Luke Hancock, a hero in the national championship game for Louisville

Former Patriot Luke Hancock has been having one hell of a week. Last night be became one of the most memorable 6th men in national championship history. Despite how you may feel about his exit from George Mason it's hard not to proud of the kid, especially when you read stories like this. Hancock earned Final Four MVP honors after going on "a shooting spree for the ages" last night scoring 14 straight points at the end of the first half. He was also the first reserve player ever to win the award, that's pretty impressive.

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The financial impact of George Mason's 2006 Final Four run

George Mason's Final Four run of 2006 is of course in the news again due to Jim Larranaga and Miami playing in the Sweet 16 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. Besides all the trips down memory lane, I thought it was interesting some for financial numbers being talked about again. Some are comparing the costs for the NCAA tournament travel and other expenses for smaller schools that have made runs because of Florida Gulf Coast's current position. ESPN's Darren Rovell shares some interesting costs that George Mason had to fork over in 2006:

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How to pick your bracket if you're a George Mason fan

Sweet 16

Louisville - St. Louis

Is it ok to root for Luke Hancock? Why did he leave? Why won't you accept my friend requests? God damn you're so deceptively athletic, I can't pick against you. EVER.

Middle Tenn St. - Creighton

Go mid-majors go! Remember when George Mason was that team all BCS bubble school fans hated? This year it's definitely MTSU. 

Wichita St. - Wisconsin

Wow seems like ages ago when Mason beat Wichita State to not only get into the big dance but then advance to Elite Eight. Eh, I'll guess I'll pick them to hand an overrated #1 seed an upset.

New Mexico - Ohio State

I shouldn't pick Ohio State to go this far because I should despise them. But every time I watch them play I say "oh that's what it's like to have a true point guard who runs an offense efficiently and actually plays defense." Touche Buckeyes touche. Also them New Mexico boys ain't bad. They did score eight points in the last 30-seconds against Mason earlier this year.

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George Mason to face College of Charleston in first round of CBI

So the 2012-2013 season still goes on for George Mason and they have accepted a bid to the CBI tournament. Remember this isn't the CIT and at least their are BCS programs in the mix. The Patriots take a road trip to future CAA member College of Charleston in the first round of the tournament Tuesday night. The full bracket is here and the game will be televised if you can find the Axs.tv channel on your TV. My FiOS plan has it and here is a channel finder if you dare to watch. On Friday we talked about the merits of continuing the season in this tournament and despite the disappointment of the year I think it's good that they are doing it. 

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George Mason doesn't receive bid to NIT

Well we knew the Patriots had a slim chance of making the NIT this year, and all the regular season champions losing in their conference tournaments certainly didn't help. Athletic director Tom O'Connor stated the school wasn't going to participate in either the CBI or CIT tournaments so that season is officially over for Paul Hewitt and George Mason. The Washington Post has some quotes from Hewitt:

The Patriots’ chances were “a flip of the coin, at best,” Coach Paul Hewitt said Sunday night after watching the 32 teams unveiled.

“I started to feel uneasy the last few days with all the regular season champions getting knocked out,” said Hewitt, who had a 24-9 record in his first season at George Mason. “It seemed there were two every day.” 

 I know some fans think it's crazy that a 24-9 team isn't playing in any post season but most high mid-major and BCS schools view the CBI and CIT as a joke. Keep in mind the Patriots barely drew 2,000 fans when they hosted a CIT game in 2009, so O'Connor isn't making things up by saying it's not a financially good option for the program. The Patriots had a weak schedule this season, which wasn't Hewitt's fault considering that last coaching staff built this year's schedule. The CAA as a whole didn't do themselves any favors in the non-conference schedule and sadly it really hurt Drexel and Mason's postseason chances. Still  Mason missed key opportunities, especially in the preseason NIT and on the road against UVA. Also, had they had made the CAA finals, they might have had their named called for the NIT bracket last night.

And for the people that are saying all extra games benefit the young players is not something I necessarily agree with. This is going to be a completely different team next season, so playing another sloppy game this season with Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison hoisting up another 17-20 shots isn't going to help next year's team much. Three starters are gone and the front court will be completely different, plus you have two guys who sat out this season and two freshmen joining the rotation. 

