AMHERST, Mass.-It's Friday, March 13, which means Mary Bassett has a doctor's appointment scheduled back home in Menton, N.Y., near Rochester. She said she had waited a long time to schedule the visit unawre she would have to miss it. When she learns that the women's basketball team, led by her granddaughter, Jessica Chapin '10, is set to play Muhlenberg College in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, Bassett knows her appointment can wait. Bassett hasn't missed one of Chapin's basketball games since middle school and isn't planning on breaking that streak when her granddaughter takes part in Brandeis' deepest NCAA Tournament run in its history.

"I said, 'I'm not going [to the appointment],'" Bassett says, later joking that "[Chapin] gave me orders last week that I had to cancel the doctor's appointment."

At 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 in Healdsburg, Calif., near San Francisco, Evelyn Radunich, 89, prepares to board a red-eye flight to Logan International Airport. Radunich does not have a streak on the line like Bassett, but she tries to go watch her granddaughter, Cassidy Dadaos '09, play as much as possible. Dadaos' parents, Merrilee and Jim Dadaos, join Radunich on the flight, though for them, the trip is far more routine; they have rarely missed a home game this season.

"A lot of parents drive six hours to see their kids play," Merrilee Dadaos says. "The only difference is that we fly."

Bassett and Radunich are just two of the many family members that attended the Judges' Sweet 16 and Round of Eight games last weekend to watch their kids play. The players' relatives made up the majority of the Brandeis cheering section, as the Department of Athletics did not send a fan bus to either game, as they did when the men's basketball team played in Plattsburgh, N.Y. in last year's NCAA Tournament.

"A lot students [sic] told us they appreciated the fan bus option but preferred to drive themselves. So only 11 seats on the fan bus sold in advance. This wasn't enough to cover the cost, and, therefore, we canceled it," Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa '90 wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. She added that she "was pleased with student turnout overall, and particularly on Friday night [against Muhlenberg]."

The fans that did attend were certainly active in the games, particularly the parents. Sitting two rows behind the Brandeis bench, Bassett said at halftime that "I'm not as active as [Superfan] Alan Karon," but with the Judges leading 34-16 against Muhlenberg last Friday, Bassett, annoyed by what she thought was an offensive foul on the Mules, jokingly offered the referee her glasses.

"I just love going and I really love sports," Bassett says. "I have four grandchildren, and three of them are really active in sports."

Bassett says she can't remember exactly when she started attending all of Chapin's sporting events, but the six-hour trip to Brandeis from Menton hasn't stopped her or Chapin's parents.

Radunich, however, has earned a cult following in the Judges during Dadaos' career. Radunich says her granddaughters call her "Tutu," and the nickname stuck when Dadaos joined the Judges. Now, everyone on the Judges call her Tutu.

"[Guard] Carmela Breslin ['10] came up to me and said, 'Oh, hi Tutu,'" Radunich recalls. "The whole team now calls me Tutu; even [coach] Carol Simon calls me Tutu [now].

When asked how the tradition began, Radunich praised her granddaughter, saying "Cassidy's the kind of person to start it. . She's a leader without being pushy, and so the girls, being as close as they are, all continued."

While the families were unable to propel the Judges to a Final Four appearance, the players said they appreciated their presence.

"It's pretty special that we have people willing to give up days in the office and other commitments," Cassidy Dadaos told reporters after the Judges' win over Muhlenberg. "We've all given about 15 years to the sport, and they've given up just as much as we have.