Game 15, 2017-18: George Mason (1/3)

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Cahoonaville
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Game 15, 2017-18: George Mason (1/3)

Post by Cahoonaville » Sun Dec 31, 2017 1:11 pm

Wednesday....rare 7:30PM tip. I was unaware of the 7:30 tip off time until Josh "the mouth" Mauer told me on the radio. Hope for a good crowd, expecting around 2K like usual....
Alex Guerrero, my HERO!!!!

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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by Roadtrip » Sun Dec 31, 2017 2:01 pm

With what I am seeing lately, my starting 5 would be:
Anderson, Pipkins, Pierre, Baldwin, Hines.

Also, against smaller, less talented guard teams, think I'd try some "over the top" with:
Pipkins, Pierre, Baldwin, Hines, Holloway. CB out a foul line, H & H on either side.
The bigs have to get more touches. Holloway does not handle low passes well, but get it to him up high and he has nice, quick spin and shoot.

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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by LS71 » Sun Dec 31, 2017 2:30 pm

The good news about the later tip is a less harried trip to the Bill from work.

Hoping for MM’s 1st conference win! 8)
"Win without boasting, lose without crying." -- Julius Erving

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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by Floyd » Sun Dec 31, 2017 2:49 pm

LS71 wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2017 2:30 pm The good news about the later tip is a less harried trip to the Bill from work.
Just get back to the nest a little later :(
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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by LS71 » Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:35 pm

^ That only sucks if UMass loses.

That said, we've had our escape plan in place for several years now.

If UMass is up or down by 20 or more with 5 minutes left in the game....I'm outa there.

If UMass is up or down by 10 or more with 2 minutes left in the game...I'm outa there.

If they hold on to win in those situations, chances are that the game was won while I was there watching; there's no traffic leaving the Bill lot; I'm happy the ride home seems shorter.

If they lose, I'm not happy. But, I'm still glad I got out. The ride home is long enough when your team loses, but at least I got out of the area around the Bill with minimal delays.

If they lose a big lead or mount a comeback that falls short and I stay to the end, I'm doubly angry. They lost and I'm competing with other PO'd fans trying to escape the parking lot for the dreaded long ride home after your team loses.
"Win without boasting, lose without crying." -- Julius Erving

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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by 69MG » Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:40 pm

I think everyone (OK, almost everyone) figured we would be 0-1 coming into this game and 1-1 coming out of it. We know that we can't take anyone lightly but this is a game we should win easily. GMU played really small the first 11 games (tallest starter 6'7) but for the last 3 games they replaced 6'4 Boyd with 6'8, 230 Greg Calixte.

I would love to see RH come out and just dominate one of these games but I'm losing hope. This would be the game to do it.

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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by LS71 » Sun Dec 31, 2017 7:22 pm

This is the second game of a mens/womens double header.

Ladies tip off against Fordham at 5 pm.
"Win without boasting, lose without crying." -- Julius Erving

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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by fenway617 » Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:57 pm

I wish all games were a 730 start time.
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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Tue Jan 02, 2018 9:52 am

7:30 should allow me to get there without issue tomorrow. But it's a change in time that I didn't know about until seeing this thread today. The poster hanging behind me says 7pm....
Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by Roadtrip » Tue Jan 02, 2018 10:17 am

Admit to nothing Brian although hanging posters is quite serious.

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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by MJatUM » Tue Jan 02, 2018 10:27 am

Roadtrip wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 10:17 am Admit to nothing Brian although hanging posters is quite serious.
Image

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Re: Game 15: vs George Mason

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Tue Jan 02, 2018 10:32 am

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm sure there's a few folks here (past and present) that wouldn't mind seeing me in the middle of a town common :lol:
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Re: Game 15, 2017-18: George Mason (1/3)

Post by 69MG » Tue Jan 02, 2018 11:11 am

I just took a closer look at GMU. Unless we play terribly we should win this game. They only play 8 guys and they have no size. They start 2 freshmen, 1 soph and 2 juniors so we can't use the "experience" excuse. They also lost 2 of their best players to graduation. We lost both games last year, in different ways but the 2 guys who graduated killed us.

Moore went for 34 and 17 in the two games. Jenkins went for 33 and 19.

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Re: Game 15, 2017-18: George Mason (1/3)

Post by MikeUMA » Tue Jan 02, 2018 11:56 am

Scouting Mason a bit...

Game notes are up for both:
http://umassathletics.com/news/2017/12/ ... esday.aspx
http://gomason.com/news/2018/1/2/mens-b ... umass.aspx

Mason is 6-8 on the year so far, 1-5 away from their gym. The lone win came at James Madison, 76-72. JMU's RPI is currently 330.
None of Mason's wins are going to stand out at you.
http://www.gomason.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

They over-achieved last year. The pre-season poll picked 'em 12th, and they ended up going .500 in the league and finished 7th. A couple months ago, they extended Coach Paulsen's contract thru the 2021-22 season.

This year, they were picked 10th, but they lost Marquise Moore and his 16.9 ppg / 10.9 rpg, plus #3 scorer Jalen Jenkins (12.0 ppg / 6.1 rpg). They're young this season. Per their game notes:
The Patriots ranked 297th in the nation in Ken Pomeroy’s
“experience” stat last season and are even younger in 2017-18.
Mason ranks 336th out of 351 Div. I teams in the category this
season (0.98 yrs/player). In a survey conducted by NCAA Div. I
sports information directors, Mason was listed as one of just 10
programs nationally that returns four or fewer letter winners from
the 2016-17 campaign.

Otis Livingston Jr (5'11" 170 G Jr) is still doing his thing, nearly identical numbers: 14.2 / 3.0 this year versus 14.3 / 3.1 last year. Assists are up a full point this year, to 4.1 apg. Do not put him on the line, as he is Mason's all-time leader in FT% (.845).
Jaire Grayer (6'5" 200 G Jr) is 2nd on the team in scoring, at 13.5 ppg, and the team leader on the glass at 7.6 rpg (6th in the A10). He can also shoot the 3, hitting .414, best on the team.
Goanar Mar (6'7" 195 F Fr) gives 11.9 / 4.3. He could end up on the All A10 rookie team.
Justin Kier (6'4" 183 G So) 10.9 / 4.1
Ian Boyd (6'4" 215 G So) 7.9 / 4.6
After that it drops off a lot.

Besides Grayer, and Livingston's .364, not a lot of 3s falling for Mason. As a team, they only shoot .303, 11th in the league.

Livingston and Grayer each have two games this season with 20-29 points.
Grayer has 4 double-digit rebounding games, and 3 double-doubles.
Mar and Kier were both on the A-10 Weekly Honor roll for their last update (12/26).

Pretty similar A-10 start for us and Mason, in that we both faced top teams in their gym. Mason lost at Rhody on Saturday, 83-64.
Kier had 15 & 8, Livingston 14 pts.
http://www.gomason.com/news/2017/12/30/ ... pener.aspx


Mason is 2-1 against us at The Bill since we started playing them in the 2013-14 season, and was 2-0 vs us last year, but as 69MG pointed out, their seniors did the most damage.
http://umasshoops.com/wiki/doku.php?id= ... orge_mason

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Re: Game 15, 2017-18: George Mason (1/3)

Post by uz2b-len » Tue Jan 02, 2018 12:10 pm

The numbers are favorable in that we're averaging a few more points a game on offense and giving up as few less points on defense against a schedule that's probably tougher. And we're at home, after a stinging defeat. I'll be surprised and VERY disappointed if we lose.
"All credit to my teammates, all glory to God."-- Chaz Williams

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