http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/910 Recent articles about the George Mason Patriots en-us The sad thing is that he really is an intelligent basketball mind. His intelligence for the sport, however, was commonly shielded by his disdain for any team outside of the ACC, foul disposition behind the microphone, and general desire to be a douchebag. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:31:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290200 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290200 Chris Caputo doesn't have the glory job in college basketball but he damn sure has an important one. As Coach Larranaga's top assistant he's responsible for most of Mason's recruiting and scourers the country on a regular basis looking for that diamond in the rough high school player. Many people don't know how pivotal of a role Caputo played in the Mason's Final Four run of 2006. His scouting reports and strategy obivously made a difference as the Patriots went up against the big dogs. That is why I am glad to see articles like this in the Washington Post that highlight the sacrifices he makes and the dedication he has to the team. Recruiting in college basketball is 24/7 365-day a year gig and it can get ugly for a program if you don't follow the rules, be thankful Mason fans. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:30:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289046 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289046 Oh the George Mason University bookstore never stops the creativity, even during the long days of summer. I must say I did enjoy what they came up with on the "Mason Nation wants you" shirts, even though the school's politically incorrectness correctness forced the "Patriot's" face to be colored in green and gold. But today you can find the bookstore's latest creation that features Coach Larranaga being immortalized on his very own t-shirt design. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:07:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277538 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277538 Sean Mosley and team Baltimore crushed the U.S. competition on Sunday to win the Charm City Challenge. Now, Maryland fans can see the Maryland Gatorade POY for themselves when he plays in the Capital City Classic this upcoming Sunday. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:29:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/231606 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/231606 I want to settle a concern that many have addressed: that UCLA might possibly lose to the #12 seeded Hilltoppers. Ummmmm…AHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:49:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215786 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215786 The NCAA Tournament season is underway. We are all in search of "this year's George Mason," knowing there is no such team in the field. George Mason's run to the Final Four introduced the nation to a cast of new stars, including big man Jai Lewis. Undrafted Free Agent explores Lewis's professional careers (both football and basketball) since his burst onto the national stage. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:17:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213496 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213496 So maybe the Patriots magic ran out last night against the Fighting Irish. GMU deserves to advance in the tourney on the strength of Coach Jim Larranaga's insanity alone. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:26:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213166 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213166 Well the early games yesterday proved to be "snoozers" with only the potential of #14 seed Georgia beating #3 seed Xavier giving some excitement to basketball fans. #12 seed Temple proved to be very disappointing against #5 Michigan State and #9 Kent State (a very high-scoring team) scored only 10 points in the first half against #8 UNLV. The one game that was truly exciting in the day-cap was #6 Marquette versus #11 Kentucky. The Wildcats, playing without their best player Patrick Patterson, gave Marquette all they could handle. Kentucky senior Joe Crawford went off for 35 points in a gutsy effort to single-handedly push his team to the 2nd round. But Marquette just proved to be too deep and too athletic for Kentucky and the Golden Eagles are the ones advancing. In the night cap, we certainly had a thriller with #15 Belmont pushing #2 Duke to the limit. If not for a Gerald Henderson coast-to-coast layup with under 1 minute remaining, the Blue Devils may have been bounced by the Bruins for Tennessee as only the 5th time a #15 seed had won an NCAA Tournament game. #13 seed Winthrop and #4 seed Washington State were tied at 29 at halftime, but the Cougars just took over in the 2nd half and were able to advance. #14 seed Cal State Fullerton hang tough the Big Ten champion Wisconsin Badgers, but the Titans fell short losing, 71-56. #12 seed George Mason was simply outplayed the #5 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish, showing the Patriots were clearly not the Final Four team from 2006. There were 3 other exciting games in the nightcap with #10 Arizona versus #7 West Virginia, #8 BYU versus #9 Texas A&M and #11 Kansas State versus #6 USC. The West Virginia Mountaineers stayed consistent all game and although star forward Joe Alexander did not have an OUTSTANDING game, he still turned a good enough performance to win. Arizona`s Chase Budinger really stepped up his game with 23 points, but it wasn`t quite enough. The competitive 8-9 matchup did not let down with BYU versus Texas A&M. The Aggies started out the game 11-0, but the BYU Cougars slowed down the game to take a 29-29 tied into halftime. But in the 2nd half, Texas A&M were just too athletic for BYU and went on to win 67-62. When thinking of the Kansas State-USC matchup, everyone was talking about Michael Beasley versus O.J. Mayo. But as said in a previous Blog, this game would depend on the supporting cast and the Wildcats got a 22-point game out of Bill Walker to support Beasley. Jacob Pullen also played well scoring 11 points and dishing out 5 assists off the bench. On USC`s side, Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson combined for 25 points, and that is perhaps the reason Kansas State went on to win and advance to the 2nd round. