Previewing the regular season finale against Northeastern

Luckily for Mason, this game won't determine whether or not they get a first round bye in the CAA tournament next week. They have already locked that up and will either be a #3 or #4 seed depending on what happens this Saturday. Was able to get media credentials for this one and I'll be on the sidelines so join in on the chat and live blog if you can. I can already tell that Larranaga isn't going to play his starters as much as we have seen because in the game notes released today the probable starters read: Cam Long, Andre Cornelius, Luke Hancock, and Louis Birdsong. But then again it could be this way because Isaiah Tate has been struggling and Ryan Pearson was still showing a banged up hand against Charleston last Saturday. Let's forget it's senior day for Birdsong and his start is probably just because it's his last home game. Playing for a #3 or #4 seed might not seem like much motivation for these guys but they don't want to end the regular season on a three-game home losing streak. And I think they wouldn't mind keeping Northeastern from the #1 seed after the drubbing they received in Boston earlier this year.

Northeastern has been slipping a little lately much like the Patriots and have lost three of their last four. This will still be another difficult home game for Mason and I hope they come out with more intensity then they did during their 71-46 loss to them back in January. In that game Mason came out flat and could not make a shot while also having no answer for the Huskie's Chaisson Allen, who might be the most underrated player in the CAA. Also in that game the Patriots only got to the foul line for four foul shots, which is amazing compared to how often they have got there all season. To win this game on Saturday Mason will have to get strong guard play, especially from Andre Cornelius. They actually rebound better than the Huskies but they don't necessary shoot the ball better. Turnovers were an issue last time they played and the Patriots haven't been winning the turnover battle in recent games. This is where the guard play is very important as the Huskies protect the ball well. Speaking of guard play, it will be essential for Mason to have strong play from there if they want to win any games in the CAA tournament so if we don't see it tomorrow I doubt we will in Richmond.