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Join the GMUHoops.com 2012 bracket challenge here. If you played last year you are already enrolled for this year's bracket selection challenge. The password is mason.

George Mason is not in this year's Final Four but they will certainly be in the TV coverage this weekend

George Mason might not have made it to this year's Final Four in Houston but that doesn't mean they won't be talked about this weekend. If you are trying your action on College Basketball Betting provided by BetUS then don't forget to catch Jim Larranaga, the Godfather of Cinderellas, will join CBS's official pre-game television coverage on Saturday starting at 4 p.m. He will join host Greg Gumbel and analysts Greg Anthony, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Seth Davis. I never thought I'd see Coach L on a TV broadcast with Charles Barkley, this could be gold.

There is also going to be a special presented by Fox Sports called "Mason Impossible: The Story of Coach L and the Improbable Patriots", great title. The program will be aired on Saturday at 12 p.m., Sunday at 4:30 p.m. and Monday evening at 8 p.m. Not sure from GoMason.com's release what channel this is actually going to be on. Is there a Fox College Sports channel? Nevertheless great to see Mason getting more free pub during VCU's run.

If you don't get the Fox College Sports channel you can watch the special here. Here is the first segment, you can watch the rest by clicking that link.



Also a great read today from Patrick Stevens of the Washington Times debunking the George Mason-VCU Final Four comparisons.

In case your wondering how Jim Larranaga's salary and bonus stack up among all the coaches in the NCAA tournament

USA Today did an analysis of the salaries and other compensation of all 68 teams' head coaches in this year's NCAA tournament. Jim Larranaga appears to be in about the middle of this list however the data for some private universities was not available.  Coach L is the highest paid head coach of the three CAA teams that made the big dance this year and I think it's crazy that Shaka Smart was making that much more than ODU's Blaine Taylor this season (edit: I found out later that Taylor makes more from booster club funds). From the data USA Today collected it appears some info is missing for team bonuses paid to these coaches but it sure seems like Coach L is going to be very well compensated this season.  They have his bonus at $460,000 and was probably a result of the team's regular season success along with the team's victory over Villanova in the tournament.  I would not be surprised if his success in 2006 allowed him to get in these big money incentives into his contract as opposed to him getting a higher salary in the ACC or Big East. Also part of that bonus is academic-related:

"At George Mason, which made the tournament this year and famously reached the 2006 Final Four, rewarding academic success emphasizes school values. When coach Jim Larranaga signed a new contract in 2006, his academic incentives included a team grade-point average of 3.0. In 2009, the school raised the bar to 3.3. Meeting that would earn Larranaga about $52,500."

[via USA Today]

VCU's run to Final Four is eerily similar to George Mason's in 2006

The VCU Rams are playing ridiculously good basketball right now. Not only are they taking down BCS teams but they are thoroughly handling them on their route to this year's Final Four.  Even if you don't like VCU you can't help but be amazed by what they are doing right now.  George Mason in 2006 certainly blazed the trail for teams like Butler and VCU and mid-major conferences are continuing to show there isn't really anything "mid" about what they can accomplish in March.  It certainly is a boost for the CAA to get another team in the Final Four five years after George Mason's historic ride but that's not the only thing VCU and George Mason's tournament runs have in common.

Weak Finishes.  Both teams didn't end the regular season or CAA tournament on the best note.  George Mason lost twice to Hofstra down the stretch and was eliminated from the CAA tournament in the semifinals.  VCU this season lost their last four conference games and was then beaten by ODU in the CAA championship. 

Win over Wichita State in the Bracketbuster game. Both VCU and George Mason played at Wichita State in ESPN's Bracketbuster Weekend and both times it was their best out of conference win on their resume heading into Selection Sunday.  You can make an argument that both times it was basically a play-in game for each team to make the big dance.  

At-large #11 seeds. Neither team won the CAA auto-bid and they are two of the three #11 seeds to ever make the Final Four.

Criticism from the media on Selection Sunday.  Who could forget Jim Nantz and Billy Packer grilling the selection committee for the selection of George Mason back in 2006.  This year it was ESPN's Jay Bilas who openly criticized VCU and UAB in the field of 68.  Both times they said that the two teams didn't have any "good wins". Here is a compilation of ESPN guys dissin' VCU from Selection Sunday.

