In Game
A Georgetown Hoyas basketball game is an excellent opportunity to see a topnotch college basketball game at a world class arena. The Hoyas are consistently one of the best teams in college hoops and have a strong following, so even though the team plays in an NBA arena, you’ll still get an exciting atmosphere that you’d find in an on-campus venue.
Hoyas fans come out in large numbers to support their team, which goes a long way in making a Georgetown basketball game an exciting event. In addition to the raucous student section who will serenade you with their “Saxa Hoya” cheer, the Capital One Arena is also home to an outstanding pep band and cheer squad. The pep band and cheer squad along with the rowdy students give the Capital One Arena an entirely different and more collegiate feel when attending a Hoyas basketball game.
The Capital One Arena is located right near the many museums as well as Chinatown district of D.C., so you won’t have to go far to get to the game if you’re already visiting the city. The area around the Capital One Arena is home to many shops and restaurants as well, and Gallery Place is located right behind sections 120 and 121 of the Capital One Arena. At Gallery Place you’ll find numerous bars and restaurants as well as a movie theater and bowling alley, so make sure to check it out before or after the game.
You’ll have an excellent time attending a Georgetown basketball game where the Hoyas fans and spirit fans manage to turn the Capital One Arena into a topnotch college hoops facility.
Things to check out
The Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grille
The Green Turtle is located just beyond the Verizon Center’s main concourse and is the perfect place to grab something to eat or drink before, during, or after the game. It was the first official sports bar in the Gallery Place/Chinatown District and is still fan favorite to this day.
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Gallery Place
Gallery Place is your one stop shop for pregame and postgame entertainment. Inside Gallery Place, you’ll find plenty to keep you entertained as not only are there a variety of bars and restaurants, but the facility is also home to a movie theater and bowling alley.
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Historical Exhibits
All around the concourse you’ll find exhibits dedicated to the histories of the Georgetown Hoyas, Washington Wizards, and Washington Capitals. There is plenty to see on the concourse so arrive early and walk the concourse to take it all in.
Championship Banners
Take a minute to view the banners hanging from the rafters of the Verizon Center. The banners honor lots of Wizards, Capitals, and Hoyas teams including Georgetown’s 1984 national championship team.
Jack the Bulldog
Jack the Bulldog is the official mascot of the Georgetown Hoyas. Jack has been the name of the bulldog since 1962, and he is a big part of a Georgetown basketball game. The Hoyas also have a costumed version of Jack who entertains the crowd throughout the game, so keep your eyes peeled for both mascots as you wouldn’t want to miss either.
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Pep Band
The pep band does an excellent job of bringing life to the Verizon Center with their music. The band plays a variety of Georgetown school songs including “There Goes Old Georgetown” as well as contemporary music, so enjoy the atmosphere provided by the pep band at the game.
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Cheer and Dance Teams
The cheer and dance teams keep the energy in the Verizon Center high during timeouts and other stoppages in play. You’ll remain entertained throughout the game thanks to the fantastic routines of the Georgetown cheer and dance teams.
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Fight Songs
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“There Goes Old Georgetown”
It’s been so long since last we met
Lie down forever, lie down
Oh, have you any money to bet
Lie down forever, lie down!There goes old…Georgetown
Straight for a…touchdown
See how they…gain ground
Lie down forever, lie down
Lie down forever, lie down!Rah! Rah! Rah!
Hurrah for Georgetown
Cheer for victory today
‘Ere the sun has sunk to rest,
In the cradle of the west
In the clouds will proudly float the Blue and Gray.We’ve heard those loyal fellows up at Yale
Brag and boast about their ‘Boola-Boola’
We’ve heard the Navy yell, we’ve listened to Cornell
We’ve heard the sons of Harvard tell
How Crimson lines could hold them
‘Choo! Choo! Rah! Rah!’, dear to Holy Cross
The proud old Princeton tiger is never at a loss
But the yell of all the yells,
The yell that wins the day
Is the ‘HOYA, HOYA SAXA!’ of the dear old Blue and Gray.(Repeat First Two Verses)
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Georgetown Alma Mater
Hail, oh Georgetown, Alma Mater,
Swift Potomac’s lovely daughter,
Ever watching by the water,
Smiles on us today.
Now her children gather ’round her,
Lo, with garlands they have crowned her,
Reverent hands and fond enwound her,
With the Blue and Gray.Chorus:
Wave her colors ever,
Furl her standards never,
But raise it high,
And proudly cry,
May Georgetown live forever.Where Potomac’s tide is streaming,
From her spires and steeples beaming,
See the grand old banner gleaming:
Georgetown’s Blue and Gray.Throned on hills beside the river,
Georgetown sees it flow forever,
Sees the ripples shine and shiver,
Watching night and day.
And each tender breeze upspringing,
Rarest woodland perfumes bringing,
All its folds to fullness flinging,
Flaunts the Blue and Gray. -
Hoya Saxa
You’ll hear the “Hoya Saxa” call and response cheer at every Georgetown basketball game. The cheer has been part of Georgetown tradition since before 1893 and is an excellent way to show off your Hoyas pride at a game. Join in on the Hoya Saxa chant to be a part of the atmosphere at a Georgetown basketball game.
Hoya Saxa!
