George Mason vs Western Michigan in CBI semifinals

Lost in all the Atlantic 10 news is the fact that George Mason basketball is still playing in the CBI. Tonight they host Western Michigan in the semifinals. The Broncos could pose a few mismatch problems for the problems as they have a very strong inside scoring presence. On top of that Kenpom shows that only five more teams in the entire country got to the free-throw line at a higher rate than Western Michigan this season. That could be a big problem for Mason, who as we have seen, fouls at a very high rate. They were better at keeping it under control against Houston but in this game they will be facing a different kind of offense. Shayne Whittington will give Mason problems inside and Erik Copes and Jonathan Arledge will have to be disciplined and stay out of foul trouble.

The advantage for George Mason is their athleticism in the back court. Sherrod Wright, Bryon Allen, and Corey Edwards have all had a good CBI tournament so far. Three-point shooting has been big for them recently and as a team they have gone 20-for-41 from behind the arch in these last two games. That combined with getting points off turnovers will help to neutralize Western Michigan's front court advantage. The Patriots won an uptempo game on Monday and will look to force that style again tonight.

[Photo by John Powell]