BCS schools taken down.  It seems like VCU has beaten almost every BCS conference already: PAC10, Big East, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12. In 2006 the Patriots took down the Big Ten, ACC, and Big East on their path. If they had the First Four back in '06 and Mason was in that it they probably would have been matched up against another BCS team as well.

Pregame Elite Eight trash talk from future NBAer that motivated them. Some people might not remember this but Rudy Gay said something to the Mason players before the UConn-George Mason Elite Eight game. Towards the end of the game Tony Skinn reminded Gay of his pregame comments as he walked up to the free-throw line.  Yesterday during the pregame hand shakes one of the Morris twins from Kansas said "You guys had a nice run, but it's time for y'all to go home."

Beat #1 seed to advance to Final Four. #1 UConn in '06 and #1 Kansas this year were both heavy favorites despite how good George Mason and VCU were playing in the tourney.

Defense is the backbone. George Mason and VCU would not have gotten to the Final Four without their exceptional defense throughout the tournament. VCU's is playing so good lately that we could see them in the national championship game.  The 2006 George Mason team probably relied on it a little more as they were not as athletic as these 2011 VCU rams are on offense.  But still coaches Jim Larranaga and Shaka Smart both used effective defensive schemes that really frustrated these BCS teams.  

NBA talent? I just thought it was interesting that the 2006 George Mason team had no guys do go to the NBA and most likely this year's VCU's team won't either. Last year's Butler squad that went to the national championship did have one in Gordon Haywood.  I just found it funny that VCU has had two 1st round NBA draft picks recently and yet the season they don't they make the Final Four. 

Charlie Sheen's Bracket had George Mason over Ohio State

Yes Charlie Sheen found time between his drugs, porn stars, and web shows to fill out a bracket for this year's NCAA Tournament.  He submitted his celebrity bracket to the Dan Patrick Show and like most of ours it's already busted. You might find it interesting though that he had George Mason beating Ohio State and Old Dominion in the Elite Eight.  Nevermind that he had Akron as his national champs I'm still going to say that Sheen cursed George Mason before Sunday's game!

George Mason gets dominated by Ohio State in 98-66 loss

Not much to say to say on this one. This was the Patriots' worse NCAA tournament loss in school history besting their 24 point loss to Cincinnati in 1999. That was Jim Larranaga's first NCAA trip with George Mason. The Patriots' ran into a Ohio State team that was unbelievably hot from behind the three-point line. Granted the Patriots perimeter defense was non-existent but it's still a pretty amazing to watch a team go 16-for-26 from there, I believe it was a record in the NCAA tournament. If that was not a record I think Ohio State's David Lighty's 7-for-7 from behind th arc certainly is or pretty damn close.  After starting the game on an 11-2 run the Patriots were manhandled in almost every area. At one point Mason went 10 minutes without a field goal; your not going to beat anyone left in this field playing like that. However it did seem like every foul call, loose ball, and shot attempt seemed to go in the favor of the Buckeyes.  It was like quick-sand, the harder Mason tried to dig themselves out the more they sunk deeper.  Every shot seemed to fall for Ohio State tonight who certainly looked like the #1 overall seed after this performance.  

Luke Hancock missed today's game with food poisoning and the Patriots' certainly could have used his ability to create in this game.  Unfortunate way to end the season missing one of your starters in the season's biggest game but I'm sure most agree it might not have mattered tonight.  

Some positive things to take away from tonight is the fact that Johnny Williams again got quality playing time against elite talent for the second straight game.  And I'm sure juniors Ryan Pearson, Mike Morrison, and Andre Cornelius will not forget this bitter taste in their mouth and strive to erase it next season.  You cannot discount what this year's George Mason team accomplished this year. It was a great year and it's sad it had to end this way. Personally I'll feel a lot better if Ohio State wins the national championship. 

