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Previewing George Mason vs UNCW

George Mason Basketball: Previewing George Mason vs UNCW

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Previewing George Mason vs UNCW

TV: 9 pm, MASN

UPDATE: Erik Copes is out again tonight per CBS's Jeff Goodman:

George Mason returns to action tonight against UNCW at the Patriot Center. For some great coverage of UNCW hoops you can look no further than Brian Mull's blog, where he has some analysis and a preview for tonight's game. The Seahawks are one of the youngest teams in the nation, so they sport a very freshmen/sophomore heavy rotation. They have one of the more efficient offenses in the CAA this season, led by junior forward Keith Rendelman (15.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG) who is shooting over 58% from the field. They do nice work on the offensive glass and Mason keeping those second chance opportunities to a minimum will have to be a focal point tonight.  I wrote over the weekend about how keeping teams off the glass in their own end is starting to become a real problem. Allowing a team like Towson to out-work you that badly is alarming and most likely would have fueled an upset from a better overall team. Mull points out in his post from yesterday that Mason "allows opponents to collect a second-chance opportunity on 38 percent of shots (12th in the CAA)". The Patriots often mask this problem by putting points on the board quickly and getting to the line but it is something they need to fix before their games with VCU and ODU.

UNCW is a team that has had their struggles on defense and will most likely be over-matched against the Patriots firepower. The Towson game this weekend was another wake-up call to this squad that they cannot overlook any opponent and UNCW is a team that can pounce if  Mason starts sleep-walking.  When another team disrupts Mason's flow on offense they are much more prone to turnovers and poor shot selection.  This  Seahawks team is very young but disciplined and can take advantage if they are able to throw Mason off their game plan in the early goings. A quick start is always a key for the Patriots but also putting in the hard work on both ends to maintain the big lead is something they have had struggles with recently.

Having said all that I still like Mason's chances to bounce back from a sloppy day and have another night like they did against Delaware last Wednesday.  Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison haven't really had back-to-back slumps this season and I would expect them to get back to business tonight.

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9 Comments:

Anonymous Dan said...

Has everyone  looked at the new GMU website: gmu@edu? The last site had a direct link to Athletics. That's gone. On the current site, you must go under the "Campus Life" link to find Athletics. A sign from the new administration? 

12:11 PM  
Anonymous gmuhoops said...

Why am I not surprised. Still wondering if this "new scoreboard" will ever debut this season as the school said.

12:15 PM  
Anonymous Gmu said...

Honestly, after Merten's "money shot" Saturday I'd rather the new one not appear this season.

3:21 PM  
Anonymous Christopher Hirsch said...

Sounds disturbing, glad I wasn't there.

3:36 PM  
Anonymous gmuhoops said...

In other news ODU had some of their home white uniforms stolen. 
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/odu-basketball-jerseys-stolen

3:39 PM  
Anonymous Dsndsn said...

They are suggesting that the missing Uni's may be linked to a recent MMA event held at "The Ted"....but, I think it more likely that the Uni's may have disappeared into "the Hood" in which ODU is located. (As such, a search of local pick-up games may be the most efficient place to start the search. lol) 

6:11 PM  
Anonymous Guest said...

I want erik copes back.....

12:15 AM  
Anonymous Chris S said...

The scoreboard is coming - the delay is related to the state of Virginia taking its time with the inspection and certification of the new hoist. The control room has already been destroyed and rebuilt.  
It is coming. The new website design has NOTHING to do with the new administration  - he doesn't take office until July.

6:59 AM  
Anonymous Doug Economou said...

Looks like our team has gotten on track. What sucks is that those losses to FAU, FIU and Duquesne will come back to haunt us during bubble time.

9:56 AM  

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