George Mason back in action against Bucknell

Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving, now let's get back to more George Mason basketball.  The Patriots host Bucknell tomorrow night (TV: MASN), who are winners of their last five games.  This Bucknell team presents a different type of challenge, as their leading scorer is Mike Muscala, a 6'11" 234 lb center.  To date this season Mason really hasn't faced a legit threat in the front court and Muscala's ability to get to the free-throw line could thwart the Patriots uptempo offense if they don't stay disciplined on defense. This isn't to say that Bucknell is an inside team, guard Bryson Johnson, second on the team in scoring, has gone 15-for-27 from the three-point line in their last two games. The Bison protect the ball pretty well and shoot 42.1% from behind the arch. Where the Patriots have the edge is rebounding and getting to the free-throw line at an effective rate.  Despite Muscala in the middle Bucknell doesn't rebound that well as a whole and Mason should be able to feast on second chance points like they did against Albany and Brown.

-Mike Morrison is coming off his most productive game of the season (13 points, 9 rebounds) against Albany and they will need more of this from him.  He doesn't need to score double figures every night but they need him getting boards on both ends.

-Will Paris Bennett make his season debut?  The team still could use some discipline on both ends of the court and a guy like Paris could help remedy a few of the problems we have been seeing. A steal here, a rebound there, a tipped pass are just some of things a strong utility player off the bench can bring that keeps everything together.

-#FearTheBeard watch: The current season stat line for Ryan Pearson is 21.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG, and 59.3% from the field.

-Will Corey Edwards get the nod again at starting point guard? Edwards and Allen have been playing about the same amount of minutes but to me Edwards seem to stand out a bit more dishing out the ball.  Allen is probably a better scorer and can get to the basket with ease but he doesn't seem to be a pass-first guy where Edwards is.  

-When will Vertrail Vaughns settle down?  Vaughns' streaky play continued against Albany as he went 0-for-5 from behind the arch.  He represents pretty much all of the team's three-point shooting so they can't really afford to have him going scoreless again.  

Note: click the link on the top right sidebar titled '2011-2012 season stats' for George Mason team stats updated daily.

Highlights from George Mason vs Albany

George Mason rounds out NIT with win over Albany

Last night's 66-46 victory over Albany was George Mason's best game of the season thus far. They started things off by scoring 12 unanswered points and holding Albany's offense to 1-for-10 from the field in the early minutes.  Defensively the Patriots were tough right from the start, something we had yet to see this season.  In the first half they held Albany to 5-of-28 shooting from the field and forced their uptempo game on them. This is probably more of what Hewitt envisioned for this team.  The most telling stat of the night for what kind of Mason team we can expect this year was points in paint, Mason 52 Albany 22.  The Patriots won't be lighting it up from behind the arch this season but they will be dominating other team's front courts at times. The big three (Morrison, Pearson, and Copes) combined for 43 points and 23 rebounds.

-Turnovers were less of an issue as Corey Edwards got the start again at point guard. Edwards continues to look more and more like a leader out there. Edwards seem to be more vocal out there than Allen, which may be another factor fueling his increasing minutes.  

-Sherrod Wright seems back to full form after his wrist injury, however Vertrail Vaughns had an off night going scoreless. This team's three-point shooting seems to be completely predicated by whether or not Vaughns has a good shooting night.

-Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison showed how dangerous this team can be when they are both producing in the paint.  Morrison finally grabbed more than just a few rebounds and held his ground better than he has been.  Him playing like this only opens things up more for Pearson.

-Jonathan Arledge continues to produce in his limited amount of minutes. Lost in everything is how this kid is getting to the free-throw line and connecting. On the season he is 10-for-12 from there, maybe he should be on the floor during their next overtime.

George Mason vs Albany

NCAA Basketball

What to take from last night's win over Brown

Last night George Mason dismantled Brown in a 74-48 victory, however there are a few things we can take away from this game.

Freshman Corey Edwards got rewarded for his strong play against FAU and started at point guard in place of Bryon Allen. Edwards ended up playing about the same amount of minutes as Allen and finished with six points, four assists, and only one turnover. Both point guards have had a high turnover rate this season and it will be interesting to see if this was just a temporary move because they are playing three games in four days or a sign of things to come.  The offense definitely seems to flow a bit smoother with Edwards at the helm.



