What's at stake for George Mason in the CAA tournament this weekend

click to enlarge (image by DarrenJCosta)

While a bunch of bracket projection experts are saying George Mason should be a lock for the NCAA tournament that doesn't mean the Patriots are taking this weekend's CAA tournament lightly. It's easy to say Mason doesn't have much to play for in this tournament but that is not a fair statement.  Here are a few things that are at stake for the Patriots this weekend, besides locking up the easiest path to an NCAA tournament bid:  

Winning the CAA tournament is always the coaching staff's #1 goal before the season starts. We might all be talking about the big dance but for the players and staff they have one goal on their minds and that's cutting down the nets in Richmond this upcoming Monday. I've already talked about how anything can happen on Selection Sunday and winning the CAA auto-bid is the best way to go about it each year regardless of how well the team is performing. It's a sense of pride and accomplishment to the players and staff for the all the hard work they have put in this season.

This weekend could affect George Mason's seeding.  How well the Patriots perform this weekend could be the difference between them getting a 7, 8, or 9 seed in the tournament.  Why is that important? Look at how the brackets are laid out, an 8 or 9 seed winner would play the 1 seed in their region in the 2nd round, while a 7 seed winner would face the winner of the 2 vs 15 seed in the next round.  The difference between the 1s and 2s isn't as much as it usually can be in March but this is still an interesting thing to ponder.  The fact remains that winning the CAA would guarantee George Mason getting the highest seed possible and I think the experts projecting them as a 7 seed are factoring that into their forecasts.

Extending the winning streak into the NCAA tournament would be huge.  The teams that perform that best in March are usually the ones that are riding hot streaks entering the tournament.  The Patriots have to be feeling like they can beat anyone right now and I think they need to maintain that mindset in order to do their best in the NCAA tournament.  Some people have told me they had hoped Mason would lose just so they would come back to reality and get one last wake up call before things get serious. I don't agree with that, why would want them to lose? They are winning because they are playing a high level and out-performing teams night in and night out. Why would you want to disrupt that flow?  Continuing to ride that hot streak into the big dance would be something special and I think allow them to do the most damage.

And lastly, keep the beard and hair club going strong!