How George Mason can beat Ohio State

This game is a bit personal to me on another level, my brother is an OSU grad. Naturally sibling rivalry wants me to see George Mason crush Ohio State but I'm trying to not let it distort my reality on the game. Mason didn't get the best draw on Selection Sunday, they may have been paired with a Big East team on a serious losing streak but they are also in the same region as the #1 overall seed in Ohio State.  If you have watched any college basketball this season you're probably familiar with All-American forward Jared Sullinger , who is one of the best players in the country right now.  Outside of Sullinger inside you have to deal with the perimeter shooting of Jon Diebler and William Buford, the slashing penetration skills of David Lighty, and Aaron Craft at the point making it all happen.  Like Mason they are balanced and can beat you in a number of different ways.  

I don't think it's a surprise to anyone to say that Mason needs to play a lot better overall then they did against Villanova in order to win this game.  If they give up that many open looks from behind the arc the Buckeyes will bury them early and I don't think they will be able to mount a 2nd half comeback.  Ryan Pearson was pretty much shout out by the Villanova front court and as a result got into early foul trouble making him a non-factor.  The Patriots can't let that happen again.

So with all that being said, just how can George Mason defeat Ohio State on Sunday? Here are the keys to the game for the Patriots:

Guard the perimeter. Ohio State is #2 in the nation on 3-point shooting percentage. Jon Diebler is a big reason for this.  Mason will have to make a better effort to prevent their opportunities from behind th arc in order to stay in this game. Villanova had too many early looks and made Mason pay early, imagine that times 10 against Ohio State.

Get them into foul trouble, especially Jared Sullinger. Sounds easy right? Actually the Buckeyes are the #1 in the nation in personal fouls per game according to teamrankings.com and this could an area the Patriots attack. Overall they need to frustrate Sullinger and not give him easy baskets. Luke Hancock and Ryan Pearson got to the line a lot against Villanova and they need to do it again against these guys.  Ohio State coach Thad Matta has a short rotation and guys like Sullinger logging a lot of minutes on the bench would thwart their finely tuned offense.  Don't discount Larranaga's game management skills here.

Three-point shooting. You didn't see the Mason light it up from behind the three-point line against Villanova but they will need to against Ohio State. To defeat a team that is much more talented than you are you have to make outside shots to open things up in other areas.  The Patriots inability to make these shots really hurt their inside game against the Wildcats. It was obvious even on the last three-pointer by Luke Hancock that they didn't respect the Patriots outside game when he was left wide open.  Vertrail Vaughns was held scoreless against 'Nova but hopefully that is not the case Sunday.

George Mason defeats Villanova in thrilling finish 61-57

At times it looked ugly and at times it looked pretty hopeless for the Patriots but they hung and applied the pressure on defense to come out on top.  Mike Morrison put the exclamation point on the end of the game with a breakaway monster jam in the closing seconds. The big man finished with 10 points but more importantly a team-high 11 rebounds.  Luke Hancock really stepped up when the team needed him today. Ryan Pearson was hobbled with foul trouble and mostly shut out by the Villanova's front court. Mike Morrison and reserve Johnny Williams made key contributions down the stretch in Pearson's absence. 

Luke Hancock was really the MVP today. In the first half he was getting beat on defense and yielded a couple of open look three-pointers from Coreys but he turned things around in the second half.  He was able to get to the foul line when the Patriots needed a basket and help swing the momentum in their direction in the 2nd half.   

Villanova's two Coreys dominated the first half but Mason held them mostly scoreless for the beginning of the second half and used that to inch closer into the Wildcats' lead. There was sloppy passes and ill-advised shots but Mason eventually mounted a run late. The Patriots closed the game on a 13-3 tear but the more impressive part of the ending was the stout defense that came alive in the closing seconds.  For most of the game we didn't see that defense that got Mason to where they are now.  

Here is the last stretch where Mason took control:

Here is an interesting statistic from ESPN after the game: "Four of the last six teams to defeat Villanova in the NCAA tournament have gone on to win the championship".

Post game interviews. Coach L when asked how his team came back today: "I have no idea."

