a little sad. There are, however, plenty of perfectly good reasons to show up. In no particular order, here are six reasons to come to a regional game that CMU is likely hosting.

1. They are really, really good. At 28-1, they’re likely one of the greatest RMAC teams to ever play in the conference. Fort Hays State went 34-2 as an RMAC member in the 1990-91 season. Since 1980, there hasn’t been a single team with one loss or undefeated overall record. That’s a better record than 33 years worth of RMAC teams.

2. This doesn’t happen very often. 2001-02 was the last time the then Mesa State Mavericks women’s team won the RMAC shootout. Before that, half the students at CMU hadn’t been born.

3. There’s a stigma that girls basketball is like watching paint dry. The lack of high-wire plays and a perceived lack of physicality are usually the main detractors. People who perpetuate that stereotype have never seen this CMU team play. Coach Taylor Wagner and company run a very frenetic transition game and sound, speedy offensive plays. I saw the shot clock run all the way down maybe twice against CCU. They also play hard-nosed, high-intensity defense. I’m pretty sure Katrina Selsor nearly punched a referee (super-high intensity), and you do not get in Bruna Deichmann’s way on the basketball court. She will destroy you.

4. Speaking of high intensity, if you’re more of a theater fan and less of a basketball fan, you’ll enjoy Wagner. He jumps up and down, waving his hands like a crazy person. He contorts his face in ways thought to be impossible. He’s also one hell of a coach. After going 33-3 at Otero JC in La Junta, Wagner had one of the best seasons in CMU history during his first year. Way to set the bar high.

5. My roommate thinks Kelsey Sigl is hot. I think she’s an incredibly dominate post presence. Regardless of how you define Sigl, she’s one of the best players to put on maroon and gold. Remember, Sigl spent a year at Bismarck State, so these stats are over a three year career, when most record-holders have four years at CMU. All-time, Sigl has 1,399 points, fourth in school history. She has 536 points this season, sixth for a single season in school history. Her 202 rebounds this season is fourth all-time for a single season.

6. The student section, if you catch it on the right night, is absolutely bonkers. Against Fort Lewis, they had pictures of an opposing player’s face on wooden dowels. Against CCU, cardboard cutouts of Aragorn and Saruman from Lord of the Rings made appearances (props to whoever held Aragorn behind the basket while the CCU player was shooting). Occasionally, when the student section directs its ire at referees, the rest of Brownson Arena joins in. And when CCU guard Stacie Gross is at the line, the student section naturally sings “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne.