Wow. Volume 2

The Mason boys suffered another devastating loss on Wednesday afternoon, losing to Georgia State after blowing a 13 point halftime lead. For the second straight game Mason started off strong but allowed a less talented team to creep back into the game in the second half. This first ever loss to the Panthers could have not come at a worse time for the Patriots who are struggling to compete with full intensity for a whole 40 minutes. Not what you want to see from your squad in beginning your slate of conference games. I don't even want to talk about how this could all but squash our potential at-large bid hopes for March because it's still way too early and the craziness of college basketball hasn't even begun yet. The real problem Mason fans should be worrying about is the fact that the team's depth, which was an area of strength in the beginning of the season, is now a glaring weakness. The absence of Jordan Carter due to his ankle injury has forced Folarin Campbell to move to the roll of floor general, which he isn't. As much as Coach L loves to put the ball in his control, it has become really obvious how different of a team they are without an experienced pass-first point guard. Campbell, Vaughan, and Smith all have great qualities but none of them are as unselfish as Carter. Smith and Campbell combined for 7 of the teams 11 turnovers, most of which came in the second half. Speaking of Dre Smith, where did him and Vaughan go in the second half? Together they scored 27 in the first half and were none factors in the second half scoring only 4 points. Amazingly this team found a way to lose while shooting over 50% from the field and the three-point line. They were terrible from the foul line, (shocking, I know) and at the end of the game it all but sealed their loss. Mason wasn't the only CAA upset last night as VCU lost to JMU, the roller coaster ride of the CAA conference is not over yet. Saturday February 2nd keeps looking like a more important match up each week.