George Mason

Poll: What Will be Thursday's Big Upset?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:06:24 -0700

Seven Day Stretch: Championship Week Review

Rob Carpentier — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:40:33 -0700

The “Curse” bit Stanford, Valparaiso, Arizona and even me last week. That’s right; I was the victim of my own making. I went on a national radio show to talk a bit on the upcoming NCAA Tournament and when asked about which team I thought was “this year’s George Mason”, I talked about South Alabama. The Jaguars lost that very night on their home floor to put their NCAA status in serious doubt. Sorry, Jags…next time I’ll keep my mouth shut.

Seven Day Savior (Team): George Mason Patriots

Everybody’s darling of two years ago, (remember the Final Four run?), is back! Mason won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament by defeating William & Mary this past Monday night. The Patriots are going to be a scary opponent for whoever draws them in the Field of 65. They still have five players from that Final Four squad, including two, Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell, who played significant minutes on that 2006 team. That experience, coupled with the solid coaching of Jim Larranaga, makes Mason a solid choice for a “Cinderella” getting past the first round. What makes this story even more unlikely is that the Patriots were only the #3 seed in the conference tourney and this was the first time that that any of the Patriot players had won the conference tournament title. Even the Final Four team had to get an at-large bid on Selection Sunday.

Honorable Mention to Davidson as the Wildcats were able to complete a perfect conference season, both regular and tournament. Davidson will be a difficult opponent, too, as close losses to North Carolina, Duke and UCLA can attest.

Seven Day Savior (Player): Michael Jenkins, Winthrop Eagles

After the week he had in the Big South Tournament, how could anyone not pick the Eagle senior? Jenkins, who has dedicated this season and Winthrop’s to a teammate who was killed last year, led the Eagles in the first two games of the Big South Tourney and then exploded in the title game. In that game, against a UNC-Asheville team that had already swept the Eagles in the regular season, Jenkins score 20 of his team’s first 30 points and finished with 33. Jenkins is clearly one of those kids that is going to be a handful for any BCS conference team in the upcoming NCAAs. It’s not as if Jenkins is the only good player on the Winthrop squad. Coach Randy Peele can count on scoring from several of Jenkins’ teammates should a team decide to take Jenkins out of the game. Jenkins is unselfish, he’s a leader and he has the look of a young man who will do whatever it takes to win his next game.

News of the Week: The Return of Lute

It was announced earlier this week that Lute Olson will return to the sidelines for Arizona starting next season. This has some serious ramifications, not the least of which is the probable end of Kevin O’Neill’s short term as head coach. Olson’s return goes deeper than that, though. Over the past several seasons Olson’s Arizona squads had fallen closer and closer to mediocrity. Olson, who is a proponent of the motion offense and zone defenses, had been consistently outcoached by his Pac-10 Conference brethren and it was only the talent that Olson had on his roster that prevented a full collapse. The only way to change that is for Olson to come back reenergized and committed to getting Arizona to the top of the Pac-10, let alone the nation, again. While he can still do that, the reality is that Olson isn’t getting any younger, a fact that other pac-10 schools will undoubtedly point out to recruits. Olson had been making recruiting mistakes over the past several years in that he was only going after blue-chippers and those “glue guys” that every good team needs to make a deep run in March weren’t getting much playing time. There is nothing that indicates that Olson will have changed his recruiting strategy.

Arizona had an opportunity to have Olson leave with dignity, and he still may. After all, a coach with his track record does deserve to leave on his own terms, but this is going to be a long-term problem for Arizona as Olson probably only has a few years left in him at best. With his return, Arizona will see the transfer in Pac-10 power, which is moving towards the California schools, become more pronounced, and it may take a long time for Arizona to fully catch up once Lute does call it a career.

Game of the Week (The one you DON’T know about): Miami v. Virginia Tech

In order for this game to take place in the ACC Tournament, Miami first needs to take care of North Carolina State. Assuming that happens, this game could be huge. Depending on how things break, the ACC could be looking at only four bids to the NCAA Tournament. If that’s the case, that means that Miami, Va Tech and Maryland are fighting for one berth. This could change, of course, if two of these three teams make a deep ACC run. However, a game between the Hurricanes and the Hokies could have serious implications for both teams’ postseason aspirations. Miami is actually in a better position to suffer a loss and still receive an NCAA bid. That’s because, even though the Hokies finished higher in the final ACC standings, they did so because they only had to face the “tough” teams, (Duke and UNC), once each. Virginia Tech needs this game badly. At a time when most bracketologists are talking about the “bubble” games coming up in the Pac-10 Tournament, none of those may be bigger than this potential match-up.

Seven Days Under the Radar: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame finished in third place in the Big East, arguably the toughest conference in the country, yet no one has really talked up their chances in the Big East Tournament. That’s because the Irish are much better in the friendly home confines of the Joyce Center than they are on the road. However, the Irish did win five conference road games, and while only the Villanova win stands out at all, Notre Dame has slowly been gaining confidence away from home. They have a very good “go-to” player in Luke Harangody and they can shoot from beyond the arc. The only thing that Coach Mike Brey has to be able to do is convince the Irish that every defensive stop they can get is important. If the Irish play decent defense then they very well could be playing for the conference title on Saturday.

Seven Days on the Hot Seat: Sidney Lowe, North Carolina State

Lowe is only finishing his second season in Raleigh but this year has been a disaster as far as Wolfpack fans are concerned. Lowe took over a program that was becoming the consistent third power in the ACC behind UNC and Duke. However, fans thought that Lowe’s predecessor, Herb Sendek didn’t win enough and they didn’t like his methodical offensive system. When the head coaching position opened NC State took a run at several higher profile candidates, (like Steve Lavin), but ended up “settling” on Lowe. When I say “settling”, I mean that Lowe was clearly not NC State’s first choice. That being the case Lowe could have thought of himself as keeping the seat warm until someone else was ready. In other words, because he wasn’t the first choice, and in spite of his NBA coaching pedigree Lowe has a much shorter leash when it comes to rebuilding. But that’s Lowe’s problem; he shouldn’t be rebuilding. Most observers felt that NC State should at least be an NCAA Tourney team this season. One thing’s for sure, there isn’t anyone who pegged the Wolfpack for anywhere near last place and that’s exactly where they stand. Lowe will get some slack because he lost point guard Farnold Degand in late December to an ACL tear. Losing your point guard isn’t a good thing, especially when his only back-up is a true freshman. That was Lowe’s predicament heading into the New Year. However, that doesn’t explain the coaching blunders and the complete meltdown competitively by the Pack over the last three weeks. This doesn’t sit well in Raleigh. Lowe won’t lose his job at the end of this season, but anything less than a top three finish in the ACC next year will mean a pink slip.

Seven Days of Head Scratching: The “Curse”

I’ve made a great deal of “hay” about the “curse” that I “created” when I started the SDS column back in January. In all honesty, I have never really believed in it or any other real superstitious thing. I simply thought it was a fun thing to add to the column. However, except for one week, every team that I’ve either given the Seven Day Savior award to, either the team award or to a player on that team, has lost the following week. This has included small schools, like UNC-Asheville, which went on a three game losing streak the week of their selection as the Savior of the week, and big schools, like Stanford, which I selected as my Seven days Under the Radar team last week. The Cardinal proceeded to go out and lose two straight games in Los Angeles to close out their Pac-10 regular season. Because of these odd happenings, I am now really beginning to believe in the curse. Look let’s face it, I have people holding candle-light vigils now on the quads of their favorite school pleading with the powers-that-be in an attempt to prevent me from putting them in the dreaded Seven Day Stretch. I was thinking that once the brackets for the Big Dance come out, that I’ll write a supplemental SDS mentioning all the possible teams that my favorite team might face…that way I can do my part to help my school win a national title.

You know what I’ve really figured out over the years? There are people who really think like this. I also figured out that I take myself way too seriously sometimes. Everybody have a great weekend of college hoops, (really, is there any other kind?), and get ready to go dancing.

Man, I love my job!

2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: George Mason

Joel Welser — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:02:32 -0700

George Mason Patriots

Colonial Athletic Association (23-10, 10-6)

Big Wins: 11/17 Dayton (67-56), 11/22 vs Kansas State (87-77), 1/29 VCU (63-51)

Bad Losses: 12/2 vs East Carolina (65-68), 1/2 at Georgia State (64-66), 1/9 at Delaware (68-73)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2006, Final Four loss to Florida

Coach: Jim Larranaga (4-3 in 3 NCAA appearances)

Probable Starters:

Dre Smith, Junior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 1.4 apg

John Vaughan, Junior, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.0 rpg

Folarin Campbell, Senior, Guard, 15.9 ppg, 3.3 apg, 4.5 rpg

Louis Birdsong, Sophomore, Forward, 6.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg

Will Thomas, Senior, Forward , 15.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Cam Long, Freshman, Guard

Jordan Carter, Senior, Guard

Vlad Moldoveanu, Freshman, Forward

Why They Can Surprise:

George Mason is just two years removed their improbable run to the Final Four. A few pieces remain from that team, but this is an experienced group any way you look at it. Will Thomas was a starter on that Final Four squad and the senior is looking to make a little more history this time around. Thomas averages 15.8 points and a team high 10.5 rebounds. Thomas will have a double-double more often than not, but it is not just his ability in the paint that makes this an intimidating frontcourt. Louis Birdsong will not score nearly as much as Thomas, but he is a solid rebounder.

The Patriots only commit 12 turnovers per game. It does not really matter what they do poorly if they can hang onto the ball like that. At the least, GMU will have opportunities to put points on the board. Guards Dre Smith and John Vaughan can take some of the credit for the few turnovers. However, everybody has to play a part to keep the number that low. Neither Smith nor Vaughan will put up great assist numbers, but they are both solid ball handlers who can do plenty of scoring as well.

Why They Can Disappoint:

George Mason has enough weapons that they could get by in the Colonial Athletic Association without hitting a lot of three-pointers. But in the tournament there will be more athletic teams and bigger teams that the Patriots will have to beat if they want to make another magical run. Without the long ball, GMU might have trouble keeping pace with those teams. Vaughan, Smith and the team’s leading scorer, Folarin Campbell, will hit some shots from beyond the arc, but nobody is very consistent.

Who To Watch:

Campbell not only hits the occasional three-pointer, he does everything. He is a great scorer around the basket and gets to the charity stripe about six times per game. And of course, once he is there, he hits nearly 74 percent of his attempts. But scoring is not all he does. Campbell averages 4.5 rebounds per game and leads the team with 3.3 assists per contest. He has a team high 1.2 steals per game and can even occasionally block a shot. With Campbell, Coach Jim Larranaga has an experienced player who can do anything his team needs.

- More 2008 NCAA Tournament Coverage

- All 2008 Tournament Capsules

2008 BracketBusters Schedule

Press Release — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:15:33 -0800

2008 O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters Television Matchups

Friday, Feb 22
Davidson at Winthrop
UCSB at Utah State

Saturday, Feb 23
Creighton at Oral Roberts
George Mason at Ohio
Kent State at St. Mary’s (Ca.)
Marist at Cleveland State
Miami at Valparaiso
Nevada at Southern Illinois
Rider at CS Northridge
Siena at Boise State
UWM at Bradley
Virginia Commonwealth at Akron

Sunday, Feb 24
Wright State at Illinois State

2008 O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters Non-Television Matchups
* Times to be Announced

Albany at Canisius
Ball State at Eastern Kentucky
Binghamton at Manhattan
Boston U at St. Peter's
Bowling Green at Detroit
Bucknell at Old Dominion
Cal Poly at Fresno State
UC Davis at Loyola MD
Delaware at Toledo
Evansville at Eastern Illinois
Fairfield at Drexel
Georgia Southern at Austin Peay
Georgia State at Jacksonville State
Hawaii at Riverside
High Point at Towson
Hofstra at Iona
Idaho at Irvine
Indiana State at Murray State
LBSU at New Mexico State
Loyola Ill at William & Mary
Morehead State at James Madison
Niagara at Appalachian State
Portland State at CS Fullerton
Samford at La Tech
San Jose State at Pacific
Southeast Missouri State at Eastern Michigan
Tennessee-Martin at Elon
Tennessee State at Northern Illinois
Tennessee Tech at ETSU
UIC at Northern Iowa
Vermont at UNCW
Western Michigan at UW-Green Bay
Wichita State at Holy Cross
Youngstown State at Buffalo

Games of the Night: VCU at George Mason

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:01:50 -0800

Games of the Night

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

VCU (15-4) at George Mason (14-6)

7:00 PM ESPN2

It's rare that a great mid-major game ends up on national television for just about everyone to see. Such is the case tonight where the two best teams in the CAA meet. VCU has won 7 straight, but GMU is unbeaten at home.. so someone's streak is coming to an end. Junior guard Dre Smith could be the key to Mason's chances.. he can be feast or famine at times, but famine won't cut it against Eric Maynor.

Prediction: VCU

Miami (15-4) at Wake Forest (12-6)

7:00 PM

Both teams enter this game with 2-3 ACC records, yet Miami is still in sight of the Top 25. A home win over Clemson perhaps saved Miami's tournament hopes, but now they face road games at Wake and Duke. Wake is not a pushover right now, and should be a slight favorite in Vegas by tip-off. James Johnson is an emerging talent for Wake, but the key could be whether point guard Ishmael Smith has one of his good nights or one of his bad. This could go either way.

Prediction: Wake Forest

#8 Tennessee (17-2) at Alabama (12-8)

9:00 PM ESPN

Before the season started, this might have looked like a key SEC battle. But another Ronald Steele injury and blow chances in close games has left Alabama with a mediocre overall record and a poor 1-4 SEC mark. This game scares me a bit, because as bad as Bama has been they have the talent to cause fits on a good night. Also, Tennessee lost their last road game, but Chris Lofton finally seems to be shooting his way out of a season-long slump.. which is a major positive.

Prediction: Tennessee

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions)

January 28th - Louisville at UCONN (1-2)

January 27th - Duke at Maryland (2-1)

January 26th - Georgetown at West Virginia (3-0)

January 24rd - Dayton at Xavier (2-1)

January 22nd - Akron at Kent State (2-1)

January 21st - Drake at Creighton (1-2)

January 20th - Texas at Oklahoma State (3-0)

January 19th - Marquette at UCONN (2-1)

January 18th - Illinois State at Drake (2-1)

January 17th - Vanderbilt at Tennessee (2-1)

January 14th - Georgetown at Pittsburgh (2-1)

January 12th - Stanford at Oregon (3-0)

January 9th - Rhode Island at Dayton (2-1)

January 8th - Florida at Alabama (2-1)

January 7th - Robert Morris at Boston College (1-2)

January 6th - North Carolina at Clemson (2-1)

January 5th - Western Kentucky at South Alabama (3-0)

January 4th - American at Brown (0-3)

January 3rd - UCLA at Stanford (3-0)

January 2nd - Houston at UMASS (2-1)

Preview: Old Spice Classic

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:41:04 -0800

For the second year, ESPN and the MAAC will put on the Old Spice Classic at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. Last season’s tournament, won by Arkansas, was a competitive event that featured five teams who eventually played in the postseason. Will this year’s group of eight yield the same success? The answer to that question won’t be known until March, but this year’s field does have something that last year’s didn’t: one of the nation’s best freshmen. His name: Michael Beasley of Kansas State. But to focus solely on Beasley would be unfair to some of the other spectacular players in the field, such as Jason Thompson (Rider), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), Geary Claxton (Penn State) and Brandon Costner (NC State). And if you’re looking for another freshman to rave about, keep an eye out for the Wolfpack’s J.J. Hickson. Below is a quick preview of the tournament, followed by my prediction.

Schedule of Games (all times Eastern)

Thursday, November 22^nd

Game 1: South Carolina vs. Penn State, Noon (ESPN2)

Game 2: Rider vs. NC State, 2 PM (ESPN2)

Game 3: Villanova vs. Central Florida, 7 PM (ESPN2)

Game 4: Kansas State vs. George Mason, 9 PM (ESPN2)

Friday, November 23^rd

Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10:30 AM (ESPN2)

Game 6: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 12:30 PM (ESPN2)

Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 5 PM (ESPN2)

Game 8: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7:30 PM (ESPN2)

Sunday, November 25^th

Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 11 AM (ESPNU)

Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 8, 1 PM (ESPNU)

Game 11: Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 4:30 PM (ESPN2)

Game 12: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 6:30 PM (ESPN2)

South Carolina

The Gamecocks come into this tournament with one of the better backcourts in the field. The only thing is that while both Devan Downey and Zam Frederick have Division I experience, none of it came in Columbia. Downey (16.7 ppg, 7.3 apg) returned to his home state after a year at Cincinnati in which he was one of the best freshmen in the Big East. Frederick (13.3 ppg), now a junior, played two seasons under Paul Hewitt at Georgia Tech. Now while these two are expected to lead the Gamecocks this season, players such as Dominique Archie (13.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Brandis Raley-Ross (12.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Mike Holmes (9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) can also make some things happen. Archie, in fact, was a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team last season. Five players average at least nine points per game thus far for 2-1 South Carolina, coming off of an 85-75 loss to Southern California. Losing Tre Kelley and Brandon Wallace will be an adjustment, but Dave Odom still has some talent at his disposal.

Player to Watch: Downey. He may only stand 5-9, but he can be a blur when going full speed up and down the court.

Penn State

Ed DeChellis heads into his fifth season in State College, and after a step back it’s time to see some results from the Nittany Lions. Penn State, a year after playing in the NIT, went 11-19 and finished in a tie for dead last in the Big Ten. While Geary Claxton, once again a first team All-Big Ten candidate, will be on display in Orlando, Jamelle Cornley will not because of a bone bruise in his left knee. Claxton is currently averaging 21.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for the Lions. Other players to keep an eye on include seniors Danny Morrissey (11.5 ppg) and Mike Walker (8.0 ppg, 2.0 apg), and freshman point guard Talor Battle (10.0 ppg, 4.5 apg). The leading rebounder, stepping in for the enigmatic Milos Bogetic who decided to transfer during the off-season, is senior Brandon Hassell (9.5 rpg). After easy wins over St. Francis (PA) and Canisius, South Carolina will be their first test of the season.

Player to Watch: Claxton. Geary can score from just about anywhere on the floor, but he needs to develop as a leader in order for the Lions to reach their full potential this season.

Rider

The Broncs arrive in Orlando with one of the more experienced teams in the field, led by senior center Jason Thompson (18.7 ppg, 12.0 rpg). Last season, Thompson was the only player in America to average twenty points and ten rebounds per game, and he’s more than capable of repeating that feat. Four starters in all return for Tommy Dempsey, which makes one of four or five teams capable of winning the MAAC this season. Solid perimeter shooting is a necessity in order to keep teams from swarming Thompson and in junior Harris Mansell (15.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg) the Broncs have one of the best in the conference. Rider’s most versatile player is sophomore Ryan Thompson (14.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 5.3 apg), Jason’s younger brother, a 6-5 swingman. Although ten players have played in all three games to this point in the season, only seven see more than eleven minutes per game. NC State in the opener is quite a test, but the Broncs just might be able to win that one.

Player to Watch: Jason Thompson. At 6-10 he’s got the size to change the game on both ends in the paint, but he can also run the floor and hit the mid-range jumper on occasion. He will be a tough matchup for NC State.

