As the tournament approaches, George Mason (17-14, 11-7) will take on either UMass or GW in their second round matchup. If they advance, they will play St. Bonaventure in the third round, and if they advance again, they would probably face VCU in the semi-finals (banking on the Rams beating either Rhode Island or La Salle).
Here is the bracket for the Atlantic 10 tournament:
Here’s the full 2019 #A10MBB Bracket!
See you in Brooklyn, #MasonNation! pic.twitter.com/zER2VWlA63
— Mason Men’s Basketball (@MasonMBB) March 10, 2019
In this preview I’ll break down these three matchups.
Breaking Down UMass and GW
Right out of the get-go, there’s bad news for UMass fans.
BREAKING: Luwane Pipkins’ #UMass career is likely over as he has been ruled out of the Atlantic 10 Tournament with his hamstring injury. It was very clear he wasn’t at 100 percent the past few games, so he’ll sit out in Brooklyn.
— Josh Walfish ✡️ (@JoshWalfishDHG) March 12, 2019
The chances of UMass winning even just one game have dramatically decreased.
UMass has already lost one time to GW this year (a 79-67 loss in D.C.) and have lost the last six meetings to GW.
The Minutemen are near the middle of the pack when it come to scoring; ranking 6th in the A-10 with 70.9 ppg. However, they are dead last when it comes to points allowed with 73.7 ppg.
George Mason has beaten both UMass and GW twice this year. So I like the Patriots’ chances of making it past the second round.
The Patriots are 1-0 in the A10 tournament against UMass (a 80-75 W for Mason in 2018) and have yet to play a game against GW in the A10 tournament.
It should be also noted that in the last five year GW has never lost in the opening round of the tournament. However, winning streaks have been broken before with Mason snapping their 0-14 losing streak on the road versus GW on Saturday.
Players to look out for:
UMass
With the absence of Luwane Pipkins, the Minutemen lose their top scorer on the season (averaged 16.0 ppg).
Rashaan Holloway leads the A10 in FG% shooting 69.7% and is averaging 9.6 ppg. The true center while checking in at 6-11, is only averaging 5.8 rebounds per game this season. While his numbers aren’t eye-catching, his presence in the paint is unmatched in the A10.
UMass has two of the top-three three point shooters in the A10 with Jonathan Laurent and Carl Pierre shooting 48.6% and 39.3%, respectively.
Laurent and Pierre are not to be reckoned with. In the last five games, Laurent has averaged 17.2 points, while Pierre has averaged 14 points in that span.
GW
Sophomore standout Maceo Jack is still a player to keep your eye on. In A10 play, he’s averaged 13.5 points (second for GW) and has reached double figures in scoring in 18 of the last 21 games.
GW’s primary scorer, DJ Williams, continues to lead their squad in scoring with 14.3 ppg, but has scored in single-figures in the last 4 games. If the Patriots play the Colonials again, they’ll have to limit Williams again. The last thing this Mason squad needs is Williams scoring 20+ on them.
Javier Langarica has been GW’s main rebounder in A10 play, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game and 6.5 points per game. He has a total of 117 rebounds (again in A10 play) which is 33 more than next player on the squad. If UMass wants a chance in this game, they’ll have to box-out Langarcia as much as possible; there’s no wiggle room for second chance points.
Breaking Down St. Bonaventure
If George Mason advances past GW or UMass, the Bonnies stand in their way to a possible meeting with rival VCU.
The last meeting between the Patriots and Bonnies, didn’t go so well.
Done seen some cold starts in my day…but DAMN pic.twitter.com/xRJ9OD0kYQ
— By George. (@ByGeorgeGMU) February 17, 2019
Mason suffers their biggest loss of the season (23 points) to St. Bonaventure. Patriots miss a huge opportunity to cement their placement in the A-10.
On the lighter side, I do have a #MasonRecords update.
— Tyler Byrum (@theTylerByrum) February 17, 2019
After defeating Saint Louis in their last regular season game, SBU now has won 7 of their last 8 games.
Furthermore, the Bonnies have also held their opponents to under 60 points in 7 of their last 8 games.
If Mason wants to win this game, they have to forget their last 6 games and only focus on this game. Nothing else.
Players to keep an eye out for:
Kyle Lofton continues to impress, ranking second in the A10 among freshmen with 14.6 ppg. He also is averaging 3.7 assists per game. In the last meeting between the Bonnies and the Patriots, Lofton dropped a career-high 32 points. Mason can not let him catch fire again if they want a chance at the semi’s.
Courtney Stockard is still leading the Bonnies in scoring this season, averaging 15.2 ppg in A10 play. He is currently shooting 37.7% from the field and is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. He dropped 17 points in Mason’s most recent matchup.
Osun Osunniyi has a made his impact known on the glass this season averaging 9.1 rebounds per game. Additionally, he is averaging 8.6 ppg, and leads the A10 in blocks per game with 2.61.
If the Patriots advance past the Bonnies, stay tuned for a VCU preview.
See you in Brooklyn.
This is f**king March.
Also check out Giantkiller.co for updates on A10 Tournament action
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 13, 2019
