When the Spiders won the Atlantic 10 tournament Sunday afternoon, director of student involvement Andy Gurka leapt into action.

Gurka quickly organized a watch party for the Robins Center Thursday afternoon when the  Spiders would take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

“We knew we had to do something special for our fans here on campus,” Gurka said. “The atmosphere in the Robins Center was electric and exciting for faculty, staff, students, and alumni to be together.”

Spiders were lining up before the doors opened to grab more than 2,000 T-shirts and signs. Dining services provided hot dogs, drinks, and chips to the fans. Numerous media outlets covered the excitement.

Spider fans clearly wanted to come together to support their team — whether on campus or at watch parties around the country. In the Robins Center, fans were jumping and screaming for even the mention of the Spiders on national television before the game even got started.

And once the game began, everything from baskets to rebounds to steals caused joyful eruptions rivaling those of a live game. 

When the livestream feed stopped during a commercial, the center grew eerily quiet. The Spiders were on a scoring run, and no one wanted to miss a second. Turns out rain and a direct TV satellite don’t always play well together, but the feed was up and running before the next shot was taken. 

In the final seconds, everyone stood and held their breath. It was the longest five seconds. And then -- pandemonium as the Spiders knocked off the Hawkeyes. Fans rushed to the floor jumping up and down, dancing, and cheering. Even after the Robins Center cleared, shouts and cheers for joy could be heard all across campus. 

The Robins Center is set to host another watch party Saturday evening when the Spiders play the Providence Friars at 6:10 p.m. Find watch parties across the country here.