NC State

The Wolfpack were a trendy pick by many to make some serious noise in the ACC this year after their performance in the ACC Tournament. But after blowing a late lead at home to New Orleans, you have to wonder if the expectations were a little too much for a team that was 5-11 in conference play last season. But some capable weapons will be on display in Orlando, led by sophomore forward Brandon Costner and freshman forward J.J. Hickson. Costner (10.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) was on fire down the stretch last season, and should only build on his performance. But the man who has stolen the show in their first two games is Hickson (26.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg), who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding. Returnees Courtney Fells and Gavin Grant also see a lot of playing time, with Grant currently averaging 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Iowa State transfer Farnold Degand runs the show at the point for Sidney Lowe’s team. However, the Wolfpack may have the shallowest bench in the field with five players playing more than thirty minutes per game, and Ben McCauley only playing eleven. Maybe this will change as the season progresses, and they will definitely need some other options to step up before conference play.

Player to Watch: Hickson. At 6-9, 242, Hickson already has a body ready for the NBA. He’s got a wide array of offensive skills, especially for an incoming freshman, and only stands to get better as he gets more games under his belt.

Villanova

Jay Wright’s Wildcats bring a lot of youth to the table, but boy are they talented. Led by sophomore guard Scottie Reynolds (14.0 ppg, 4.5 apg), Villanova possesses a number of options on the perimeter who can get the job done (freshmen Malcolm Grant, Corey Stokes and the recovering Corey Fisher). The surprise of their first two games has been junior forward Shane Clark, averaging 21.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. It’s been know that the 6-7 Clark is active on the glass, but the scoring thus far (25 against Stony Brook, 17 against Bucknell) has to be a pleasant surprise. Helping out Clark on the glass will be classmate Dante Cunningham (5.5 rpg) and freshman Casiem Drummond (8.5 rpg). The Wildcats are a team that can definitely do some damage come March, and this tournament could be a springboard to bigger things.

Player to Watch: Reynolds. While classified as a point guard, Reynolds can do some serious damage scoring as well. Just ask Connecticut, who he hit up for forty points last year.

Central Florida

Conference USA has pretty much become a league where you ask “who’s finishing second” when entering discussions. Well, last year it was Kirk Speraw’s Golden Knights, finishing 11-5 in conference play. With three starters back in Orlando, UCF has a chance to repeat that accomplishment this season. Already 2-0, including a win over Nevada in their sparkling new UCF Convocation Center, UCF has proven to be a balanced club when it comes to scoring points. Their top four scorers, led by senior guard Dave Noel (14.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and junior guard Jermaine Taylor (same averages as Noel, believe it or not), all average at least eleven points per game. Senior guard Chip Cartwright leads the team with 6.5 assists per game. But other than Kendrick Zondervan, no player 6-6 or taller sees more than thirteen minutes per game. There’s plenty of talent in the backcourt, but developing the men up front will be important if they want to separate themselves from the pack in CUSA. As for the opener against Villanova, it should be an intriguing matchup between the two because of the guard play.

Kansas State

Any discussion the Kansas State Wildcats has to begin with freshman forward Michael Beasley (30.0 ppg, 20.0 rpg), who has looked like a man among boys in his first three collegiate games. But to be fair, the opponents have to be noted: Sacramento State, Pittsburg State and Western Illinois. The Old Spice Classic will give a more accurate representation of what Beasley can do against a higher level of competition. Bill Walker is back and playing well after an ACL injury suffered last January ended his freshman year after just six games, and senior guard Blake Young has raised his scoring average almost eight points from last season (5.3 to 13.0). Senior forward David Hoskins hasn’t played yet this year due to injury, and it remains to be seen what his role will be this weekend if any. This team’s got plenty of talent; it’s just about getting them all on the same page in time for Big 12 page, where a wide open league after Kansas and Texas A&M awaits.

Player to Watch: Beasley. The man is an absolute beast. Already the first player in Big 12 history to record two 20 point/ 20 rebound games, we still haven’t seen the best out of him.

