Mason dominates UNCW

Wow, we certainly have seen it all this season. Last night the Patriots dominated the UNCW Seahawks and reached the century mark for the first time since 2005. It is definitely a rare spectacle to see Larranaga's guys put up 100 points. Dre Smith had another good showing shooting wise and John Vaughan led all scorers with 20 while going 5-for-6 from the three-point line. The Patriots had many runs in this game but the 18-0 run in the second half sealed the deal. UNCW's front court was abysmal and basically got abused the entire game. Mason owned the boards and got a lot of their early baskets off second chance opportunities. If Monroe and Birdsong logged more minutes they each could have put up 20. But instead we saw freshmen Ryan Pearson and Michael Morrison develop in the low post (13 points each). Morrison seems to have a better touch than I had thought. More post moves to follow? Everyone looked good in this game and we saw a lot less erratic shooting than we have in previous games. Seniors John Vaughan and Dre Smith are started to lead the way on offense, which is how it should be. Monroe and Birdsong were consistant again in this one although they were not needed much .

Mason now moves to 2-0 in the conference and that might not seem like much now but a lot of teams moved to 1-1 in the CAA last night leaving only Mason, Georgia State, and Northeastern unbeaten so far. It's definitely going to be an interesting season in the CAA this year. Next up for the Patriots is Georgia State at home this Monday, with a 5pm start time. Thanks CAA, is having another TV game really worth putting out the loyal fans that attend games after a workday?

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No Fly Zone

Rob Lowery of Dayton stole the show late in the 2nd half to prevent the Patriots from upsetting the Flyers on their home court. The same court not too long ago Mason started it's historic run in the 2006 tournament. The depth of Dayton's squad came on when they needed to and thwarted Dre Smith's big night. Dre finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and hit 4 three-pointers. Definitely the Dre Smith we had hoped to see this season. Cam Long was also stellar running the point and finished with 15 points but more importantly he looked very poised on the road in a hostile environment. The difference in the game to me was that fact that Dayton's big front court really prevented Mason from getting any help out of Monroe and Birdsong late in the game. Freshmen Andre Cornelius and Ryan Pearson were not factors and made a couple of rookie mistakes, especially Cornelius. We saw Chris Fleming get some minutes with Vlad being gone and let's hope those minutes decrease. If not for the great play by the guards Mason would not have been in this game late. It's frustrating to watch a team unfold late in the game after leading for almost the entire 2nd half but let's face it, this is the best we have seen Mason play on the road this season. Now I'm not one for "moral victories", a loss is a loss but at least this game makes me a little bit more confident about our upcoming CAA schedule. I know many of you we probably thinking a win at Dayton would almost guarantee an NCAA tournament berth coupled with a decent conference record but keep in mind there's a lot of season left to play and Mason is playing just as good if not better than the rest of the CAA right now.

Pictures taken by Erik Shelkun of daytonflyers.cstv.com

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Previewing Dayton...

So it's come to this: Mason's chance to add a marquee win to their resume before conference play kicks into full gear. The Flyers are without a doubt going to be the most talented and well-rounded squad the Patriots have faced to date. They are deep and much like the Patriots squad they aren't depending on one guy every night. Someone to keep an eye on is Chris Wright, who is a 6'8" forward and is wildly athletic, creating problems on both ends of the floor. To understand more of what I mean, watch this youtube:

Dayton's bread and butter is their defense and rebounding, while they struggle with three-point shooting. In their win over Auburn they went 0-for-24 from behind the arch. Wow. Could this be an advantage for the Patriots? We have seen lesser talented squads creep back into games because of three-point shooting. The Flyers play an up tempo style at times and things could get ugly for the Patriots if they try to match that tempo running up and down the court. I don't think Mason can go toe-to-toe with Dayton if it's an up tempo game, the Flyers are much more athletic.

For further analysis of the Flyers, I had a little Q&A session with a Dayton blogger from The Blackburn Review.

1. Most of us have seen what Chris Wright can do, who else should Mason fans keep a close eye on from this deep Dayton squad?

"Honestly, I am not going to blow smoke up your ass (unless you pay me). The U of D is not sporting the most potent offensive arsenal in the country right now. Chris Johnson and Marcus Johnson are the two most likely candidates to take over if Wright is having an off night on the offensive end. Wright is not scoring in the fashion that most Flyer fans anticipated he would this season. Outside of dunks and getting to the stripe, Wright's scoring ability seems to be rather limited in this early stage of his career. He really needs to develop a more effective outside game to take his game to the next level. Dayton currently thrives on defense and rebounding. They currently are second in the nation in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to 33.5% shooting from the floor. The Flyers, although very athletic, are not a flashy group. They definetely bring a blue-collar whiskey-drinkin' common-law-wife-beatin' work ethic to each game. They are more likely to open up for Menudo than impress you with their perimeter shooting."

