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Patriots take down JMU in front of record crowd

George Mason Basketball: Patriots take down JMU in front of record crowd

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Saturday, February 02, 2008

Patriots take down JMU in front of record crowd

Coach Larranaga earned his 200th victory with Mason in front of the biggest crowd in school history. The Patriots remain undefeated at home and have now won 6 of their last 7 games. Mason had control over James Madison for the entire game with great offensive efforts from Folarin Campbell (20 points) and John Vaughan (19). Campbell has started to become a constant threat for Mason on offense, which I think is something we fans have been waiting for all season. More importantly he was 3 for 3 from the three point line, a shame Dre Smith can't seem to find his touch from there lately. Jordan Carter played 20 minutes today and looked good despite only scoring 2 points. Carter didn't have any turnovers but the rest of the team committed 16, kind of a lot considering their margin of victory. Mason was able to take control early without Will Thomas dominating which shows that the play from the guards was impressive. Larranaga went to his bench early and often to get his freshmen and bench players more experience. Despite some of the team's early struggles with consistency, they are playing great now with the regular season end in sight that's when you want to be hot. Being on a role heading into the CAA tournament will make all the difference in the world.

8 Comments:

Blogger Brann...it's good for you. said...

We looked sloppy, but Madison was soooo bad-looking and horrid shooting that it didn't matter today. I almost felt we played down to their level at times...even though I loved the play of guys like Campbell, Thomas, and Vaughan (our unsung hero this season) and our bench play. Dre...hello...I love your heart and drive...just hit some shots, please. And Louis Birdsong...come on, buddy. If those last two could show the consistency of the first three...wow. Imagine. IMAGINE.

Key 3-game road trip. We need 3 wins before a big rematch vs. UNCW on Homecoming. But, that one in the middle vs. ODU scares me the most, since we seem to play the worse there...

Good job vs. Madison, Mason. There were too many of those purple-clad bastards there today, but at least they went home unhappy.

10:41 PM  
Blogger Farmdog said...

Vey sloppy win - but a win. that game was like going to a Michigan football game and experiencing the quietest 111,000.
We need to get the fans involved - students definitely need a section on the side of the cout - some of the old folks that don't cheer can go behind the baskets in the nose bleeds. It is ok to stand and cheer after good plays - even if you are 30 and over - it is called passion for the team.

8:22 AM  
Blogger Mr. Miles said...

Wow what a sloppy game. And then we win, imagine without the turnovers. We would have killed them by at least 60. Well maybe not 60 but close. Just wondering what it would be like to see everyone hitting their shots and playing smart on the same night. That would be nice in Richmond. Keep rolling Mason.

11:10 AM  
Blogger Seymour said...

The students don't necessarily need a side of the court, but both bleacher sections should be used. It's silly that students have to sit up in the rafters while seats at the opposite bleacher are empty.

1:09 PM  
Blogger Brann...it's good for you. said...

farmdog...I totally agree. I'm a Mason grad three times over (with a certificate from Maston to boot) and I proudly stand/scream/yell/cheer in a non-seated position most of the game. I was getting some great looks from Madison people yesterday. I'm almost 36. Age has little to do with it...it's the passion level of those in attendance. And sadly...the season ticket holders seem to be the least invested in the team when it comes to cheering for them.

I'd love to see students on the sides, too. When I watched this year's Mason/UNCW game on TV, it was quite impressive to see the sides full of UNCW fans that were passionate about their team. We don't have that at Mason (to a point, we do, but not enough). I watched way too many people yesterday leave early - wearing Mason clothing - against Madison! Come on, people. Does that extra 10, 15, minutes in traffic - if that - really matter in life that much?

3:11 PM  
Blogger C Hirsch said...

I get what you're saying farmdog but nothing about the game should have inspired the fans to go crazy.

We were playing an inferior team and if we had played that way against a good team we would have been blown out.

However a win is a win, huge 3 game road trip, anything but 3-0 will be a disappointment.

Also, is anyone else shocked to see William and Mary at 8-3 in conference, that's crazy.

11:38 AM  
Blogger Brann...it's good for you. said...

http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/020408aaa.html

It's official...Mason vs. Ohio...

2:50 PM  
Blogger C Hirsch said...

Just took a quick look at Ohio, 15-6 and they have won 5 in a row I think.

That would be a quality road win if we can get it.

3:48 PM  

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