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:40:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213121 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213121 Finally. The madness has returned. And there's nobody happier in the world than me. You see, I've been in love with the game of basketball since the age of two. The year was 1991 and my parents had just presented me with a Fisher-Price basketball hoop for my birthday. Seeing that I was just learning that my fingers weren't actually food and other now-hilarious childhood facts.. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:58:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/212757 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/212757 With Round 1 games set to begin this afternoon, we are all scrambling to fill out our brackets before office pool and online deadlines arrive. To give you a little more insight into the NCAA Tourney, FIO staff writer Dan Rossi clues you in on some sleeper teams to watch this year. In addition, find out which teams definitely got the shaft by the selection committee. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:41:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211816 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211816 A look into our crystal ball revealed some interesting things that will happen as the bracket shakes out and a champion is crowned April 7th in San Antonio. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:43:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211208 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211208 A little perspective and rationalization means that suddenly the East Region doesn't look so daunting. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:36:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211189 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211189 With the NCAA Tournament officially underway with an opening round win by Mount St. Mary`s over Coppin State, let`s look ahead to some intriguing matchups on Thursday, the first day of the First Round: (12) Temple at (5) Michigan State: What a way top start off a tournament with a classic 5-12 game with potential for an upset. Temple comes out as out of the hottest teams in the country and are finally playing to their ability. Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale are two very underrated players in the NCAA`s and will be the keys to the Owls success in this game. On the Spartans side, no question that guard Drew Neitzel is what makes this team go. He needs to run his Michigan State squad against a tough Temple defense. If Temple can slow down the game and slow down Michigan State`s offense, an upset may occur. SFB Prediction: Temple wins 69-63 (9) Kent State at (8) UNLV The 8-9 matchup has produced some very good games and these teams are usually the most evenly matched. UNLV won the Mountain West title this year and Kent State won the Mid-American. The Golden Flashes of Kent State were very impressive in their Bracket Buster win over fellow tournament team, St. Mary`s, and perhaps is the game that put them into the NCAA Tournament. With four starters averaging in double figures, Kent State is a dangerous squad. However, the Rebels of UNLV are just as capable to win this game. Wink Adams averages over 16 points per game and is a great playmaker. SFB Prediction: Kent State wins 85-83 in overtime (13) Oral Roberts at (4) Pittsburgh So the Pittsburgh Panthers come into the Big East Tournament as the #7 seed and win the whole thing and get a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have players like Levance Fields, Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. So they have a great team with great momentum, right? Well remember in 2005, Syracuse went along a similar path and were upended by feisty #13-seeded Vermont in the First Round. Could this happen again with Oral Roberts pulling off an upset? Robert Jarvis is a phenomenal guard for the Golden Eagles and this team has been to the tournament before (similar to Vermont when they beat Syracuse). A lot of comparisons to that matchup in 2005, so don`t be so sure the Big East post-season champs will move in so easily. SFB Prediction: Pittsburgh wins 78-69 (11) Kansas State at (6) USC When sports fans saw the Kansas State Wildcats will be playing the USC Trojans in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, everyone thought of the matchup between the Wildcats` Michael Beasley and USC`s O.J. Mayo. Both these players are outstanding and will most likely be Top 5 picks in this year`s NBA Draft. However, I say look at the supporting cast matchups for this game. USC`s Taj Gibson, Davon Jefferson and Dwight Lewis versus Kansas State`s Bill Walker and Jacob Pullen may be what determines the outcome of the game. USC is more deep and balanced than the Wildcats, but Beasley can potentially just take over the game. SFB Prediction: USC wins 75-62 (9) Texas A&M vs. (8) Brigham Young Gotta love these 8-9 matchups. The Texas A&M Aggies started off the year very solid and were ranked in the Top 25, but have tailed off towards the end of the year. The Aggies have 6 players averaging more than 8 points per game starting with leading scorer Josh Carter and ending with center (and NBA prospect) DeAndre Jordan. The BYU Cougars were the runner-up in the Mountain West Conference and they have 3 players averaging more than 13 points per game. Center Trent Plaisted is a monster inside and an on the glass scoring 15.6 points per game and pulling down just under 8 rebounds per game. This is another great 8-9 matchup. SFB Prediction: Texas A&M wins 71-67 (10) Arizona vs. (7) West Virginia The Arizona Wildcats are one of those teams that many think do not belong in the tournament. Well, even though their Pac-10 Conference record does not show it, this team is battle-tested (#2 strength of schedule) and talented. Potential 1st round NBA Draft pick Jerryd Bayless scores just over 20 points per game and forward Chase Budinger is a great all-around player. But the West Virginia Mountaineers have a forward named Joe Alexander, who had 34 points against Connecticut in the Big East quarterfinals. The key to this game will be whether Alexander can score for the Mountaineers and if Budinger can stop him. SFB Prediction - West Virginia wins 83-82 in overtime (12) George Mason vs. (5) Notre Dame Everyone picking their bracket this year remembers how the George Mason bracket absolutely tore the bracket apart 2 years ago in 2006 with their Final Four run. Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell are still left over from that starting lineups that beat Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut in the Big Dance. But this still is not the same team from 2 years ago and they can thank William & Mary for upsetting Virginia Commonwealth in the Colonial Semi-finals in order for Mason to make it to the tournament once again. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame have forward Luke Harangody leading the way, averaging about 21 points and 10 rebounds per contest this season. Harangody may be a little too much for the Patriots to handle, but don`t be surprised to see Mason bust another bracket. SFB Prediction: Notre Dame wins 78-68 Enjoy the games on Thursday and fill out your bracket on Sports Fan Base.com! Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:08:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/209248 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/209248 Following up on the success of this column from last year's tourney, FIO staff writer Dan Mesday is back with his guide to helping you fill out those NCAA Tournament brackets. From knowing the mid-majors to explaining the 12 over 5 upset, Mesday lays down 14 rules to know when making your picks for this year. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:18:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/209087 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/209087 With the 2008 NCAA Tournament Bracket announced last night, every sports fan is trying to figure out who will be this year`s Cinderella squad? The biggest Cinderella of all was George Mason in 2006 when they went to the Final Four, so we ask the question: Who will be this year`s George Mason? Here are a list of possibilities: 1) #13 Siena (22-10) - The Saints are the champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and take on #4 seed Vanderbilt of the SEC in the 1st round as part of the Midwest Region. The Saints are a dangerous team because of their suffocating pressure defense and their ability to shoot from the outside. Senior Tay Fiser, juniors Kenny Hasbrouck and Josh Duell and sophomore Edwin Ubiles all can shoot the 3-pointer well and forward Alex Franklin can dominate in the paint. For a young Mid-Major team, they play with a lot of poise and will not be scared of Vandy come Friday. Look for a potential upset here. 2) #12 Temple (21-12) - The champions of the Atlantic 10 Conference finished the season strong winning 7 straight games. They take on the #5 seed in the South, the Michigan State Spartans, in the 1st round. The Owls have a balanced attack with lethal guard Dionte Christmas, guard/forward Mark Tyndale and point guard Chris Clark. The Owls have 7-foot center Sergio Olmos to clog up the middle. The Spartans of Michigan State need to come well-prepared to this one or they will be another victim of the annual 5-12 upset. 3) #10 Davidson (26-6) - The Davidson Wildcats ran through the Southern Conference going 20-0 in conference play in the regular season. And although the Wildcats did not have any big non-conference wins, they played North Carolina, Duke and UCLA all very tough. Davidson plays #7 seed Gonzaga in the 1st round, with the Zags being another potential Cinderella. But I have to like the Davidson Wildcats and sharp-shooting Stephen Curry, who averages 25 points per game this year. 4) #5 Drake (28-4) - The Drake Bulldogs of the Missouri Valley Conference had a terrific season. They were awarded with a #5 seed in the West region and take on a tough Mid-Major team in Western Kentucky. So why would Drake be considered a Cinderella if they are a #5 seed? Probably because no one is picking them to get past the Sweet 16. But these guys are for real and I would not be surprised at all if they made a Final Four run like George Mason in 2006. Led by point guard Adam Emmenecker, who has been deemed as the Mid-Major`s version of Steve Nash. Josh Young leads the team in scoring and Klayton Korver (Kyle`s little brother) is deadly from 3-point range. OTHER POTENTIAL CINDERELLAS: #10 Saint Mary`s (25-6) #10 South Alabama (26-6) #12 George Mason (23-10) #12 Western Kentucky (27-6) #13 San Diego (21-13) Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:23:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/205193 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/205193