Underdogs Once Again

George Mason basketball won't have to worry about too much pressure being mounted on them anymore this year as they enter the weekend possibly playing their last games of the season. Mason is a long shot to enter to win the CAA tournament as a #6 seed and the media is jumping at the chance to call us the little school that could, back to being the underdogs again. It has bothered a lot of Mason fans including myself that our school has been ragged on all season because we did not have the stellar season these so-called experts were expecting even with the loss of three star seniors and added presure and exposure none of team was ready for. Wheres the criticism towards LSU, they were also in the Final Four last year and they are most likely going to miss the NCAA tournament too. Being from...

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Dead or Alive

The regular season has come to an end for George Mason and they went out with one of the worst losses in Coach Larranaga's tenure. The final score against Northeastern saturday was 73-50 but trust me, it wasn't even that close. With this loss Mason broke its streak of 9 consecutive seasons with 10 or more conference wins. A streak that you often heard Larranaga boast about during interviews last March because Mason was one of only 8 teams in the entire country to maintain such a streak. It would was something that Mason fans could always count on but after failing to beat any of the top 4 teams in the CAA it was evident that this was a new dawn in the conference. OK, Campbell wasn't 100% but that doesn't explain Thomas scoring only 8 points and the team shooting below 40% from the free...

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Last Hurrah

Its was senior night in Fairfax, the last home game for a group that may have lacked star power but not determination against a weaker Georgia State team. Norwood, Burns, Konate, Thomas, and Monroe started; Charles Makings would have started but was a lost recently for the season with a torn ACL. A shame, I wanted to see his under-used swingman moves just one more time. Even if it wasn't senior night we still would have seen a different starting lineup due to that fact that Folarin Campbell was out with a strained hamstring and John Vaughan was suspended recently violating a team rule. Nothing to worry about to though, Vaughan will be back for the next game against Northeastern and Campbell might just sit out again to rest before the CAA tournament.The Patriots looked like they were going...

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Bracket Blunder

Last year at this time our showdown on ESPN's Bracketbuster Saturday was a defining game against fellow mid-major power Wichita State that helped give the Patriots some needed exposure and a "marquee win" to be considered for an at-large bid. This year our bracketbuster game was a reminder that not only can we not beat the top teams in our conference, but we can't beat top teams in other mid-major conferences either. This 6th home loss is nearly the amount of combined home losses the Patriots have had over the last four years. The game was shown on ESPN360, which is an internet TV station or something; it doesn't really matter because its not available anywhere except Alaska I think. Most of the Mason faithful was looking forward more to...

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In Need of Some Love

In the midst of trying to avoid a four game CAA losing streak, Coach Larranaga has been seen in rare form, both on the sidelines and to the press. Poor conference play is never something Larranaga's teams are known for. A losing streak like this is something we haven't seen since Larranaga first came to Fairfax in 1997. The Patriots should be able to climb back and take outright possession of the #5 seed in the conference. After tonight in Delaware the last two CAA foes they face are Georgia State and Northeastern. Its hard to call any remaining games on the Patriots schedule "winnable" after the way things have gone this year. But these remaining CAA games might be just the kind of "tune-up" games the Patriots need to get things in order...

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Playing for Pride

Coach Larranaga is steamed, Mason fans were chanting "Tony, Tony, Tony!" every time Loren Stokes touched the ball, Mason has lost consecutive home games for the first time in 5 years; all in all it was a sad day for Mason basketball. This is one of the rare moments where you will see Larranaga publicly showing his frustration with the team:"They will see an entirely different side of me and my personality these next few weeks because these performances are totally unacceptable to me and our program."This is something he should have said a while ago, because not much has changed in the way this team has been playing during the last couple of weeks. Larranaga should be pissed at this team, hes won a lot of Division I games with a lot less talent...

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Running Rams

George Mason was not able to overcome a deficit this year in Richmond against the Rams. VCU opened with a 13-2 run but hey last year Mason came back from 17 points in the 2nd half. Not the case this time, as the Rams exploited Mason's poor guard play to earn their 13th conference win. Mason got another strong post game from both Thomas (17 pts 12 rebs) and Monroe (13 and 9), but it proved that without solid contributions from your guards your going to have trouble beating anyone. Teams that have trouble with Mason's post game usually focus on stopping it in the 2nd half, forcing guys like Campbell, Vaughan and Smith to make outside shots. No easy task for this Patriots squad. Will Thomas is going to get double doubles and Monroe is starting...

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Patriots Collapse in OT

In possibly the most disappointing loss in the season, George Mason collapsed against an ODU team they were leading almost the entire game, in front of a near sell out in Fairfax. This is Mason's 4th home loss this season, the most since 1998. The Patriots had trouble getting into a rhythm and had many chances to put away the Monarchs but just could not get more than a six point lead. Arnaud Dahi's three pointer at the buzzer sent the game into overtime leaving myself and the rest of the Patriot Center in utter silence. Mason did not score in overtime and looked like a defeated team even before the extra period started. How did this happen? Larranaga puts the blame on himself for not calling a timeout during the Monarchs comeback in the...

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Hot Hands

The roller coaster ride that is Mason basketball this season continued Wednesday night with an 89-59 victory over Delaware. This game was over at half time and will hopefully give fans some confidence about Saturdays showdown with ODU. The Patriots were able to shot 63% from the field as a result of great ball movement and feeding off the Will Thomas double teams. Thomas, who is currently ranked fourth in the nation in field goal percentage, continued his shooting streak going 5 for 5 while adding 14 points. Folarin Campbell and Dre Smith were a combined 7 for 9 from the three point line, impressive but can they do this against ODU? They were also able to get to the free throw all night, something we really have not seen much this season,...

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