Powell's Playbook: The Dagger

I regret saying this, but I called it. The VCU Rams rolled over the George Mason Patriots men’s basketball team in the final few minutes to run away with the 15-point win. Junior guard Cam Long was hot, I mean hot, until February rolled around. He was unable to tally 20 points in a game since Jan. 30. 

As goes Cam Long, so goes Mason, I guess. In the two wins of the month, Long scored 19 points against VCU and 14 points against the Delaware Blue Hens. 

Other players have stood up to make a name over the time though. Sophomore forward Mike Morrison had 17 points against the Drexel Dragons and 18 points, his career high, against VCU. Redshirt freshman forward Kevin Foster recorded a career-high 22 points against the William & Mary Tribe. Freshman forward Johnny Williams recorded 18 points, another career high, against the College of Charleston Cougars.

The Patriots only lost once this year when Long scored 20 points, showing his importance on the court.

Now I was happy, but a little uncomfortable, when I saw the clock wind down at the end of the first half as Mason had a three-point lead. I remembered the last time Mason played VCU, when Mason rallied from a 15-point deficit for the overtime win.

Between these two teams, leads seem to matter little; anything can happen.

The game was pretty much even for the first 34 minutes, both teams trading leads, big plays, and runs. I will give this to VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart: he is a very good first-year head coach, mostly due to his incredible ability to make second-half adjustments when needed. Freshman forward Luke Hancock was driving down the lane in the first half, but could not get a shot off in the second half. They obviously held Long, the leader of the team, to a mere four points. Sophomore forward Andre Cornelius, who has been a main ball-handler and 3-point shooter, only put up one shot from outside the arc.

On the offensive side, VCU’s shooting percentage raised from 35.5 percent in the first half to 59.3 percent in the second half. Mason shot 48.1 percent in the first half, but was held to only 39.3 percent in the second half.

In the Richmond Coliseum, VCU fans only rose in intensity, while Mason fans’ intensity diminished, especially since VCU gained the six-point lead with six minutes remaining.

I really have no idea what to think anymore. The Green Machine has been great, but they only matter for home games. Mason has floundered playing away from the Patriot Center. In addition, this is the first time in four years that Mason has not gone to the Colonial Athletic Association’s Tournament finals, much less losing in the first round.

The team needs to figure something out. They need to focus on getting Cam Long, who will be their star senior, into the game-changing role or having the second- and third-year players fill a more balanced role. Either way, they cannot try both methods.

Obviously, they cannot keep Long in the game when he has seemingly gone cold, or try do distribute the ball when one player had obviously dominated the game.

The team has usually been strong defensively, but they need to figure out how to shoot more consistently if they want to win games down the stretch.

There you have it, this season is over, and the last dagger has finally been put into the horrible play of the last month-and-a-half.

If I know him at all though, Patriots Head Coach Jim Larranaga will revive his team and lead them into success this time next year.