By Palmer Johnson
After an 86-77 win over Toledo, Mason moves onto the 7-1. I am excited. This was a huge win for your George Mason Patriots, as they played their first true road game against an opponent of similar ranking, and played extremely well.
Toledo’s scoring guard, Dante Maddox, had Mason Nation a bit scared in the first half, as he came out blazing. Luckily for Mason fans, he came back down to Earth in the second half and ended with 25 on 7 for 16 from the field. That is very good, but it seemed like he was going to have a hyper-efficient 30.
Amari Kelly had a pretty nuts game. I predicted a quiet 5-7 game, and he had himself a loud 24 and 10 on 8 for 10 from the field and 2 for 2 from three. Him being a threat from deep is not something that I was considering. Before the season, I believed his ceiling was a guy that you had to cover out there, but was never truly a threat to make one. On top of his scoring and rebounding, Amari drew 7 fouls. Toledo’s freshman forward, #24 Grgur Brcic, was not having a good time when he was up against Kelly.
Congratulations to Kelly for getting his 100th career block. It’s hard to believe it took him this long considering how great he has been this season. How did Dambrot and the UNC Wilmington staff handle him so poorly?
Congratulations, @AmariKelly12! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/xYxCtmHhNz
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 3, 2023
Malik Henry played 11 great minutes, scored 8 on 3 for 5 from the field, an impressive 2 for 2 from the line. Left the game after a no-call hard fall on a missed dunk, possibly hurt his knee. I definitely saw him behind the bench after his injury, I believe he was on the exercise bike. Get well soon.
Malik Henry cleanup crew works on Saturdays 🧹@malikhenry_35 | #PatriotPressure pic.twitter.com/YpAKBjcHMg
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 3, 2023
Jared Billups got in foul trouble after some questionable calls, only playing 9 minutes, but was impactful when he was on the court.
Ronny Polite had another awesome game, scoring 8 very early and being most of Mason’s offense before the U16 timeout. Polite ended with 14 points on 6-14 from the field, 3 assists, and only 1 turnover in a complete 40 minute game.
Tre Wood played an important eight minutes, going 2 for 2 in his limited role. Play like that is bound to get him more playing time. I can see him taking advantage of slower guards and getting to the basket with ease in the future.
Woody Newton had an efficient and impactful game, scoring 7 on 3-5 from the field and being an important piece on the defensive end. Plus/minus is a stat that needs context, but I am pleased to see that he had the highest metric, +19, on the team.
Darius Maddox. Some call him Mad Dog, some call him the General, but we can all agree he has ice in his veins. That might’ve been the loudest “BANG” I’ve ever yelled at my TV. Despite fouling out very late in the game, Maddox nearly had a complete game and showed he can and will score from all three levels, scoring 14 on 6 for 12 from the field and 2 for 4 from three. Despite a moderately rough start to the game, we saw some moves around the basket that were amazing and got him going.
More of this from AM-13 pic.twitter.com/6CUzFspYrE
— By George. (@ByGeorgeGMU) December 3, 2023
Mason rocketed into the top 100 on KenPom after this game, peaking at 91 I believe. That is their highest ranking since they played their first game in the A10.
Next up, Tennessee. Get hyped, Mason Nation. Watch out, Rocky Top.
