Highlights from the George Washington game

[Video from GoMason.com's Patriot Vision]

Read more »

George Mason earns bragging rights, gets revenge with win over George Washington

George Mason avenged last year's disaster in Foggy Bottom last night and earned the Battle of Orange Line bragging rights for this season.  The final score (60-46) might show that the Patriots covered the double digit sports betting spread but it was an ugly game at times and they gave George Washington way too many chances.  Both teams started off shooting the ball terribly but Mason's defense gave them the edge early on.  It was the first game this season where you saw the Patriots sputter on offense to begin a game. However despite poor numbers from the field they were perfect from the free-throw line in the 1st half which turned out to be the difference in the score at halftime.  The slow start might have been the Colonials constantly double-teaming Luke Hancock, who so far this year has set the tone for the Patriots on offense.  If not for some strong moves to the basket by Mike Morrison Mason probably would have been down at the half.  The Patriots weren't playing their game in the 1st half and the full court pressing by GW slowed everything down.  It was a little concerning how easily they were able to throw Mason off their game.  

The 2nd half is where the Patriots found their groove.  They used a 9-0 run capped off with a Mike Morrison dunk to take a strong hold on the lead and never look back.  Their defensive intensity picked up and Ryan Pearson, who was a zombie in the first half, really picked up his game on both ends of the court.  A combination of steals and getting to the free-throw line sealed the deal for the Patriots in the end of this game. They were still a bit throw off by the constant pressing of GW, who actually ended up playing better defense last night then I thought they were capable of doing.  Luke Hancock got a lot of jeers from the Mason fans in attendance for his inability to hold on to the ball at times. Despite leading the Patriots with 15 points he seemed a bit too frustrated by the double teams in the 1st half and will have to learn to work through when teams key in on him like that. Hancock and the other starters had to log way too minutes to close this game out as Larranaga didn't show much faith in his bench.  It seemed as if the starters played nearly the entire 2nd half.  Even with a double-digit lead Larranaga didn't feel safe inserting Bennett, Arledge, or any reserve guards.  In the post game interview Larranaga had this to say about the bench players:

"They don’t clearly understand how to get it done yet,” said Larranaga. “I didn’t want to take a chance on putting them into a situation where they’d turn the ball over a couple times and we’d lose the lead.”

Rebounding: The Patriots didn't do a great job on the boards in this one and were out rebounded 37-31.  They let GW get way too many second chance opportunities and when your playing a team that shoots that poorly you can't have that happen.

Bench Support: So much for this being a deep team.  Mason got almost no help from their bench last night and it's obvious after Coach L's comments post game that he doesn't have much faith in their ability on defense. If he doesn't have faith in them with 8 minutes to go and up by 10 against a team like GW what's going to happen when they play VCU or ODU? The starters won't last playing this long all season and it was rare that no one was in foul trouble in the 2nd half. Also, Paris Bennett continues to get minutes over Johnny Williams in the front court, which is still puzzling to me.

Free throws:  I can't remember the last time I praised Mason for their free-throw shooting, probably because I never have.  Not only did they do an excellent job getting to the line more than GW (as you can see in the chart below) they also made them pay for it.  It still wasn't a great percentage (69.7%) overall but they connected on a lot in the first 30 minutes of the game which helped them maintain a lead.  At times it seemed as if Cornelius, Hancock, and Pearson could get to the line whenever they wanted, I'd like to see more of that.

NCAA Basketball

Read more »

Battle of the Orange Line Part II: Game Day Links and Live Blog

Game Time: 7:00 pm, get to the game early to receive a Folarin Campbell Bobblehead

Radio: WGMU and also on 1050 AM (GW broadcast)

Spread:  Mason by 13

Game Notes

Washington Post Preview

Previewing the Battle of the Orange Line Part II

Video Highlights from the game against FAU

Gametracker

Statistical Breakdown

Join us for the Live Blog and chat tonight. If your at the game or not by a computer you can also join in via twitter by sending me a tweet @gmuhoops or by using the hashtags #gmuhoops or #mason

Read more »

Previewing the Battle of the Orange Line Part II

I like having fun with the whole "Battle of the Orange Line" slogan the GW marketing department came up with last year but I still think them trying to call this game some sort of rivalry is a stretch.  It's great to have a local rival but I don't think we are quite there yet when you consider the teams have only faced 11 times in Mason's 40 some years of having a basketball team.  And before the game last December, George Mason and George Washington hadn't faced eachother in 11 years. What rivals have that long of a break between games?  It remains to be seen if this becomes an annual affair or if it ends up being a short lived marketing campaign by both schools to get attendance numbers up. Hopefully this becomes a tradition but I'm not going to hold my breath.  

Now on to the actual game tomorrow night.  Considering almost everyone on the roster was in Foggy Bottom for the beating they received last year from the Colonials I'd like to think they take this game seriously. Ryan Pearson and Andre Cornelius were suspended for that game last season and should be motivated to perform well tomorrow.  With GW losing to UNCW the other night it's a little difficult to say they are an improved team from last season.  They were picked to finish tenth in the A10 but so far it looks like even that might be wishful thinking.  The Colonials have been dreadful from the field, shooting about 35% on the the season to date but have had some success from the three-point line. Forward Nemanja Mikic sank 7 3-pointers in their loss to UNCW.  If Mason doesn't protect the perimeter well it's pretty much the only way I see them losing this game.  If they play the kind of team defense they did against Radford and FAU it's very likely GW will have a tough time getting any quality looks at the basket.  

