On Sunday the Buckeyes will continue their 2011 NCAA Tournament journey when they take on the George Mason Patriots, who prevailed in their first round game against Villanova on Friday. George Mason’s victory was one of the numerous thrilling finishes from this year’s tournament thus far, as the Patriots came back from being down six in the final two minutes to claim the win. A three-pointer from sophomore Luke Hancock with 21 seconds remaining gave George Mason the lead over Villanova, and they were able to hold on for the final few ticks to advance in the bracket.
George Mason is most well known for its epic run to the Final Four in the 2006 Tournament, where they lost to eventual champion Florida in the semifinal game. The Patriots have been back to the tourney since then, but have failed to advance beyond the first round until this year. Jim Larranaga, the coach of that Final Four team, is still at the helm for George Mason and is happy to facilitate hopes of another run through the Big Dance. Ohio State should beware, as this team is focused on making their own story and not just making an appearance for the sake of saying they participated.
George Mason was an at-large bid to the tournament this year, falling to Virginia Commonwealth in the Colonial League tournament championship game but having a strong overall season to garner the berth. Prior to their loss to VCU, the Patriots had a 16-game winning streak, including a victory over VCU by 20 points, and led the Colonial League standings by the end of the season. George Mason also posted a win over Old Dominion during their streak, making it two wins over tournament teams that became part of the Patriots’ overall resume.
Against Villanova, Hancock led the team with 18 points, while Mike Morrison and Isaiah Tate contributed 10 apiece. The Patriots only shot 40% overall from the field and 62.5% from the line, and Ohio State should be in good shape if they can hold George Mason to those totals once again. Part of the reason for George Mason’s win over the Wildcats was courtesy of Villanova’s own poor shooting (36.5% from the field overall), no doubt due in part to the Patriots’ defensive effort.
George Mason is a young team with only two seniors on the roster, including leading scorer Cam Long (15ppg). They are not a team with great size, but generally display good balance among their players. It will be important for Ohio State to force the Patriots into a style of game most well-suited to Ohio State, which in this game may be an up-tempo approach rather than half court sets. Although the Patriots don’t have great shooting from outside, the Buckeyes will need to eliminate any potential to be beaten by the three, guarding the perimeter closely and forcing George Mason to put the ball on the floor rather than pulling up for open jumpers.
While Ohio State’s fans cheered for George Mason in Cleveland during their game against Villanova, and the Patriots responded with the win (technically not an upset given that GM was the higher seed), it will be a different atmosphere on Sunday. There should be loads of Scarlet & Gray in the stands again, giving Ohio State a welcome edge as they get into the tougher games of the tournament.
The game on Sunday will be at 5:15pm on CBS.
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