+3.5 and +150. Not exactly a revenge play, but I remember GM blowing a huge lead two years ago against VCU in the tournament championship. I think GM's defense slows VCU down tonight.
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I'm on board with George Mason but I did buy 2 points............? I just thought the spread was a little too tight.Comment -
George Mason (22-9) vs. Virginia Commonwealth (23-9)
Monday, March 9th, 7:00 p.m. (et)
The Sports Network
By Gregg Xenakes, Associate College Basketball Editor
FACTS & STATS: Site: Richmond Coliseum (11,200) -- Richmond, Virginia. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: George Mason 14-0, VCU 13-1. Away Record: George Mason 6-9, VCU 7-6. Neutral Record: George Mason 2-0, VCU 3-2. Conference Record: George Mason 13-5, VCU 14-4. Series Record: Virginia Commonwealth leads, 26-15.
GAME NOTES: The George Mason Patriots try to make it back-to-back Colonial Athletic Association Tournament titles tonight as they take on the top-seeded Virginia Commonwealth Rams at Richmond Coliseum.
George Mason, which beat William & Mary last year to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and tie both UNC Wilmington and Old Dominion for the most CAA Tournament crowns with four, made it to the final game by defeating an upstart Towson group on Sunday in a 56-48 final. A day earlier, the second seed took care of James Madison in the quarterfinals with a 61-53 triumph.
As for the Rams, a team that captured the trophy in this event in both 2004 and 2007, the most recent of those coming against this same George Mason program by a score of 65-59, they topped Georgia State in the quarterfinals on Friday with a 61-52 triumph and then battled from behind yesterday to conquer Old Dominion by almost the exact same score, 61-53.
During the regular season these two teams met just once on January 24th at the Siegel Center in Richmond, with the Rams claiming a 76-71 triumph. As a result of that decision, the all-time series now stands at 26-15 in favor of VCU.
Darryl Monroe scored a team-best 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds to help lead the Patriots back to the CAA title tilt. Monroe finished the meeting with Towson by hitting 6-of-11 shots from the floor, while Cam Long added 14 points, six rebounds and five of the club's six assists. Dre Smith checked in with 13 points as the team made it through with a mere 38.6 percent shooting from the field and held the Tigers to 37.3 percent from the floor and 3-of-20 out on the perimeter. Over the course of 31 games, all of which he has been in the starting lineup, Long leads the program with 11.8 ppg thanks to his 40.6 percent shooting beyond the arc. One who is interested in getting the rest of the team involved, Long is also first on the unit with 100 assists. John Vaughan and Monroe are the other double-digit scorers for the group with 11.1 and 10.9 ppg, respectively. From a defensive standpoint, George Mason has managed to limit opponents to just 39.4 percent accuracy from the field and 30 percent behind the three-point line, resulting in a mere 59.7 ppg for those squads.
Refusing to give up without a fight, Eric Maynor and the VCU Rams battled back from a double-digit deficit in the first half of their semifinal-round matchup with ODU on Sunday and came up with the eight-point win. Maynor was responsible for a team-best 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor, hitting a pair of three-point baskets, while Larry Sanders handled the inside action with his 12 points and game-high 14 rebounds. Defensively, VCU held the Monarchs to just six field goals in the second half and 32 percent shooting from the floor overall. Maynor is a minor miracle given how much he does for the Rams, leading the team in scoring (22.3 ppg) and also ranking among the best in the nation in assists with better than six per game. Sanders is responsible for handling the action on the inside for the group with his 11.1 ppg and 8.2 rpg, not to mention 81 blocked shots. Sanders could be doing so much more if he could avoid the foul trouble that has plagued him in several games this year. VCU has managed to limit opponents to only 40 percent shooting from the field, resulting in 63.8 ppg given up and a scoring margin of better than eight points per game.
As long as Maynor and Sanders keep the Rams from falling behind early again, VCU should expect to be playing in the "Big Dance".
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Virginia Commonwealth 64, George Mason 57Comment
