Previewing Creighton...

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Although it may be difficult to get excited about this game for most fans, bear in mind the result of this match-up could tell us a lot about how Mason will fair in March. The whole ESPN BracketBuster mania is by no means perfect, but the Patriots were dealt one of the best teams from the pool. Did they deserve it? Who cares? It will be another tough road test for the Patriots and we haven't seen this team step up to that kind of challenge yet. Wouldn't be a bad time to break that streak against a Creighton squad that is winners of 7 straight and currently at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference. This is also a team that smashed Dayton earlier in the year. The Bluejays are led by guard Booker Woodfox (yes that's his real name) who leads the nation in 3-pt shooting (50.0%) and have no trouble putting points on the board. It's no surprise that the Patriots will need to rely on their defense to pull off this upset. Front court play will also be key for Mason as Creighton sports a guard heavy line-up often. Can Monroe and Morrison continue the recent success they have been having? If they can get to the free-throw line and actually convert, and that's a big IF, the Patriots could find themselves still in the game late in the 2nd half. I say this because I don't expect John Vaughan and Dre Smith to be lighting it up from behind the arch, Creighton is just too good to allow either of those two to get going early. Vaughan, Long, and Dre can all drive to the basket and make things happen and if they do that in this game they make things a lot easier for themselves. Mason will also have to take care of the ball as Creighton's turnover margin is +3.8, yikes. Running up and down the court and trading baskets is not the kind of tempo that will favor the Patriots in this one. If Mason can slow down the game and serve a heavy dosage of Monroe, Morrison, and Pearson a victory is not out of the question.