George Mason knocks of Nova and now faces Public Enemy #1
The George Mason Patriots did the unthinkable knocking off Villanova, and will now try to do the impossible by upsetting No. 1 Ohio State in a third round East Region contest on Sunday in Cleveland.
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#8 George Mason (27-6, 16-2 CAA) vs. #1 Ohio State (33-2, 16-2 Big Ten)
Date/Time: Sunday, March 20, 5:15 PM EST
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Broadcast: CBS
Money Line: George Mason +600, Ohio State -800
Spread: Ohio State -11
Over/Under: 135.5
It will be the first time the two teams have met since 1996.
Four of the last six teams to defeat Villanova in the NCAA tournament have gone on to win the championship. But none has had to face an opponent the likes of this season’s Ohio State.
Luke Hancock hit a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left, capping the Patriots’ comeback, and keeping the one-time NCAA tournament darlings playing with a 61-57 win over the Wildcats on Friday. The eighth-seeded Patriots trailed by 10 in the first half only to inch their way back with an impressive offensive performance.
Returning from a three year absence from the tournament, the Patriots appear poised to make another dream run as they did in 2006, when a rag tag mid-major George Mason squad punctuated their season by winning their first round game that year against Michigan State, then went on to knock out perennial powers North Carolina and Connecticut to reach the Final Four.
The Buckeyes strength all year has been their balance and scoring ability, as well as a terrific blend of strong play on both the interior and perimeter as well as a nice mix of youth and experience. That cocktail was what led them to a decisive win, as they blew out Texas-San Antonio 75-46 in the second round on Friday.
William Buford led a balanced attack with 18 points, while freshman Jared Sullinger added 11 and eight rebounds for the Buckeyes, who shot 56.9 percent from the field and made 12-of-24 from 3-point range. The win advanced the Buckeyes to the round of 32 en route to what seems like a clear path to a National Championship.
Ohio State also took care of the opposite end of the floor, handling UTSA’s slowdown game, with its stingy defense.
The Patriots have three players averaging double digits in scoring: Cam Long (15.3 PPG), Ryan Pearson (14.4 PPG), and Hancock (10.7 PPG), with Hancock averaging 4.3 assists per contest. Long is the senior leader who was recruited during the Pats run to the Final Four, and he will be dead set on rewriting that story.
As impressive as the Patriots win was over Villanova. The Buckeyes are a completely new level of competition. With great control at both ends of the court, we’ll give this one to the Buckeyes.
The odds makers have the Ohio State Buckeyes as a -11 point favorite with an over/under of 135.5.
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