As a team they only yielded 11 turnovers, there lowest amount yet this season.  Take numbers like that with a grain of salt considering four out of five Brown starters scored three or less points in this game.

Vaughn Gray saw a lot of action last night and contributed 10 points. We finally got to see a bit of that shooting stroke that Hewitt has been talking about and if Bennett's injury continues to linger Gray's minutes could improve.

Copes, Morrison, and Pearson controlled the boards which was really the big difference in this game. Copes is averaging a solid 5.6 boards a game in only about 19 minutes of action.

Sherrod Wright returned from his wrist injury but only played the first half, since the game was out of hand pretty early. Paris Bennett still has yet to play this season due to an ankle injury, Hewitt says he might make his first appearance November 30 against Bucknell.

The Patriots take on Albany tonight at 7:30 pm at the Patriot Center for their last game of NIT Tip-off.

George Mason vs Brown

George Mason player stats

George Mason goes into OT for third time in four games, falls to FAU

Game Highlights

Through four games this season George Mason has had three of them that went into overtime.  But after last night in Florida the Patriots are 1-2 in overtime games this season.  Florida Atlantic controlled the boards and took advantage of a lot of points off turnovers to beat George Mason 80-75. Vertrail Vaughns enjoyed a great night shooting the ball and scoring a season high for him at 21 points. Ryan Pearson added 19 but failed to keep his double-double streak alive.  Erik Copes and Corey Edwards both had big contributions in key situations late in the game. Copes had a put back that sent the game into overtime and Edwards hit a big three-pointer in the overtime period.  Sherrod Wright traveled with the team was a late game scratch and Paris Bennett also didn't play.  So Mason played this game with only eight players.

The Patriots finished with their lowest amount of turnovers in a game yet this season, 14, but FAU took advantage of each one it seemed, scoring 20 points off turnovers. The turnover rate is still high though when you factor in the Patriots number of possessions but I will admit this did keep them to a minimum down the stretch and into overtime.  Points in the paint was another issue however as Mason yielded 38 to the Owls, a lot of which were second chance opportunities.  Mike Morrison continuing to get three or so rebounds a game and fouling out hurts because they don't have much depth in the front court.  Hewitt must not think much of Jonathan Arledge as a front court player as he started at the three spot for the injured Sherrod Wright.  

NCAA Basketball

Previewing Florida Atlantic

George Mason gets a real test this weekend at Florida Atlantic. The Patriots will be playing in front of a sold out crowd and will give the young players plenty to deal with on the season's first real road game. Sherrod Wright will be playing despite taking a hard fall on his wrist against Monmouth, but Paris Bennett is listed is a game time decision. The possible return of Bennett might help with the turnovers and give the team a bit more stability on both ends. This is the type of game the Patriots need their veterans to step up because it's very possible the young back court struggles early with an intense crowd.  

The Owls haven't gotten off to a great start this year, much like Mason, but I think they are better than their 1-3 record.  They hammered Georgia State from behind the three-point line on a neutral court (15-for-25) but then had an awful shooting night at American.  They are a strong rebounding team, especially on the offensive glass. Mason gets to the free-throw line more than the Owls and have been more successful from there. The Owls most consistent player is big forward Kore White, who is the only starter that has scored double digits in each of their four games. The Patriots usual game plan of driving to the basket could thwart a good shooting night by FAU. 

Knowing that FAU has the potential to hit the open three-pointer is something that worries me in this game.  Mason's perimeter defense has looked pretty awful so far this year and things could get away from them early if they leave guys as open as they did against FIU.  The uptempo offense they have been running has been putting points on the board but has led to a lot of mistakes and miscues on the floor.  It will be interesting to see if the Patriots show improvement in ball control on this trip.

NCAA Basketball Stats

George Mason will face Brown and Albany in NIT consolation round

The school has officially released info on which teams they will be playing next Monday and Tuesday: Brown and Albany.  They will face Brown on November 21 at 7:30 pm and then Albany the next night also at 7:30 pm. Both games will be at the Patriot Center.  The full consolation round bracket can be viewed here.

Not actually Syracuse at Madison Square Garden but the extra games right before Thanksgiving is still a treat.