College Basketball Stats

Game Day Preview: George Mason vs Villanova

Getting Inside: Our  Q & A with a Villanova blogger

Andre Cornelius and Luke Hancock are good to go for today's game

Why Jim Larranaga might surprise us again this NCAA tournament

Tale of the Tape: George Mason-Villanova

First Look at Villanova

So it's finally here. After a 12 day lay-off since the George Mason last played in the CAA tournament we get to see them today in white jerseys for the first time in the NCAA tournament. We already talked in-depth about how the two teams match-up in this one but I just wanted to share some final thoughts before this afternoon.

Here is a preview of the game CBSSports.com. I like this preview because Jon Rothstein has been following Mason all season, even before their national leading winning streak.  He gives praise to the Patriots' depth at guard and the play of Cam Long and Vertrail Vaughns off the bench.

Here are my keys to the game for George Mason today:

Create favorable matchups. Last year they did a good job of this and is the big reason why they were leading most of the game in Puerto Rico. Mason does this the best on the perimeter and if they can force the Wildcats into some bad mismatches there you will see some open looks from behind the arc. Three-point shooting could be the biggest factor today as Villanova's last couple of opponents have had a lot of success from there.


Keep Villanova off the offensive boards. You saw how this doomed ODU yesterday and they were a team that made a living off the glass this season. Even weaker rebounding teams step it up in the tournament and the Patriots have to win this battle today. 
Start strong. I don't think I can stress this last key enough. Recently they have had some trouble defending in the beginning of their last couple of games.  Their poor efforts on defense dug them into a 14 point deficit at the half of their last game against VCU and it turned out to be too big to overcome. Mason doesn't need to have a big lead at the half, as they have done their best work in the 2nd half this season, but they need to keep the momentum in their favor and not give up a lot of open looks.
Follow me on twitter for live game updates (@gmuhoops)

George Mason players watched the end of the ODU-Butler game, cheered on the Monarchs

Just after the George Mason basketball team got finished with their open practice in Cleveland they stopped to watch the end of the ODU-Butler game on the big screen at the Q (above).  They were cheering on their CAA brothers right up until the buzzer beater by Butler's Matt Howard:

From The Mid-Majority:

Tough loss for ODU and the CAA as I really thought the Monarchs would take this one. In the end Butler beat them at the own game and won the battle on the boards. Sure it was a "mid-on-mid" crime but it was still a great game to watch. And I'm sure we can all agree that if Mason loses like that tomorrow we will all be depressed for days.

Getting inside: Our Q & A with a Villanova blogger

Now that we can put to rest the worries of having two injured starters, it's time to move on to getting an insiders' perspective on Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats this season. We had a Q & A session with the guys over at vuhoops.com and learned a lot about the team.  Here is our exchange:

Villanova was one of the hottest teams to start the season down the stretch and lost in the 1st round of Big East tournament. What are the main factors that contributed to this? Was it mostly due to various injuries to key players?


Jay Wright probably would tell you that injuries had a lot to do with it, and it certainly didn't help to lose a player like Corey Stokes for as much time as we did this season. There were other injuries on the team as well, along with other issues that hurt depth down the stretch (like Mo Sutton missing curfews).

With depth issues, Jay Wright turned to an approach -- the "burn offense" -- that was wildly unsuccessful. [more on the "burn offense" here]

How would you describe the Wildcats on offense this season? What kind of pace best suits their game?

Villanova's offense works better when they use the shot clock and move the ball. It's not necessarily a matter of pace. The most consistent offensive weapon on this team is Corey Stokes, but he needs to be in a position to get the ball.

That said, a slightly faster pace seems to be most effective for Villanova. Earlier in the season, the 'Cats seemed to play a slightly-faster pace, with possessions in either the high-60s or low-70s most of the time. As the season went on (and fell apart), the 'Cats played fewer possessions and won fewer games.

What types of teams give Villanova the most problems on defense?

There is no real pattern in terms of defensive philosophy when it comes to Villanova's losses. They have losses to Zone teams, Man teams and teams that don't have a statistical lean either way.

Defenses that force turnovers have had, perhaps the most success against Villanova recently. In the more conservative offense that the 'Cats have used lately, the guards play very tentatively and have turned the ball over far too easily.

The last 10 minutes of GMU-Villanova game from last season in Puerto Rico

What do you think are the Wildcats biggest advantages over George Mason heading into this game?

