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spt_George_Mason_primer[i-1].body = "It features a nationally recognized law school, the country's first doctoral program in conflict resolution and two Nobel prize winners in economics.
And it also has a pretty decent basketball team.";
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The Patriots play in the Colonial Athletic Association, which is commonly referred to as a mid-major. That is, it’s not a conference that's affiliated with the BCS. Mid-majors rarely win more than two games in the NCAA Tournament, let alone four. The last time a mid-major did so was 1979, when Pennsylvania reached the Final Four and Indiana State, led by Larry Bird, went to the title game.
Even more impressive, George Mason received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after it didn’t win its conference tournament. Some basketball analysts scoffed at the move, saying other teams had stronger cases to receive an at-large bid. So the Patriots promptly reeled off four straight NCAA Tournament victories, including wins over Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut, teams that have won four of the last seven national titles.
It made them one of four teams in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the Final Four in the same year they recorded their first tournament win. ";
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More experienced starters than the other Final Four teams. The Patriots (27-7) start three seniors, led by All-League performers Jai Lewis and Lamar Butler, the Most Outstanding Player of the Washington, D.C. Regional last weekend. The other, Tony Skinn, was George Mason’s best player for most of the season, but garnered headlines at the end of the year for the wrong reasons.
Skinn punched a Hofstra player in the groin during the Patriots’ CAA tournament semifinals and was suspended afterward by coach Jim Larranaga for one game. That meant missing George Mason’s win over Michigan State. Since then, he’s averaged nearly 11 points a game and has played solid defense.
The Patriots’ solid sophomores — Gabe Norwood, Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas — have been key throughout their tournament run, too. Thomas wasn’t intimidated by a much taller Connecticut team and Campbell was awesome from the outside during one stretch against the Huskies when they hit six straight three-pointers.";
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George Mason enters the Final Four averaging 69.7 ppg, hitting 48 percent of its field-goal attempts. The Patriots have been hot from the outside lately, hitting 9-of-18 three-pointers against UConn and 42 percent overall during their tournament run.
They’re smaller than everyone else — no player is taller than 6-7 — but usually out-rebound opponents. They also average fewer turnovers than any other Final Four team.
But this team is known for its “Scramble” defense. They allow just 59.7 ppg, which is a school record and second best among the Final Four squads. And George Mason has been stellar in its last four games, keeping opponents holding opponents to less than 39 percent from the field.";
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Jim Larranaga knows all about upsets. He was an assistant at Virginia when the No. 1 Cavaliers lost to NAIA Chaminade in 1982. But he’s had his good moments, too. Larranaga has been to two Final Fours, both times as an assistant. In nine seasons at George Mason, he’s become the winningest coach in CAA history, guiding the Patriots to four CAA titles and three NCAA Tournament berths.
Long known as a player’s coach, Larranaga was a major factor in the development of guard Antonio Daniels when both were at Bowling Green. Daniels is now a nine-year NBA veteran. During George Mason’s NCAA Tournament run, Larranaga has ingratiated himself with the media, being open, friendly and immensely likable. And he’s enjoyed every bit of it.
“Now a lot of people have adopted us because of the Cinderella story, of David vs. Goliath,” he said. “We relish it. We’re enjoying the atmosphere and having fun.
“This is just one of those dreams come true.”";
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LSU has 23 tournament wins in 19 overall appearances and is making its fourth trip to the Final Four. This is Florida’s third Final Four trip after 13 tournament appearances and 21 wins. UCLA, with 89 tournament wins, 16 trips to the Final Four and 11 titles, is the most decorated program in NCAA Tournament history.";
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// END editorial data