George Mason

A year removed from a trip to the Final Four, Jim Larranaga’s Patriots were three minutes away from returning to the NCAA Tournament. Then Eric Maynor took over, sending Mason home for March. But the youngsters and newcomers on last year’s team who struggled mightily in January are now a year older and wiser and this team should flourish in the Colonial with seniors Folarin Campbell (12.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Will Thomas (17.3 ppg, 14.0 rpg) back for one more run. Starting out 3-0, with wins over Vermont and Dayton, George Mason has relied on defense to get the job done, holding opponents to an average of fifty-two points per game. But those teams don’t have anyone as talented as Michael Beasley, who the Patriots get the chance to slow down on Thursday night. The Thomas/ Beasley matchup will be the one to focus on, but for Mason it’ll be more important to get something out of junior guard Dre Smith, who has struggled thus far. John Vaughan (10.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg), a year removed from an ACL tear, has played well in the first three games of the season.

Player to Watch: Thomas. Remember that he did quite a job against Connecticut’s talented frontline as a sophomore. He should have a couple of tricks under his sleeve when it comes to guarding Beasley.

How do I see this tournament playing out?

This is one of the more balanced early-season tournaments on tap this season, and the play should reflect that. Without Cornley, I still like Penn State to get past South Carolina in the opener. While their loss to New Orleans wasn’t a good one, NC State will survive Rider with Brandon Costner playing better basketball. On the other side of the bracket, the two Wildcats (Villanova and Kansas State) will move on to the semis. From there, I like Villanova to defeat NC State in the championship game.

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Daily Dribble: Top 10 Players in the CAA

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 08:05:03 -0800

Overall, the CAA doesn't have as much talent as other Top 12 conferences, but it has arguably the best non-BCS player in VCU's Eric Maynor. Two players who didn't suit up last year, UNCW's TJ Carter (injury) and James Madison's Abdulai Jalloh (transfer) made the Top 10. Colonial Athletic Association 1. Eric Maynor, G, VCU 2. Antoine Agudio, G, Hofstra 3. Frank Elegar, C, Drexel 4. Will Thomas, F, George Mason 5. TJ Carter, G, UNC-Wilmington 6. Matt Janning, G, Northeastern 7. Herb Courtney, F, Delaware 8. Folarin Campbell, G/F, George Mason 9. Abdulai Jalloh, G, James Madison 10. Vladimir Kuljanin, F, UNC-Wilmington Next In Line Terrance Carter, F, James Madison Wil Fameni, F, VCU Todd Hendley, F, UNC-Wilmington Brandon Johnson, G, Old Dominion Leonard Mendez, G, Georgia State Check back tomorrow for my ranking of the CUSA.

Who Will Win the CAA?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:42:02 -0700

2007-08 George Mason Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:49:47 -0700

George Mason Patriots

Overall Rank: #38

Conference Rank: #1 Colonial

2006-07: 18-15, 9-9, 5^th (t)

2006-07 postseason: none

One of the best candidates to be this year’s George Mason is none other than George Mason. The Patriots return their top six scorers and all six of those players started at least 13 games last year. Experience will not be a problem with a roster full of upperclassmen and Coach Jim Larranaga has another opportunity to get his team back to the NCAA Tournament. The goal for GMU should be to win the conference and reach the NCAAs and once they get there, who knows what will happen.

Who’s Out:

Wing Gabe Norwood was seventh on the team in minutes and scoring last season and his absence will hurt the overall depth a little bit, but who really cares with five starters returning? The only other departure is Tim Burns. The guard saw a few minutes as a sharpshooter off the bench.