In the front court GW has done well rebounding so this is definitely an area the Patriots cannot slouch in.  Mason won't have a size advantage like they did over FAU but they will have more athletic forwards. But GW forward Nemanja Mikic who I mentioned earlier could create a match-up problem. The 6-8 forward has been shooting over 47% from the three-point line and has been one of the team's most efficient shooters. If someone like Luke Hancock is guarding him it could be an issue.  Hopefully we see another big game from Mike Morrison who had a big second half against FAU on Saturday.

I look for Mason to continue to share the ball well and shoot well in this one.  Their defense should force GW into another one of their bad shooting nights and force them to throw up ill advised three-pointers. If the Patriots play an uptempo game with high scoring I don't think the Colonials will be able to keep up as they just don't have the horses.

Don't forget this is the game they will start giving away bobbleheads! So get their early to get your Folarin Campbell bobblehead.

Read more »

George Mason rolls past Florida Atlantic

It was another impressive defensive night for the Patriots as head coach Jim Larranaga picked up his 250th win at George Mason. However this time there was not a barrage of three pointers and they got a lot of points inside from Mike Morrison, who led all scorers in a game for the first time this season. Morrison had scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, a lot of them effortlessly through dunking on the undersized Owls. The Patriots finished the 1st half shooting almost 60% from the field and continued that in the 2nd.   Cam Long (6 assists) and Luke Hancock (7) continue to distribute the ball well and in these last two games the Patriots have been playing much improved 'team' basketball. The box score might show that the rebounding stats where about even but the Patriots weren't getting enough of the meaningful rebounds they should have.  The undersized Florida Atlantic squad got 9 offensive boards while Mason only had 4.  Coming into the game Florida Atlantic got to the free throw line a lot and Mason did a good job staying out of foul trouble and not letting them take advantage at the line.  

Mason didn't get a lot help from their bench in this one.  In the 2nd half they got zero points from their bench players and it seemed like Larranaga still don't trust a reserve heavy lineup in the 2nd half even with a 10 point lead.  Larranaga has criticized the defensive efforts of his 'green team' so far this year and they need to improve in this area before the CAA schedule kicks in.  You can say what you want to about the team's depth being improved over last season but most of the guys, outside of Isaiah Tate, just don't have a lot of experience and it has been showing in their defensive efforts.

College Basketball

Next up for the Patriots is the Battle of the Orange Line Part II this Wednesday.

Read more »

Lights out three point shooting helps Mason roll past Radford

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Last night was exactly the kind of weaker opponent George Mason needed to fine tune their offense and defense last night.  Mason went 13-of-26 from behind the three point line to coast past Radford for their third win of the season.  Although the offense might be the highlight reel material from last night, the Patritots defense cannot go unmentioned.  They got a lot of opportunities because their defense constantly put pressure on the ball all night when it was in the Highlanders' hands. Although Radford was a team these Patriots are expected to beat this year, you can't help but notice the patience and focus of the team who hard a strong bounce back after a disappointing last two games in the Charleston Classic. Hopefully this game shows the Patriots what they capable of when they play strong on both ends of the court.  Because honestly scoring hasn't been the problem in their losses this season but playing a complete game for 40 minutes has been.

It was definitely a padding of the stats kind of game. They finished the game three long-range jumpers shy of tying the school record of 16 set in 1994 against Troy State.  Andre Cornelius reminded us how he shot over 43% from the three point line last season with a 5-of-6 shooting night from their there.  Cam Long stepped up shooting 4-of-6 on his way to his first 20 points performance of the season. While those two were providing the scoring Luke Hancock was setting them up dishing out 10 assists and grabbing 8 rebounds.  This was the first game of the season where Johnny Williams got more playing time then Jonathan Arledge and Paris Bennett.  Ryan Pearson played 18 minutes and had 13 points before spraining his ankle midway through the 2nd half.  

NCAA Basketball Stats

Read more »

Coaches Corner: Previewing Radford with Chris Caputo

This year's Radford team is no where near what they faced last season in the team's blow out loss to the Highlanders.  If you remember that 80-53 blowout down in Radford, you will remember that big guy they had inside dominating, Artsiom Parakhouski. The 6'11" 260 pound center is now gone and is playing pro ball with the Latvian club VEF Riga after he had a brieft stint on the Boston Celtics summer league team.  This year's Radford Highlander team doesn't resemble much of their squad last season and they certainly do not have that same inside strength.

It's a little difficult to gauge this year's team because they have only played one game against a DI opponent, and that was at the SEC's South Carolina where they got drilled 85-56.  Their only other two games came against Division III opponents one of which they won by a mere three points at home.  So while there isn't much tape on them of note, I think it's safe to say Mason should get back on track in this one. I would expect the Patriots to establish their inside game and force a ton of turnovers in this one.  I would expect to see guys like Jonathan Arledge, Paris Bennett, Vertrail Vaughns, and Bryon Allen get a little bit more playing time as well.

This game is the first of a five game home stand, something we haven't seen Mason have in a long time.  You can argue that they won't be facing tough competition til the end of the December but I think it is important after what we saw in Charleston; for this team to work on some issues they have been having with their game plan. Hopefully these next couple of games will give the Patriots some confidence and help them get back in a rhythm on offense.

Read more »