2. What kind of coach is Brian Gregory?

"He is warm and cuddly. Standing at just 4'9", Gregory will not physically intimidate anyone. However, he has a mean streak and is capable of just about anything. BG is a fierce competitor who has brought Dayton's recruiting success to a new level. An unsubstantiated report from last year stated that Gregory defecated down the chimney of an opposing coach who was allegedly employing shady recruiting tactics to steal local talent. This charge was never proven as the DNA results were inconclusive."

3. What would you say is the Flyers biggest strength this season?

"Again, their defense and rebounding. Dayton seems content to blindly throw the ball against the backboard, grab the rebound, miss an easy lay-up, get another offensive board and eventually place it within the inviting confines of the rim. This team thinks of offense as a necessary evil and believes that the three point line is made of the remains of serial killers. Dayton's previosly non-sensical substitution patterns are finally paying off this year, as Gregory can continually sub in fresh bodies to physically impose their will on defense. The ride back to Fairfax will smell of Ben-Gay and unrelenting fear."

4. In Dayton's win over Auburn earlier this season they went 0-for-24 from the three-point line, would it suffice to say their biggest weakness is outside shooting?

"That would be an understatement. To put that number in perspective, you could probably pull a half-drunk 60 year-old Filipino fisherman out of the crowd to shoot half-court shots at halftime Tuesday night, and I would almost guarantee that he would hit one within 24 tries. The sheer embarrassment of that performance, albeit a win, is unmatched. Even looking at it now, I can help but die a little inside. Flyers fans want to pretend that game never happened, but I say we should never forget the horrors of that brisk night in Chicago. Time heals all wounds, but until another school goes 0-25 from the arc, we will have to wear a scarlet T, for turrrrrrrible, on our letter jackets."

5. What would the Patriots have to do to win this game?

"Limit turnovers and hit their open looks. Dayton will do their part to score in low numbers, Mason must retaliate by having a decent night on offense. UD has a tendency to over-pursue on defense which results in open looks from the outside. If Mason can control the pace of the game and not turn the ball over in bunches, the Patriots have a good chance at coming out of UD Arena with a shiny W."

6. What's your prediction for this game?

"My prediction is a close victory, between 5-8 points, for the boys in red and blue. Dayton will pull away in the last ten minutes of the game, miss enough foul shots down the stretch to keep Mason within striking distance, and eventually will make a play or two to keep it out of reach for good. Dayton will outrebound Mason by at least 10 boards and force between 15-20 turnovers. A child will be conceived in one of the men's bathrooms after the game."

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Vlad Moldoveanu is transferring...

Just saw this today from Jeff Goodman's blog over on foxsports.com:

"Just got word from a source close to the situation that George Mason 6-foot-10 sophomore Vlad Moldoveanu is transferring.

Moldoveanu is averaging 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this season - identical numbers to what he put up as a freshman a year ago while playing about a dozen minutes per game."

Not real shocking considering how Vlad's playing time hasn't improved since he was a freshman and let's face it he doesn't play defense or rebound enough to be a true Larranaga guy. Maybe it would have been different if he started hitting three's like everyone (including me) kept saying he was capable of. I don't think he fits in Coach L's system and he probably feels he can make an impact somewhere else.

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Mason to play GW in 2009

Finally, some local rivalry games. I have always thought it was ridiculous that there are never any good local games between all the great college teams in our area (Maryland, Georgetown, GW, even American). This is from the Washington Post:

"George Mason has a tentative agreement to play at George Washington next season and host the Colonials in 2010-11, Patriots Athletic Director Tom O'Connor said. The teams have met only 10 times, most recently in 1998."

This a great step in the right direction to hopefully getting more local rivalry games in the future. Gary Williams won't be bringing his Terps to the Patriot Center any time soon but hopefully we are moving closer to that day.

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Mason grinds out win over Tulane

Ugly, boring, and somewhat frustrating but still a victory for the Patriots last night. Mason shot 29 percent in the second half of this game and made 1 of 11 three-pointers. The one positive stat in this game besides the final score was that Mason had 9 steals and only 10 turnovers. Forwards Darryl Monroe and Ryan Pearson (5 offensive rebounds) helped keep the Patriots ahead for most of the game. John Vaughan had another good night with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals. But it was another night were we saw poor shot selection (and numerous air-balls) and some inexcusable turnovers that let a weaker team hang around against the Patriots. Some good free-throw shooting helped Mason seal the victory but the team still saw a 12-point lead vanish at home, very rare. Louis Birdsong had somewhat of an off night and looked like he had a slight ankle or knee problem. Reserves Isaiah Tate and Vlad Moldoveanu continue to not produce from the bench, while Chris Fleming did not dress for the game.

Photos taken by Allen Clark (www.offwing.com)

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Mason receives vote in AP Poll

The AP poll was just released and apparently someone else besides us fans thinks the Patriots are playing some good basketball right now. Although it may seem shocking at first, keep in mind that it would not be a surprise to see the two teams we lost to (Hampton and Liberty) ending up in the NCAA tournament come March. Personally I do not think we have accomplished enough to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the teams even near the bottom of the Top 25, but hey bragging rights are fun.

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