Experience. It seems strange to say that when talking about a team that has more Sophomores than Seniors and Juniors combined, but Villanova has played a tough schedule in the Big East and the Senior class is going on to it's fourth NCAA tournament berth and were part of the last Villanova Final Four run.

Last season these two teams played each other in a thrilling game at the Puerto Rico Tip-off that came down to the last few seconds. Who would say are the most improved players for Villanova from that team last year?
The answer is probably Corey Stokes, but since Mouphtaou Yarou didn't even play in that game, perhaps he has a claim to that title as well.

Stokes played 22 minutes against George Mason in Puerto Rico last season and scored exactly one point. He averaged less than 10 points last year. This season, however, he has been lights out from deep and has shown stronger ability to dribble drive and create his own shot. He's averaging 15 points per game to sit less than a point per game behind Corey Fisher.

Stokes went from a bit player to a key piece for the 'Cats.

Who could be a potential x-factor for Jay Wright this Friday?

Well, the easy choice would be Isaiah Armwood, right?

More likely, it will be one of the guards. Maalik Wayns is the healthier of the two point guards on the team, and it seems like when he plays well, the 'Cats win. He doesn't have to put a big number on the scoreboard, but if he can play his game, score a few and distribute the ball to Stokes, Fisher and the Bigs, the offense should run pretty smoothly.

What is the injury status of Corey Stokes, Corey Fisher and Mouphtaou Yarou? Will they be 100% by game time?

Word from Jay Wright is that everyone is expected to be 100%. Yarou was sore after the USF game and he was held out of the second half of that game because of concussion concerns, but we've heard that the training staff expects him to be back to normal before Friday's game.

Predictions for Friday?

If Villanova uses the "burn" offense for more than 5 minutes during the game, they will lose by at least 10. If they come out and play to their strengths, they can probably win.

George Mason is good, and Jay Wright stresses defense, especially in games like this. I don't think it will be a blow out either way, but a close and exciting game.

Update on the injury status of Andre Cornelius and Luke Hancock

It appears the injuries to starters Andre Cornelius and Luke Hancock are minor and they should be good to go for Friday's game against Villanova. When asked yesterday about the health of the two players Coach Larranaga assured the media that if the game was Wednesday they would have been in the starting lineup. I talked to a few reporters who were at the practice where the injuries took place and they all said it did not seem serious.  I did hear however that Cornelius' limp was very noticeable.  Nevertheless both have had plenty of time to get treatment and take it easy before Friday afternoon.  We will have more updates about the team's practice today on twitter so stay tuned.

Why Jim Larranaga might surprise us again this year in the NCAA tournament

I tend to think of Jim Larranaga as an unorthodox head coach, making moves that sometimes leaves you scratching your head but in the end produces results. This season has already been living proof of how good this team can be when they fully buy into his game plan philosophy. And we saw how great of a game coach he can be in 2006 during the Final Four run when he has a balanced, versatile group of players.  I believe he has a squad like that again this year and it allows him to take high-risk high-reward chances like he did five years.  In the Patriots' last NCAA tournament game in 2008 it was a different story. They relied heavily on the play of Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell and had spotty production from the rest of the group both on offense and defense.  Perhaps the difference in those two teams is the amount of trust Larranaga had in each one and how it effected his coaching decisions.  

An article today from Yahoo Sports reminds us of the gutsy call Coach L made in that 2006 Elite Eight game versus UConn:

The design of the greatest NCAA Tournament upset ever came not in frantic scribbles on a clipboard and furious offensive calls but rather in the beautiful simplicity of the same play perfectly run over and over and over again.

Larranaga calls this play “three” and drawn out on paper it must look so confusing with its array of options: Curls across the top, passes down to the two big men below, a drive and layup underneath. But as the mighty Connecticut Huskies lunged at George Mason that afternoon in 2006, Larranaga did something few coaches would have the stomach to try. He shouted “run three,” with about 10:00 left in the game and then after watching his players score a basket, he never took it off for the rest of regulation and all over overtime until the Mason players were dancing on the floor, trimming the nets and heading to a Final Four that UConn, the No. 1 seed, seemed to treat as a birthright.

