On Saturday December 12th just after 4pm in Harrisonburg, Virginia a basketball official will toss a ball in the air and for the 95th time in history George Mason will battle James Madison in men's basketball. Or the 91st time. It depends on which school is keeping track.
No matter the count (Madison doesn't recognize the two games played between the schools in both 1967-68 or '68-'69 in their official records. Mason went 1-3 vs the Dukes in those games) it is currently the longest standing rivalry in both schools history and like most rivalries there are heroics, amazing stories and unbelievable wins.
Perhaps the first improbable win, at least from the Mason perspective, came early in the rivalry. Playing the Dukes early in the 1970-71 season in Harrisonburg the Patriots got thumped 125-68, still the largest margin of victory for either side in the series. A return game in Fairfax later that season turned out much different as the Patriots held the Dukes to 62 points, 63 less than the first time around and won the game 67-62.
After taking a season off in 1971-72 the teams met again for a home-and-home in the '72-'73 season. Madison would win in Fairfax but Mason would grab their first ever win in Harrisonburg with a little southern hospitality from the Dukes. Mason guard John Wiley had forgotten his shoes back in Fairfax and had to borrow a pair from Madison. Wearing those borrowed Converse All-Star Chuck Taylor's with purple shoe laces, Wiley would score 13 of the Patriots final 15 points of a double overtime 79-78 victory. He would return the shoes after the game.
“Doc Nix” and the Green Machine are fixtures at EagleBank Arena games and many opposing coaches have complimented the band on providing a bit of home court advantage. Long before the Green Machine though, a Patriots band was causing problems for one Madison coach.
Hosting the Dukes at the old PE Building in the 1984-85 season one Mason administrator was looking for a subtle edge when Madison came to town so he decided to sit the band directly behind the Dukes bench. When then Madison coach Lou Campanelli saw the band behind his bench he was furious and immediately asked for an explanation. When informed that was that the band had sat the entire season Campanelli grew even more frustrated replying “Not true. I've scouted you guys a couple of times and the band never sat there!” Even so, the band stayed in place and Mason would get 23 points from Carlos Yates in a 66-62 Patriots win.
After nearly 20 years and 37 all-time meetings the series was relatively close after the 1988-89 season with Madison holding a 23-14 advantage, but Mason having won nine of the most recent 12 games. Things were starting to heat up as both teams were beginning to have sustained success.
The Patriots dominance would come to an abrupt end in the 1990 CAA tournament as they fell to JMU by 13. Mason wouldn't defeat the Dukes again until the 1994-95 season, suffering their second 11-game losing streak in the series. Even more painful were two one point losses at home coming in 1991 and again in 1994. Madison was winning five straight CAA regular season titles. Mason was just trying to find their way out of the basement.
The Patriots finally snapped their losing streak to the Dukes in 1995 when Nate Langley stole the ball from Madison freshman Ryan Culicerto with less than a minute to go and helped seal a 98-94 Patriots victory.
That victory was just a blip as Madison dominated the third decade of the rivalry going 18-2 against the Patriots from 1989-90 to 1997-98. Their lead in the series would balloon to 41-16. It was a rivalry in name only.
Mason fans can point to December 5, 1998 as the day everything changed. The Patriots went to Harrisonburg and won in overtime 83-81. They hadn't won at Madison since the 1989-90 season. The overtime win gave hope to Patriot fans that maybe they wouldn't be kicked around as much as in the past. Neither program had any idea what was coming next.
The 1999-2000 season saw both teams get red hot in conference play before their match-up on February 26th at home. Madison had won 8 of 9, while Mason was riding a streak of 8 wins in their last 10. The winner would clinch the top seed and regular season title in the CAA. Mason would get a 12-point win and senior Ahmad Dorsett would stand around the then Patriot Center parking lot for a good hour after the game talking to fans, wearing the freshly cut net around his neck. It would be the only time in the entire series a game would have so much riding on it.
There have been other unbelievable moments throughout the series. The first time EagleBank Arena (then the Patriot Center) put over 9,000 fans in the seats for a Mason basketball game was February 26, 1989 against Madison. Seven of the top 14 attendance marks in the arena's history are JMU games. Dre Smith set the NCAA record for three points in a game without a miss when he hit 10-10 against Madison in Harrisonburg. Older fans will remember a vicious George Evans dunk and his comment after the game about the Madison defender “he shouldn't have jumped.”
Just as the Dukes had dominated the 90's, the Patriots have dominated the 2000's. Beginning with the 2000-01 season the Patriots have won 25 of the last 29 meeting between the teams, 19 of the last 20 and nine straight. Erik Herring (30 points) and Lamar Butler (27) both celebrated their final home games with elite performances against Madison.
It's been two years since the Patriots and Dukes met on the hardwood, the longest hiatus in the series since their first meeting (unofficial or otherwise) in the 1967-68 season. The Dukes are coming back to Fairfax in the 2016-17 season. Hopefully the schools can agree a long time series is best for everyone.
When new head coach Dave Paulsen was hired I'm sure he heard all about how we needed to get better and compete with the VCU's, GW's and other top teams in the A-10. I'm sure students were telling him and his staff how much they want to beat VCU. But if you are a Mason alum or fan of a certain age you know intellectually beating VCU is better for the Patriots because it is a conference game. But emotionally? You'll take beating Madison every time.
Right around 6pm on Saturday the final seconds will tick off the clock in Harrisonburg. Here's hoping the Patriots are, for the 10th consecutive time, victorious. It would leave them just one win away from tying the series. Or three. Just depends on who you ask.