Also, there is good news on Sherrod Wright's status from Post reporter Steven Goff:

Good news: Sherrod Wright no fracture, questionable for Sat at Florida Atlantic

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George is also being rumored to be in the field for the 2012 Paradise Jam.

Interview with George Mason signee Patrick Holloway

GoMason.com has an interview up with recent George Mason signee Patrick Holloway. He is the first recruit of the 2012 class for Paul Hewitt and is from Paul VI high school in Fairfax, VA.

George Mason routs Monmouth in consolation game of NIT Tip-off

George Mason bounced back last night with a win over Monmouth 71-39.  Disappointing as it was to lose to FIU the previous night and then not be able to watch Mason's next game or see those new gold uniforms, the team had their best shooting night of the young season.  Take it with a grain of salt however because Monmouth will most likely be a 300+ RPI team at the end of the season and the Patriots somehow still finished with 20 turnovers.  A lot of the turnovers continue to stem from the team trying to get the ball into their big men but it is started to look a little forced. On the season the team's assist-to-turnover ratio with Allen and Edwards sharing the PG duties is 0.78. However it was nice to see Vertrail Vaughns drain some three-pointers. I don't know why they aren't running screens for him to give him more chances.  Jonathan Arledge and Vaughn Gray got more playing time in this one and hopefully they will continue to develop as solid options off the bench.  Ryan Pearson kept his double-double streak alive with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Sherrod Wright went down hard on his wrist in the second half and had his middle finger in a splint on the bench. He will have x-rays today to see if there was any damage.

Next up is FAU on the road, who has looked very good so far. They went 15-for-25 from the three-point line against Georgia State in their last game and will really test Mason's young guards. Next Monday and Tuesday there will also be games at the Patriot Center in the final part of the NIT consolation round. We don't know the teams yet Mason will be playing but it will most likely be Manhattan, Albany, or Brown. Mason is a hosting site because they were a seeded team heading into the tournament.

Video highlights:

Turnovers doom George Mason against FIU

Well the thought of playing Virginia Tech for once sure was nice.  Now the Patriots have to settle for Monmouth at 8:30 pm tonight after an overtime loss to FIU ended their hopes of playing at Madison Square Garden. The game was very similar to last Friday's win over Rhode Island, only this time the Patriots could outplayed in overtime.  Again they allowed the other team's leading scorer to have a big night and killed themselves with costly turnovers at key moments.  The Patriots don't have a shortage of scoring, that is not the issue, what the problem seems to be in getting back on defense and overall discipline on both ends.  At times this team just looks erratic and with no fluidity.  George Mason had no good looks at the end of regulation or in the overtime period and that is on Paul Hewitt.  I'm not even sure what he was drawing up for these guys but it looked disorganized.

Sure guys like Ryan Pearson can pick up 18 and 10 but he also had a game-high six turnovers. Bryon Allen turned it over five times and freshman Corey Edwards somehow managed six in 15 minutes of action. Before the season started I stated my concerns with the back court situation and the weakness and inexperience there is a glaring problem. As a whole this team can drive and get to the free-throw line, but they almost are sending the other team there just as much. We heard so much about this team having great shooters, as the staff talked up Wright, Vaughns, and Gray but it seems that the game plan doesn't include any plays to take advantage of this. This is indeed a talented group, and that is why these last two games have been close despite them not really playing sound basketball, but it is not always going to produce wins.

NIT Tip-off starts tonight

Stream: ESPN3.com, Free live stream

Audio: GoMason.com

Spread: Mason 14.5 point favorite

George Mason plays its first game of the NIT Tip-off tonight at 9:30 pm against FIU in Blacksburg, VA.  FIU is coached by hall of famer Isiah Thomas and this will be their first game of the season.  They return their leading scorer from last season but only two starters.  The Patriots should be able to take advantage in the front court as FIU doesn't have much experience there. Mason's back court needs to limit the turnovers tonight and do a better job of preventing FIU's guards from penetrating the lane.  

Full Bracket here

This tournament could really show us what this Patriots team is all about, however they need to play much better than they did on Friday night.  Scoring didn't seem to be an issue for the Patriots and it is almost crazy to think they got to 92 points while only making two three-pointers.  The uptempo offense wasn't running perfect, but it was the first game of the season.  If Mason plays like they did in that second half against Rhode Island you have to like their chances against FIU tonight and most likely Virginia Tech next.  

