March 2008

Only Hours Left 'Til Selection Sunday

By Mason Blogger Ryan Kish

So Mason pulled it off, they really did it. Despite most of the fans feeling a CAA tournament championship was all but impossible I had a feeling we would see the team's best basketball in Richmond. And even though the Mason bookstore is already screwing up new t-shirt designs, you have to feel confident about this team if your a fan. Enough of this "who will be this year's George Mason" talk, this guys can make noise again just like they did two years ago.

  • Check back for a week-long look at Mason's 2008 run to the NCAA.
  • Drop by the Johnson Center on Sunday, March 16 at 5:30 to celebrate the NCAA bracket release with Coach Larranaga, Gunston and the Patriots.
  • Watch ESPN footage of the end of last Monday's Richmond game.
  • Read more.

Gamers Go 'Pata' 'Pon' 'Chaka' 'Don'

By Connect Mason Reporter Daniel Sims
Photo under Sharealike license on 'hyku's Flickr page

Patapon blends toe-tapping music and war strategy to create a charming yet surprisingly deep gaming experience.

Patapon, an in-house project from Sony (LocoRoco), is a music game crossed with a strategy game. As a deity called the Great Patapon, players must lead the Patapon tribe into battle against enemy tribes and various monsters by issuing commands through war drums.

REVIEW: Audiences Hear a Witty Who

By Connect Mason Reporter Emily Culley

Horton Hears a Who! animators blended together the right amount of Seuss wit, modern references and all-star actors to bring this 1954 classic to a new level.

Audiosurf: Riding a Magical Music Highway

Audiosurf is a game that has been given a lot of press lately (or at least I hope so) and in case anyone on here hasn't heard of it, let me enlighten you. This game is the best use of ten dollars and the wasting away of all your free time that I have seen since Popcap first became popular. Audiosurf by its very nature is classified as a casual game, but the stand out feature is its diversity created entirely by the userbase.

Next Stop: NCAA Tournament

By Connect Mason Sports Director Damien Sordelett
Photos by Broadside Photographer Mahmoud Lababidi


RICHMOND – Cinderella’s last-second magic potion seemed to vanish from the William & Mary Tribe after they entered the locker room just moments after cutting George Mason’s lead to one point.

Instead, that magic went back to a locker room that knows every little bit about March magic.

The George Mason Patriots (23-10) used a 9-0 run to open the second half and captured their first CAA championship since 2001 with a 68-59 victory before 9,122 Monday night at the Richmond Coliseum.

U.S. is Second Most Undersexed Nation

(U-WIRE) This story was written by Joseph Yerardi, Washington Square News

Americans are the second most undersexed people in the world, according to a survey released last week.

Only 53 percent of American adults report having sex at least once a week, higher only than Japan's 34 percent and 14 percent lower than the global average. The Greeks lead the way with 87 percent.

First Post

Spring Break is here !

'Brawl' Release Attracts Warm-Blooded Gamers

By Connect Mason Reporter Daniel Sims


At least 100 customers lined up outside the Burke Centre Gamestop at 10 p.m. on March 8. Some huddled on the ground under blankets, some crowded around portable DVD players or iPods, some played Nintendo DS games, but most shuffled around for a couple hours, waiting for the midnight release of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Mason Heads to Championship With Win Over UNCW

By Connect Mason Sports Director Damien Sordelett
First photo by Broadside Photographer Mahmoud Lababidi
Second photo by Broadside Asst. Photography Editor Laura Foltz

RICHMOND – Achilles probably could never say that his weakness was this powerful.

George Mason’s thorn in its side this year has been the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks, a team that plays a scrambling defense that attacks strengths and exposes weaknesses.

  • Read our live Twitter feed of tonight's game for the latest plays as they happen.
  • Read more.

The second half of Sunday’s CAA semifinal match-up would be no different. However, a way to overcome that weakness was found in the first half and proved to be the ultimate weapon.

Mason Beats Huskies, Meet UNCW in Semis

By Connect Mason Sports Director Damien Sordelett
Photos by Broadside Photographer Mahmoud Lababidi

RICHMOND – It began to look too much like other road games. Build a big lead, head into halftime feeling good and then, somehow, have the game slip right out of reach.

In this new season, the George Mason Patriots knew not to let anything like that happen again.

Folarin Campbell scored 20 points and Will Thomas scored 17 points as George Mason (21-10) defeated the Northeastern Huskies 63-52 in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament.

With the Patriots clinging to a 54-49 lead with 2:19 remaining after a Matt Janning putback, Dre Smith hit a jumper and Campbell hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line to ice the game for Mason.