Who’s In:

At 5-10 and 150 pounds, Jay Threatt is a small point guard. Yet, he will use his diminutive stature and quickness to get to the basket. Isaiah Tate and Cameron Long will bolster the backcourt depth. Tate is a solid shooter from long range and will probably be the best free throw shooter on the team the minute he steps on the court in Fairfax, Virginia. Long, who can play either guard spot, will need some time to adjust to the level of play, but could make a contribution off the bench this year. The most highly touted recruit is Vlad Moldoveanu. The 6-10 Romanian is a great shooter and obviously has good size for a guy who is most comfortable playing small forward. Moldoveanu will probably see the most minutes of the newcomers and is expected to be a prolific scorer before his collegiate career is through.

Who to Watch:

Jordan Carter performed well after taking over the starting point guard duties last season. He is a good shooter on the rare occasions he puts it up, but Carter will concentrate on finding his teammates, taking care of the ball and playing stellar defense. Carter is the point guard, but Folarin Campbell is the leader. Campbell was moved from the point guard spot to the wing when Carter proved to be a viable option. That allowed Campbell to concentrate on what he does best…scoring. The 6-4 senior still led the team in assists, but it was his 13.9 points per game that made him invaluable to the Patriots. Campbell will take a few too many outside shots and he needs to develop more consistency with his shot if he wants to take GMU back to victory lane in March. Dre Smith and John Vaughan will fight it out for the starting shooting guard spot. Both are decent scorers and split starts last year. Smith is a more consistent shooter from long range and Vaughan is a little better on the glass.

Final Projection:

The Patriots return a whole slew of forwards. Will Thomas is the post presence. The 6-7 senior will score with his back to the basket and averaged 13.3 points last season. He is also a solid rebounder and had a team high 6.9 rebounds per contest during the 2006-2007 campaign. Darryl Monroe started 19 games his first year in the program after spending some time at Central Florida Community College. Monroe may step back into a starting role, but he will have some fierce competition from sophomore Louis Birdsong. Birdsong is not as imposing of a presence as Monroe, but he is extremely tough and a quality scorer in the paint and around the basket. Birdsong is full of potential and this could be his breakout year. Chris Fleming and Jesus Urbina did not log too many minutes last year, but do provide more options for Coach Larranaga. VCU will be a formidable opponent and the CAA might not be strong enough for two NCAA Tournament teams this year, so jockeying for position heading into the conference tournament will be crucial. George Mason will need to do more than win the regular season to reach the postseason and they will have to start strong in the non-conference schedule if there is any hope of an at-large bid.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Jordan Carter, Senior, Guard, 13.9 points per game

John Vaughan, Junior, Guard, 8.6 points per game

Folarin Campbell, Senior, Guard, 4.8 points per game

Darryl Monroe, Senior, Forward, 6.4 points per game

Will Thomas, Senior, Forward, 8.9 points per game

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Book Review - Cinderalla: Inside The Rise of Mid-Major Basketball

Jeff Fox — Tue, 01 May 2007 09:19:03 -0700

Cinderella – Inside the Rise of Mid-Major College Basketball

Michael Litos

Sourcebooks

$22.95 ($29.95 Canada)

To say that author Michael Litos has impeccable timing would be a slight understatement. Litos’ decision to follow and write a book about the 2005-06 season in the Colonial Athletic Association proved to be an epiphany, as he was there to document George Mason’s historic run to the Final Four. This book documents this amazing run along with shedding some light onto the behind the scenes drama in a mid-major basketball conference.

The bulk of the book is spent dealing with the powerhouse squads of the CAA circa 2005-06 – Old Dominion, Hofstra, VCU, UNCW & George Mason. Litos goes behind the scenes at these programs, with extensive interviews with the coaches, ADs, CAA suits and players to paint a picture of what life is like for a mid-major. The many pitfalls in a mid-major’s life, from financial issues to coaching defections to lack of exposure and respect are all dealt with in detail. On top of that there is plenty of on court action in the book, as the teams in the CAA had many monumental games during the season.

While not perfect – this reviewer found a few small factual errors and repetitive sections in the book - this book is a must read for the college basketball enthusiast. While there are plenty of books out there dealing with the Dukes & North Carolinas of the college hoops world, this book is a very important document of a watershed season in the life of the mid-majors.

3.5 out of 5 stars