George Mason escapes opener with wild OT thriller against Rhode Island

Not exactly how Paul Hewitt wanted to get his first George Mason victory but the Patriots escaped Friday night with a win. Early on it was not pretty and Mason looked very undisciplined on defense.  It was obvious from the opening tip these were not your Larranaga branded Patriots any more. There were 22 lead changes and 17 ties in this one and a last second three-pointer by Rhode Island forced the overtime period.  Once in the Patriots settled a bit in overtime it was two crucial steals by freshman Corey Edwards that help seal the victory.  

Let's look at the Good, Bad, and Ugly of this game.

The GOOD

-Ryan Pearson stepped up when the team needed him, scoring 28 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, he was also a vocal leader in his first game as a senior.

-The freshman played well in this one. Erik Copes showed off his brute strength and aggression and one of his emphatic blocks lead to a Corey Edwards lay-up on the other end.  Edwards, looked confortable running the point and Hewitt definitely has confidence in the him considering he was out there in overtime.

-Sherrod Wright and Bryon Allen looked really good driving the lane last night.  Wright is starting to look like he can take it to the hole at will.  When the transition was working it was these guys making plays.

-Despite starting off terribly from the field, Mason really turned things around in the second half and credit needs to be given as they bounced back. They showed poise which will help when they get into this situation again this season.

The BAD

-The breakdowns on defense were a glaring weakness for Mason.  Rhode Island's Jamal Wilson, whose previous high for scoring was 14, finished with 38 last night. Boy did they miss Andre Cornelius last night.  Wilson had way too easy a time getting to the rim and in overtime he scored nine straight for the Rams. Allowing that is just unacceptable.  

-Mike Morrison is a senior now and this team needs him to be a leader. He had a solid night contributing 11 points but his kicking and screaming routine when he fouls out is starting to get old. Yes, a lot of the refs calls last night were questionable but it is not the reason this game was so close.

-Rebounding have got to improve for Hewitt's uptempo offense to work. They finished the game with a slight edge in this department over the Rams but in the early goings it killed them.  When you can't defend or rebound the uptempo pace is difficult to run and this why the Patriots fell into a hole early in the first half.

The UGLY

-As Goff of the Post points out, "at one point in the first half, they were 6 for 26 from the field, 0 for 6 on three-pointers and 3 for 7 from the free throw line." They battled back with better shooting numbers from the field in the second half and OT but overall their outside shooting was dreadful.  It is pretty obvious this team's offensive philosophy is not as much behind the three-point line as Mason fans are used to, but they need better nights than this. The free-throw shooting troubles seem to be a recurring theme in Fairfax, despite the head coach.  They left numerous opportunities to separate or pull ahead at the charity stripe, Rhode Island really took advantage of them in this category

-In-bounding the ball for Mason was a difficult task.  Sherrod Wright did most of the duties and on at least three occasions, had his in-bound pass intercepted and put right into the basket for the Rams. That is just embarrassing, no matter what level of basketball you are playing. It was painful to watch, every in-bounds play shouldn't look like a hail mary pass.  Luckily this is something easily fixable in practice.

Game Day Links: George Mason vs Rhode Island

Game time: 7:30 pm

Radio: 106.7 FM, GoMason Digital Network

Video: PatriotVision 

Game Preview

Line: George Mason 11-point favorite

Projected starting lineup: Bryon Allen, Vertrail Vaughns, Sherrod Wright, Ryan Pearson, and Mike Morrison

Fairfax Times: Mason basketball set to tip-off Friday

Previewing Rhode Island

A new era is about to begin for George Mason basketball: new coach, a couple of roster changes, and no green jerseys. Paul Hewitt begins his quest of following a Fairfax legend tomorrow night as the Patriots open against Rhode Island.  The  young Rams team was picked to finish 10th in the Atlantic 10 by the media and their coach likes to run an uptempo game as well.  Rhode Island has a freshman class of five and they have combined for 36 and 51 points respectively in the team's two exhibition games.  Two of their starters have been freshman, including at the point guard position.  Also they have two incoming transfers that are not eligible til Dec 23. So this Rams team is really only returning three players from last season's 20-14 squad and only one of these three averaged double-digits last season, forward Nikola Malesevic.

