Mid-major math: George Mason makes its case for an NCAA berth
Mid-major math: George Mason makes its case for an NCAA berth
By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer
February 15, 2006
AP - Feb 14, 4:57 pm EST
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FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) -- George Mason coach Jim Larranaga begins every practice by giving his players a "thought of the day" and always starts his weekly local newspaper column with a quote. The sayings are usually profound and time-tested -- the words of Aristotle were spoken at a recent workout -- or they can be a bit of deep insight pieced together by the coach himself.
In early January, Larranaga took a rare comedic left turn and quoted Rodney Dangerfield.
"I get no respect," the coach said. "And that was talking about our league."
The well-read coach aside, the focus at George Mason these days is less on words and more on numbers -- and whether those numbers will translate into respect when the NCAA is offering at-large tournament bids next month. The Patriots are making a strong case for an invitation regardless of whether they win the Colonial Athletic Association tournament, even though the CAA hasn't sent two teams to the big event since 1986.
According to the RPI computer rankings used by the NCAA, George Mason (19-5) was the No. 32 team in the country last week. The school received 19 votes in this week's AP poll, 49 behind No. 25 LSU. During an interview Tuesday in his office at the Patriot Center, Larranaga found the Web site for rankings guru Mike Greenfield, who has the Patriots ranked 17th in RPI.
"I think he must be a very bright guy," Larranaga said. "I like his computer."
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But national recognition, and even local praise, is hard to come by at a place known as a suburban commuter school. This year the competition for attention is particularly strong in the Washington area, with George Washington and Georgetown both in the AP's Top 25 and Maryland generating its usual strong following.
"Every since I've been here, we've been at the bottom of the totem pole in this area, with Maryland, GW and Georgetown," senior forward Jai Lewis said. "We don't get much publicity, so we're enjoying it right now. We're trying to make it last."
Larranaga makes strong points on behalf of both the CAA and George Mason. The conference, he points out, has the leading shot blocker in Division I (Shawn James of Northeastern) and the No. 2 player nationally in assists (Jose Juan Barea of Northeastern). The Patriots are sixth in the nation in field goal percentage defense.
As for the school, Larranaga had the numbers to rebuff the perception that his workplace is a small commuter university. Mason, in fact, is now the largest public college in the state by enrollment, surpassing both Virginia Tech and Virginia.
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog," said Larranaga, quoting Mark Twain. "When you look at us, it's not the league we come from. Just because somebody's in the ACC, that doesn't make them good. Just because someone is from the CAA or Mid-Continent, that doesn't make them not good."
Larranaga, who this month became the CAA's all-time leader in victories, took George Mason to the NCAA tournament in 1999 and 2001, both times after the necessary prerequisite of winning the conference tournament. If the Patriots lose in the conference tournament this year, should they finally get that elusive at-large berth?
Opinions vary, even among Larranaga's players.
"Do we deserve it?" senior guard Lamar Butler said. "If I was from the outside looking in, I would say 'What quality wins do we have?' We lost to Mississippi State on the road. We lost to Wake Forest. We lost to Creighton at home, so I would probably say no. And that's what is driving this team right now. I think we know the only way we're going to get into the (NCAA) tournament is to win the CAA tournament. We're not going to take any chances."
Lewis, on the other hand, said the Patriots should be a lock. Two of their losses were in November, and the three since then have been by a combined nine points.
"We've been playing very well lately," he said.
The Patriots have Drexel at home on Wednesday, but the game that could make or break the at-large hopes comes Saturday, when they travel to Wichita State for one of ESPN's Bracket Buster games.
Larranaga wants his team focused on those games instead of the NCAA math, and he offered another quote -- a rough version of something written by his own brother, author Robert Larranaga -- when asked about the Patriots' at-large chances.
"Ninety percent of all the problems we worry about," Larranaga said, "never occur."
Updated on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006
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