Men's hoops will face Virginia Tech in 2011 preseason NIT tipoff

Mike Morrison slams it down in the NCAA Tournament game against OSU. He will be one of the senior leaders next season as the Patriots will look to return to the tournament. (John Powell)

Coming off a year in which the George Mason Patriots shocked the nation by going 26-6 to win the regular season CAA Title and cracked the Top 25, there will be much to look forward to for next year.

The Patriots will get an excellent opportunity early in the 2011 season as they square off against the in-state Virginia Tech Hokies of the ACC. This will be the first round match-up of the preseason NIT tipoff. The game will be played in Blacksburg, Va.

There will be a four-team pod playing in Blacksburg on the Hokies' home court, with the winner advancing to the preseason NIT semifinals at the famous Madison Square Garden in New York on national TV.

Although the Hokies lose their top two performers to graduation, Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen, it is a quality opponent for the Patriots and a chance to capture a noteworthy win early in a hostile environment.

The Patriots are also scheduled to play at UVA during the 2011 season, meaning they will play two ACC schools on the road. Although neither program is expected to be in the upper echelon on the conference next year, getting wins over BCS schools will go a long way in improving the team's stock come March.

In addition to the improvements made to the non-conference schedule, the CAA is on the rise as well. 2010 saw three CAA schools reach the Big Dance for the first time, and VCU followed Mason's lead by also reaching the Final Four. This was a VCU team that finished fourth in the conference, yet was good enough to reach the National Semifinal.

After playing VCU on the road last season, the Patriots will host the Rams this time around.

The squad will be losing seniors Cam Long and Isaiah Tate, but does return four of the five starters. Andre Cornelius, Mike Morrison and Ryan Pearson will all be seniors, to go along with Luke Hancock, who will be a junior. The fifth starter spot has yet to be determined. This is a veteran team with NCAA tournament experience.

New additions to the roster will be point guard Corey Edwards out of Middle Village, NY and small forward Vaughn Gray out of Elmwood Park, NJ. Guard Sherrod Wright will also be returning as a redhsirt sophomore after sitting out the 2010 season due to an injury.