March 31, 2006
Is there anything left to be said about the George Mason men's basketball team? In the past three weeks, more than 1,000 stories have appeared in more than 100 newspapers around the world. More than 10,000 questions have been asked of the 14 players, three assistant coach and one head coach. On Saturday night, the only question that truly matters will finally be answered.
Will Mason's magic carpet ride, the journey of the Kryptonite Kids from Fairfax, Va., will that amazing trip continue, or will it finally come to an end at the hands of the Florida Gators?
So far this season, Florida has taken the court 37 times and the Gators have been victories a school-record 31 times. Perhaps most impressive is Florida's 21-0 record in non-conference games. The Gators opened the season with 17 straight wins and the have won nine straight to make it to the Final Four. This is Florida's third Final Four. The last trip for the Gators was in 2000 when the Final Four was also in Indianapolis. Florida lost in the championship game that year to Michigan State, 89-76.
Mason and Florida have never met but they nearly faced earlier this year. If Mason had defeated Wake Forest in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, they would have played the Gators in Madison Square Garden. Instead, Mason fell in overtime and the Gators beat the Demon Deacons, 77-72.
Mason is 2-4 all-time vs. the SEC with wins over Tennessee (2004 NIT) and Mississippi (Dec. 2001). Florida is 6-2 all-time against the CAA. Florida is 11-3 against this year's NCAA teams while Mason is 7-1.
Like Mason's previous opponent, UConn, Florida is a very strong defensive team. The Gators allow team to shoot .399 from the field. The Gators, however, are the most efficient offensive team Mason has played this season. Florida shoots better than 50 percent from the field. Like the Patriots, Florida has five players, all starters, who average double figures.
Joakim Noah, son of French Open champion Yannick Noah, leads the Gators with 14.2 points per game on .629 shooting. He is second on the team with 7.1 rebounds. Al Horford leads the team with 7.4 rebounds along with 11.4 points while shooting nearly 62 percent from the field.
While scoring only 10.6 points per game, Lee Humphrey is one of Florida's most dangerous weapons, making 45.6 percent of his 3-pointers. Taurean Green leads the Gators with 176 assists and 13.6 points per game while making 88.7 percent of his free throws. Corey Brewer also has topped 450 points and 100 assists. The Gators go nine deep with Chris Richard, Walter Hodge and Adrian Moss playing all 37 games and David Huertas appearing in 34 contests.
In the tournament, both Noah and Horford have picked up their games, averaging double doubles. Florida has also picked up things defensively, limiting team to less than 33 percent shooting from the field.
Mason, meanwhile, has performed very similar in the postseason as they did during the year. The Patriots are shooting better than 48 percent from the field while limiting the opponent to less than 40 percent shooting. Thanks, in part to an overtime period against Connecticut, Mason's scoring average is up as is the opponent's points. Sophomore Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas have raised their game, like Noah and Horford. Campbell is scoring 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting .629 from the field. Thomas is averaging a double-double with 13.8 points and 10.5 rebounds.
