Across the country, dozens of collegiate pep bands have followed their classmates as they have competed in the men’s and women’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments. While the teams have faced the pressure to survive and advance to the next round, groups of about 30 band members have provided the soundtrack to the games from the stands, just past the sidelines.
With courtside seats and formal absence excuse letters for their professors, the band members may just have the best jobs in the tournament.
“Everyone is dialed into the reason we are here, which is the incredible women’s basketball team,” said Drew Bonner, a graduate teaching assistant for the Iowa band.