It is a brilliant example of coaching. Or rather, not over-coaching, of not letting ego complicate something that is working well. Too many other men in his place would have been signaling for substitutes, holding up fingers, bellowing anything simply tolook as if they were coaching harder than they ever had in their life. Larranaga resisted this temptation in the biggest game he ever coached. In addition to running the same play the last 25 times George Mason took the ball down the court, he never made a substitution in that time, either.

Yes your reading that correctly, George Mason ran the same play with the same five players for their last 25 possessions against UConn in that game. I think this a perfect example of Coach L getting the most out of a team he had built to near perfection when it comes to playing as a 'team'.  We don't know if he can get the same results as from this year's team as he did that season, it's very unlikely, but it just goes to show how good this team can be if they believe in their coach like the players did in 2006.

I'm not trying to complain this year's team to the 2006 one, I'm just saying this team might instill the confidence in Coach L that that team did during the post season.  We may see some more interesting coaching moves that pay off like that way that one did against UConn.  Larranaga has already said they will be tweaking their game plan a bit so don't be surprised if we see some new things on Friday. I have a feeling Larranaga has got a few more tricks up his sleeve this go around. 

Andre Cornelius and Luke Hancock got banged up in practice yesterday

There are two media outlets reporting today that Andre Cornelius and Luke Hancock left practice early yesterday with ankle injuries.  The Washington Times tells us it was due to new shoes sent to Mason by Nike and the Washington Post goes as far as telling us Hancock was wheeled off the court on a rolling office chair. The local media is probably blowing this out of proportion and the coaching staff is most likely just being cautious about their two starters but this still isn't news Mason fans will take lightly.  

Nevertheless Coach Larranaga didn't put Mason fans on ease today when he was asked about it during an interview on 106.7 The Fan this morning with the Junkies. You can listen here:

He dodged the question and it shouldn't be surprising as you don't want to show your cards to an opposing team before the start of an NCAA tournament game where any info can be an advantage. Even if the injuries to the two prevent some minutes you have to remember that guard is where the Patriots are the deepest. Injuries to guys like Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison would disrupt the teams flow a lot more but this could still be significant.  

You can watch a video from ESPN's "All-Access with George Mason" that includes some interviews and footage from yesterday's practice below. The team leaves for Cleveland today. 

What's funny is in the video is that Mike Morrison asks Luke Hancock how he likes his new Nikes. Bet he had a different answer after practice.

Also from ESPN you can vote for Rashad Whack in their "Coolest name in the NCAA tournament" bracket.

Don't forget you can still join the GMUHoops.com Bracket Challenge:
http://gmuhoops.mayhem.cbssports.com/e (password is mason)

Tale of the Tape: #8 George Mason vs #9 Villanova

Here is a statistical breakdown of how the two teams match-up.  Right now George Mason is looking like a 1.5 point favorite.  Tomorrow we will post a Q & A conversation we had with the guys over at VU Hoops for some inside analysis on Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats this season.

Statistically the Patriots have the edge in a lot of categories but as you know this is March Madness and that tends to make some of these categories meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Both head coaches are defensive guys and neither team gives up a lot of points. One stat that could turn out to be the difference in the game is turnovers.  Although Mason has the slight edge here on average they did cough up the ball 14 times in their last game against VCU. Villanova has had double digit turnovers in three of their last six games.   

Sidenote: Villanova's sophomore Maalik Wayns had 24 points in Villanova's 70-69 loss to South Florida in the Big East tournament. He's been averaging 22.8 points per game over his last four contests.

When looking at the Four Factors chart below that we have been posting here after every game, you notice that no team really has a huge advantage in any of the key factors. 'Nova has a slight edge in their offensive rebounding and getting to the free throw line.

College Basketball Stats

Don't forget to join the GMUHoops.com Bracket Challenge:
http://gmuhoops.mayhem.cbssports.com/e (password is mason)

Cam Long makes the cover of SI ........ joining about 67 others.

Cam Long and "the Patriot" are seen here on the cover of Sports Illustrated's 2011 NCAA Tournament preview issue. Not in exactly the same form as Lamar Butler 5 years ago but hey still pretty cool.

[Image via @SI_24Seven]