If March means Madness, then February is for fantasies. It’s a short month for long-shot smaller programs andstruggling teams.
Everyone wants to be the next George Mason in the coming NCAA Tournament, including the Patriots themselves. It won’t be easy, though.
Mason (13-9) overwhelmed hapless Delaware (4-19), 89-59, on Wednesday at Patriot Center. The passing was crisp enough to merit 71.8 percent shooting before surrendering the final seven minutes to subs. For one night, the Patriots resembled the team whose 2006 Final Four banner hangs above midcourt.
Still, the Patriots are probably headed for the NIT after failing to pull off upsets against Duke, Wichita State and Creighton earlier this season. Losing to William and Mary was ugly, too. A recent 7-2 streak sets up Mason for the needed strong finish, though. The Patriots aren’t a bad team. It’s just a transition year after graduating three key senior starters off last year’s miracle run.
“Teams want to come out and beat a Final Four team,” said guard Folarin Campbell. “We had a problem with that earlier in the season.”
The Patriots are still enjoying a carryover from last year. Attendance is nearly 6,600 per game, which ranks 77th nationally and better than Miami and Boston College of the ACC, four Big East teams and five Pac-10 schools. Much of “Mason Nation” skipped the Delaware game, but there was still a smattering of gold T-shirts behind baskets, the coolest band in the area and a standout courtside announcer who sounds straight out of a Las Vegas ring.
They haven’t gone big time quite yet in Fairfax. The Oakton High dance team performed during halftime while shout-outs were given to birthday celebrants, church groups and politicians in the stands. Every converted 3-pointer is sponsored by a local car dealer, though.
Still, expectations remain high. After all, no one gave Mason a chance to make the tournament last year. They only went on a Hoosiers-type run with the region title victory over Connecticut remembered as one of the greater postseason upsets ever.
Coach Jim Larranaga angrily dismissed a question over the team’s positioning for the last month’s run. Instead, he talked of improving the team’s poor 3-point defense and continuing to flow the offense inside for higher-percentage shots.
“This is the time of year you just want wins,” Larranaga said. “Losses are very painful.”
Good thing last year’s madness remains contagious.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
