How the Patriots Can Win the CAA Crown

By Broadside Correspondent Ryan Dempsey

There is no question that the George Mason University men’s basketball team has talent.

But what exactly does the team need to do to take that extra step to be number one, win the CAA conference championship and guarantee a spot in the NCAA tournament?

On a positive note, Mason has an undefeated home record, great coaching staff, healthy team and players who have the hearts of true champions.

But these things only make a good team, not necessarily a great one.

Some of the things that Mason must do to take that extra step are:

1. Win on the road:

All of Mason’s losses this season have been against teams on the road. After playing at James Madison University this past Saturday, Mason has lost their last four road games.

Mason has done a great job to keep the games close with their road presence, but a loss is a loss whether it is by two points or by 10.

2. Secure the win:

Hitting clutch free throws, not turning the ball over and not taking ill-advised shots help teams from giving up a lead late in a game.

On the other hand, Mason’s careless mistakes have given opponents chances to come back.

Mason gave up leads towards the end of regulation and at the tail end of overtime against the Liberty University Flames. Against the University of Dayton Flyers, Mason’s eight-point lead evaporated as the Flyers, who never led by more than four points, rallied to win 66-62.

Mason came within one point late in the game and controlled the tempo, but sloppy play in the latter part of the second half led to their loss against CAA rival, the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams.

Six of the Patriot’s seven losses have been against quality programs this year, but it is a matter of putting in the extra effort.

3. Control the tempo and do not let the tempo control you:

Mason can be extremely explosive with their offense, especially scoring points off of turnovers.

While the crowd excitement boosts players’ confidence, sometimes it can be a little too much, causing players to overthrow a pass or lose control of the ball.

In addition, Mason does not always capitalize on its momentum. In the game this past weekend against JMU, the Patriots rallied with a 13-0 run late in the game, giving Mason a three-point lead, but just could not hold on.

One of the things that would help Mason secure the win is better time management.

The Patriots should use the majority of the 35-second shot clock to their advantage for better shot-selection, especially when leading toward the end of the game.

4. Avoid committing sloppy turnovers and fouls:

This has not been an overwhelming problem, but was very apparent in the first 10 minutes against the University of Delaware Blue Hen­­s.

Mason tried to push the tempo and made sloppy passes. This type of play leads to costly turnovers and wasting important possessions later in a game.

Another problem is giving other teams free points at the free-throw line.

Mason commits a number of unnecessary fouls, both near and away from the ball.

In their first loss of the season against the Hampton University Pirates, Mason allowed 22 free throw attempts and only went to the line seven times.

In their loss against Old Dominion University Monarchs, Mason sent ODU to the line 13 times in which the Monarchs hit seven more free throws than the Patriots.

Allowing 15 more free throws was easily the difference in their six-point loss to Hampton.

5. Get the ball down low:

One of the great things that Mason has been able to do is hit the 3-point shot.

Although players are tempted to take the 3-pointer, sometimes making the extra pass down low to force the opponent to play aggressively inside works as well.

If Mason is able to force the ball inside and force the other teams to attack the post, one of two things will happen.

Either Mason will be hacked and go to the line more often, or there will be a lot more open 3-point attempts.

With a little extra focus on the things the team lacks, the program could be superior to others in the CAA.