Back court situation. The first thing to look for tomorrow night will be the back court situation. We got a glimpse of the Bryon Allen and Corey Edwards sharing the point guard duties in the team's exhibition but now Vertrail Vaughns will be back and should be in the starting rotation at the two guard spot.  They will be going up against another young back court as the Rams don't have much experience at that position either.

Sherrod Wright is a big question mark because we just don't know how much he will contribute this season.  To say he can replace Luke Hancock is certainly asking a lot and I don't think that is a realistic assumption.  The Patriots will need him to drive to the basket and make plays which is probably his best asset right now until he gets his shooting stroke in rhythm.

I'll be looking to see how smoothly the offense runs under these guys and if they are able to work in transition and make plays.  If the offense is running well, one of these guys has got to be averaging around 5-6 assists a game. Last season they averaged around 14 a game as a team.

Strength around the rim.  I'm sure fans are dying to see freshman Erik Copes go up against some Division I talent after his showing in the exhibition game.  It's no secret that with the addition of Copes the strength of this year's team will be their play up front. Hewitt hinted that Copes might start along with Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison. Don't be surprised if Pearson plays at small forward and doesn't pass up three-pointers, he certainly has not been at practices.  Mike Morrison on the other hand has got to pick up more of the scoring load this season and Erik Copes will help with that. Teams won't have the luxury of putting their biggest forward or center on Mike with Copes also on the floor and we should see better rebounding numbers as a whole this season.

Defensive philosophy. This might very well be the biggest change fans notice this season without Larranaga on the sidelines. Paul Hewitt says he didn't want to change much from last season considering the team's success but with Isaiah Tate and Cam Long gone, and Andre Cornelius suspended 10 games, they are without their best defensive back court players from last season.  The Patriots forced a lot of turnovers last season and disrupted a lot of good shooting teams, will some of that carry over to this season?

Projected starting lineup:

Bryon Allen
Vertrail Vaughns
Sherrod Wright
Ryan Pearson
Mike Morrison

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Nice article from New & Messenger on walk-on Jordan Baird

George Mason's Ryan Pearson stays in New York groove - Wash Times

Will George Mason have black alternate uniforms this season?

Ryan Pearson tweeted some interesting pictures today:

I believe the last time the Patriots wore black uniforms was either against VCU in the CAA finals in 2004 or on the road at Oregon in the NIT that same year.

11/10 update:  Mason just posted a picture of all three uniforms for the season. So no green jerseys at all for this season. When was the last time that was the case?

Patrick Holloway signs his NLI

Paul Hewitt's first 2012 recruit signed his national letter of intent today, the first day of the early signing period.  Shooting guard Patrick Holloway, who we talked about in detail here back in August when he verbally committed and now the process is official.  

Holloway's high school coach, Glenn Farello, said he reminded him of Lamar Butler:

Farello draws comparisons between Holloway and one of the greatest players in Mason history, whom he had a chance to coach in his pre-collegiate days.

"I knew Lamar Butler very well and coached him in AAU - Patrick reminds me a lot of Lamar," Farello said. 

Looks like Bryon Allen will start at point guard

Now that we know how long the team with be without senior guard Andre Cornelius, the question of who is starting at point guard is the main focus heading into Friday's opener against Rhode Island. Dick Patrick of the GoMason Blog says Bryon Allen appears to be tabbed as the starter while getting help from freshman Corey Edwards.  Hewitt says he is comfortable with both of them despite their limited experience.  Allen had a 13 point, four-assist, three-turnover game against Lycoming and Edwards showed off his outside shooting while looking comfortable running the point.  Rhode Island will be a whole new ball game and it will be interesting to see if these young guys keep their cool Friday night.  Allen is similar to Cam Long is the sense that he is a combo guard capable of playing either spot in the back court. He might be better at the the two guard spot but in this case his skill set is needed to run the point.  

Stability at the point guard position is something we will be talking about all season. The strength of this year's Patriot squad is in the front court and Hewitt's offense needs the point guard to push the ball.  Both Allen and Edwards seem capable of doing that but Cornelius has the overall experience. Cornelius has been much of an assist machine while at Mason but that's because he was never asked to be.  His role might change a bit when he returns as he is arguably the team's fastest player. He is also the team's best on-the-ball defender and that might be the biggest thing they miss during his absence. However speed and experience getting the ball into seniors Mike Morrison and Ryan Pearson might give the Patriots a serious lift in late December.  

