Mason travels to VCU with first place on line
Playing in Richmond is not a problem for George Mason. Playing Virginia Commonwealth in The River City, however, is another matter.
On Tuesday, when George Mason travels 90 miles south to its CAA nemesis, the Patriots will try to erase painful memories of several bitter defeats. In their last 12 games in Richmond against VCU, the Patriots have won once. Three of the defeats have come in the CAA championship game.
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| George Mason at VCU |
| When » Tuesday, 7 p.m. |
| Where » Siegel Center, Richmond, Va. |
| TV » ESPNU |
“It always seems we play VCU when there’s a lot at stake,” George Mason coach Jim Larranaga said.
Tuesday is no exception as George Mason (21-5, 13-2) and VCU (20-7, 12-3) vie for first place in the CAA in their lone regular season meeting. While the Patriots are gunning for a school-record 12th straight win, the Rams hope to rebound from a 70-59 loss Saturday against Old Dominion.
“Everyone’s obviously disappointed by the result,” VCU coach Shaka Smart said. “But we have a resilient group of guys. They understand there are a lot of big basketball games left.”
When it comes to playing other teams in Richmond, George Mason rarely is spooked. The Patriots have won eight straight CAA tournament games there against teams not named VCU.
In his 13 seasons in Fairfax, Larranaga has taken four teams to the NCAA tournament. Were it not for VCU’s dominance in Richmond, however, that number might be twice as high. The Rams also knocked the Patriots out of the CAA tournament in the quarterfinals last year.
“VCU is an extremely gifted, athletic, high-octane team,” Larranaga said. “They press full-court for 40 minutes. They run and they have tremendous 3-point shooting ability. It’s an exciting environment to play in.”
Larranaga is happy the environment no longer includes Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders, both now in the NBA. Maynor dominated the final two minutes of the 2007 CAA title game as VCU rallied for a 65-59 win. In the 2009 final, Maynor (25 points, 8 assists) and Sanders (18 points, 20 rebounds, 7 blocks) overwhelmed George Mason 71-50.
This VCU team doesn’t have the star-power of past editions. But 6-foot-9 senior Jamie Skeen (14.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and 6-foot-5 junior Bradford Burgess (14.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) are a formidable, experienced duo. George Mason answers with balance, led by senior Cam Long (15.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and junior Ryan Pearson (14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg).
“He’s done such a great job getting them working together so seamlessly,” Smart said of Larranaga. “They have terrific depth and versatility. They have so many different guys who can beat you on any possession, or on any given night.”
