There's a new normal at EagleBank Arena for men's basketball games. After Monday's 97-60 win against Longwood, the Patriots (9-3) are on an eight-game win streak and have three remaining games in the current home stand – Dec. 22 against Prairie View A&M, Dec.30 against VCU in the A-10 opener and Jan. 4 against UMass.
The fans and players aren't the only ones enjoying the program's longest win streak since 2010-11. "They've been fun to coach," said second-year head coach Dave Paulsen.
They are fun to watch for many reasons:
--Marquise Moore, a 6-2 senior guard, has become a walking double-double, leading the team in scoring (17.9) and rebounding (10.6). He recorded the first triple double in Mason history and the first in the A-10 in five years with 17 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a 79-60 win at Penn.
"That was really impressive," Paulsen said. "He's just playing at an incredibly high level. That's the best he's shared the ball at Penn plus the rebounding, getting to the rim, getting to the foul line.
"The big thing is that he's really embraced attacking at practice. His work ethic in practice is like night and day from what it was last year. That's allowed him to not get tired in games. If you're going every play in practice like it's a game, then you can do it in a game. You're not saving yourself and picking your spots."
Moore doesn't rest on defense. He invariably draws the assignment of guarding the opposition's best perimeter player. "That's just really, really good," Paulsen said of Moore's overall performance.
--Otis Livingston II, a 5-11 sophomore, is compiling quite a highlight reel on fast breaks. The lightly recruited player in high school loves to run and can score on acrobatic layups or pull ups or he can dish to a teammate.
"It's been real fun," said Livingston. "We're just playing basketball. We're loose, but we're also serious. When you're winning, it's a lot of fun."
Livingston is one of the top foul shooters in the country, at 97.4%, having made 37 of 38 including his last 30 in a row. (More on that later.)
He and Moore form an impressive backcourt, though neither one earned any preseason honors from the A-10.
"The biggest thing happening now is Otis and Marquise are starting to play off one another," Paulsen said. "Early in the year, one guy had the ball and maybe that didn't help the other guy play better. And now Marquise gets it in the paint, penetrates and kicks it to Otis or Otis drives and gives it to Marquise.
"It allows us to get a running game going with two point guards like that. I think their level of communication and synergy -- if you will -- is good, way better than it was. Still I think there's room to improve."
--The Patriots are no longer the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Jalen Jenkins, a 6-7 senior post, leads the A-10 in field goal percentage at 70%, while averaging 11.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg. He has become stronger on the block and developed a reliable 15-footer.
A few games ago, the Patriots were shooting less than 25% from three-point range. Over the last four games, they've hit 30 of 70 threes (42.9%). Following Paulsen's emphasis on moving the ball from inside-out and reversing it on the perimeter has led to better shots.
"We don't care who scores as along as the man in white scores," Moore said. "We've been playing unselfish all year, but we've taken that to another level as well. Just sharing the ball, moving the ball. It's a lot of fun."
--The defense can be suffocating. The Patriots press occasionally, but their base defense, a pack line man to man with some double-teaming of the post, is becoming increasingly effective. During the win streak, opponents are shooting 39.4%.
"I think it started in practice," Moore said. "One day it just clicked for us where we realized we had to take it up to another level especially on the defensive end. The offense is going to come. We really took our defensive intensity up a lot of notches. That's contributed to our wins."
Paulsen drills defense in every practice. "We had a day last week in practice and for 20-25 minutes we played the best defense of any team I've ever coached," Paulsen said. "We had a day in practice at the (Penn) Palestra on Friday after a long bus ride. It was cold as ice in the Palestra, but they practiced really well. That's what allows you to play with this success."
The winning helps to keep the players loose. After the Longwood victory, Livingston was asked about his free throw streak. Even before the questioner had finished, Paulsen was shouting good naturedly:
"Stop. Stop. You are banned. Stop. Next question. Ever been to a baseball game? You probably yell no hitter, too. Next question…
Livingston was prepared to answer but looked at his coach. "Are you serious?" he asked Paulsen.
"Yes," Paulsen replied. "Here's his answer: He couldn't shoot free throws but coach showed him a few tricks and everything's good. That's what he was going to say. … You don't know how superstitious I am."
Maybe Paulsen is superstitious. But Livingston's free throw streak and the team's win streak have been built with hard work and relentless attention to detail, not superstition.
