LOL Mully. About fell over coming in here and seeing a thread I started, knowing full well I haven't posted in here forever. Scared the crap out of me for a moment.
From the Wichita newspaper today, if anyone is interested:
With much more at stake, Shockers meet Patriots again
BY PAUL SUELLENTROPThe Wichita Eagle
WASHINGTON - George Mason on the schedule in February is an interruption, an oddity that doesn't quite feel right. George Mason on the schedule in March is Wichita State's biggest game in 25 years.
There's no question what's at stake tonight in the semifinals of the Washington Regional at the Verizon Center. The winner moves to the Elite Eight, one win from the Final Four, against Washington or Connecticut. The loser goes home happy with its spot in the Sweet 16, but disappointed its season is over -- thanks to a team with no more name recognition than itself.
The feeling was different on Feb 18, when George Mason visited WSU in a game designed to help both schools' power ratings. The Shockers don't doubt George Mason's talent, but the timing wasn't in their favor. WSU played George Mason four days after an overtime win over Creighton handed it control of the Missouri Valley Conference race. Because of the Valley's strength, the Shockers knew an MVC title meant a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
"My whole take on it is they were fighting for their lives in the NCAA Tournament, and we were more worried about the Valley championship because we knew it was such a big deal and we wanted it so bad," WSU guard Matt Braeuer said. "It's just hard to take from that game, considering the emotions both of us had coming into that game."
George Mason desperately needed to beat WSU to improve its at-large resume -- and the Patriots played that way. They skillfully and confidently handled the Koch Arena crowd and the Shockers in a 70-67 victory. The Patriots moved into the ESPN/USA Today top 25 after the game; the Shockers quickly turned their attention back to the Valley race.
"We were probably a bubble team at the time," George Mason center Jai Lewis said. "Coming in, people were saying we had no major wins, so going into Wichita State, we knew it was going to be an important game."
Both teams agree tonight's game is a different animal. Eleventh-seeded George Mason (25-7) isn't overconfident. Seventh-seeded WSU (26-8) isn't intimidated. George Mason's February win got it into the tournament; it might not help it stay alive.
"They're going to play for revenge, pretty much," Lewis said. "They're going to come out much harder than they did when we went out there."
The Shockers know exactly what went wrong in February. They didn't shoot well until late in the game. They couldn't handle Lewis and Will Thomas inside, or guard Tony Skinn on the perimeter. WSU's inside-outside combination, a strength most of the season, lost battles all over the court that night.
"The first game was evenly matched," WSU coach Mark Turgeon said. "But they are so talented, they have so many guys that can score and they are one of the best defensive teams that we've played all year."
It's hard to draw any other conclusions, based on the first game and George Mason's NCAA wins over Michigan State -- which defeated WSU 83-64 -- and North Carolina. Skinn scored 23 points, including the game-winning three with 13 seconds to play. Lewis scored 16 points and Thomas 12. Lewis' effectiveness inside forced WSU to help on defense, leaving Skinn open for the game's biggest shot. Thomas scored all of his points in the second half to help the Patriots build a 13-point lead.
"Me and Will, we were dominating the post, so they started to double team every time," Lewis said. "When I got the ball, they tried to collapse on me and Tony Skinn was open, wide open."
That's been WSU's success story in the tournament. Center Paul Miller's scoring in the opener against Seton Hall provided open shots for guard Sean Ogirri and others. WSU's offense is running smoothly. The Shockers have made 19 of 37 three-pointers in two tournament games.
One more performance like that may get the Shockers to the regional title game. The season is a smashing success, but nobody wants it to end.
"If we're lucky enough to get to the final eight, we're not going to want to stop there," Turgeon said.
My thoughts: Any thing can happen in this game. Feel Mason has the edge in talent.
I will give the edge for HC to WSU's Mark Turgeon. For those who don't know much about him, as a player played in big games like this at Kansas. Was on the bench tutoring under Larry Brown when KU won th national championship. He followed Larry Brown to the Sixers and then spent time with Roy Williams. Got a feeling he is getting plenty of advise from those two as he calls them frequently, and his player preparation for this game seems solid.
I'll have something on WSU for the win, but you can ignore that if you want as it could be classified as a homer play.
gl in whatever you do.