Andre Cornelius will be suspended 10 games, will return Dec 21 game vs Duquesne

George Mason athletic department has announced that Andre Cornelius will be suspended 10 games this season after his arrest in September. He will return December 20, the day before the game vs Duquesne. Here is a quote from Andre on the suspension:

"I accept this punishment and will work as hard as possible to support my team and get ready to make an impact when I come back"

Cornelius pleaded guilty to the credit card fraud charges and it appears those charges have been dismissed. Originally I thought the suspension would be less but I'm sure the fact that this wasn't his first suspension might have been a factor. So the Patriots won't have Cornelius for the NIT Tip-off or the game against UVA but they will have him for him for all by one CAA game (@ Towson Dec 3).

Notes from the Marquette scrimmage/practice

George Mason practiced with Marquette yesterday and since it was closed to the public and media I don't have much to report. However I did hear that Marquette got the better of Mason in the situational drills and that Paris Bennett left in the morning session due to an ankle injury. He did not return to the session, hopefully it is nothing serious.

UPDATE: A commenter below mentioned Bennett was seen on crutches yesterday.

Kenpom preseason ratings have George Mason going 19-8 (13-5 CAA)

Anyone who is a college basketball enthusiasts follows the unbelievable stats and information kenpom.com supplies each year. The site has just released their preseason ratings which projects wins/losses throughout the season. It updates after every game and is usually pretty darn accurate. Currently they have Mason going 19-8 overall and 13-5 in the CAA. Keep in mind though that they only have the NIT Tip-off first round game against FIU on the schedule and not the potential next game against either Virginia Tech or Monmouth. You can also notice that they have the Patriots ranked #56 overall on their preseason Pomeroy ratings, similar to the popular RPI system.  

Overall I think the projections are a fair estimate for this team. They might lose an early game on the schedule to someone they shouldn't, such as Bucknell, Manhattan, or Charleston as the group finds their identity.  I agree with the splitting of the ODU and VCU series and a close loss to Drexel. Their projections have Mason, ODU, and Drexel finishing 13-5 in the conference, wouldn't that be interesting? However, I do not know if Mason could end up being tied for 1st after splitting series with ODU and VCU and losing their only game to Drexel. They'd have to do more in the conference schedule in my opinion but overall I think these projections are a fair assessment.

Thoughts on last night's exhibition game

We got our first glimpse of the 2011-2012 Patriots in action last night in a 90-62 win over Lycoming College.  I won't read too much into this dress rehearsal but there were a few things that we can take from the game last night.  Overall the Patriots shot well from the field but not from the three-point line, they dominated the glass which was expected considered the huge size advantage, and forced a number of turnovers.  It was not encouraging however how they turnovered the ball over 11 times themselves and that the Lycoming zone defense gave them a bit of trouble. A pleasant surprise was the play of Paris Bennett, who showed glimpses of being a "glue-guy" finishing with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.  

-Erik Copes was as good as advertised and showed a much better scoring touch than I'd thought we'd see. He'll have a much more difficult time trying to get those jump hook shots off when they play DI teams obviously, but he looked a lot less raw than I thought he was. He's gritty, tough, inside player that will complement Morrison and Pearson inside nicely this season.  

-Mike Morrison shot 5-6 from the free throw line. Please tell me he's improved from there.

-Paris Bennett looked a lot more comfortable playing at the 3 spot instead of subbing in at power forward like he did last season.  He won't score 10 points a night but he will grab a rebound, dish out an assist, and collect a steal whenever he's in the game. The Patriots will need a guy like this to help fill the void left by Luke Hancock.

-Bryon Allen and Corey Edwards looked comfortable running the point however their roles could change once Vertrail Vaughns is back on the court. Allen looked confident and will most likely see a lot of time running the point this season.  Edwards did not look like a freshman and helped the offense run smoothly, especially in the second half. He will definitely push for minutes in the back court this season.

-Sherrod Wright looked a bit rusty, which was expected.  I was surprised he didn't attempt any shots from behind the arch but he did finish 5-for-7 from the field.  He showed his ability to get to the rim, which is something fans should get used to seeing this season from Wright. Hopefully he dusts off the rust sooner rather than later.

Post game interviews: