George Mason Preview and Game Thread -- 02/07/2024

[natetheskate]

Well that was a weird game..great win....Ramblers!!!!!!!!
1. Frank,,you got me. I thought this team would be 500 at best in conference... and look at us now
2. We had below par games from Watson, Quinn and Norris and yet only 6 turnovers.
3. They outshot us on 2's and 3's and free throws and outrebounded us by 10. Phil Alston had 0 rebounds.
4. One stat I loved...we won the turnover battle 6 to 17 and turned that into 19 points.
5. The word was that Sheldon Edwards was not getting tons of time cuz of his defense yet tonight he had 5 steals , only had 2 fouls. add 3 assists a block and NO turnovers.....a really complete game...everybody seemed way happy for him...perseverance comes to mind.
6. We played a zone!!!!!!! did not look really good but might be the solution for a team that plays such physical defense and consistently in foul trouble. Not much but when we need it.
7. Just like how hard this team plays....
8. Nice to see Miles have a good game...GM not as physical a team as many others in the A10
9. 6 weeks ago we were all wondering if Drew had what it takes and now we have the Sun Times driving him to Depaul for an interview...Hope there is at least one more year on that contract.
10. How much do people think we will miss Brandon Norris? I think it will be our #1 task ..to find an adequate replacement for him

[Ramblerste]

Coach Drew coaching his ass off, let’s go!

[AMDG]

Insane. We wanted it more. I wrote "We're going to win this game" when we were behind by 3 with 6 minutes left, but I saw that the momentum, body language, and intensity was behind us. Despite every Loyola player being in foul trouble, I saw that Loyola wanted it more, and Sheldon Edwards was not going to be denied. What a fantastic win!

Our FOURTH road win in conference.... Crazy!

It's the opposite of what I saw in GW's eyes last night. Let's pounce on them!

GM coach confirmed he thought the same thing about Loyola wanting it more in his postgame interview on ESPN+.

[AMDG]

How does the NET drop one place after playing an 89 NET on the road?

[AMDG]

This was really an important game in getting separation from the bottom 11 in the conference. We now have a 3 game lead on that block at 5-5. Unfortunately, we still have games against most of them still to play.

We get GW next at a very good time. They have lost 5 in a row. Still, they are 11-3 at home this year and it is the second of back to back road games. It is also after a big win, so the game does scream "let down game". This is where a coach makes his money.

[goramblers2011]

Also huge is we now have a THREE game lead over the logjam of 5th place teams (Bonnie's, UMass, URI, Joe's). Those middle of the pack teams are beating each other up. We just need to keep winning and lock that double bye up. And hell, might be playing for a shot at an A10 crown if we keep this up.

[AMDG]

the next big coupling of games is in a couple of weeks when they go to Bonnie and at home against Dayton.

Finish this present one out 2-0

[01grad]

How does the NET drop one place after playing an 89 NET on the road?

NET doesn’t update until the following day. As of 7:15 am it still hasn’t added in yesterday’s game.

Our KenPom, which updates the same day as the game, is up to 111. A pretty obvious difference between the A10 and MVC (in a typical year) : Davidson has the 10th highest KenPom in the A10….at 116. Evansville has the 10th highest KenPom in the MVC at 191. Why does that matter? Even if we’re not likely to get an at large, it means more quad 1 and quad 2 opportunities for those who are close to the bubble, and less risk of a really bad conference loss (see Bradley losing to Evansville last night).

Edit: Looks like it just updated, and our NET is now 107, up from 115. Davidson jumped up to our previous spot at 115, from 128.

[gettinblery]

2. Bad: We did commit fouls. Some were bad calls but we did not adjust to how the game was called.

To be fair, I’m not sure any team could have adjusted to the way these officials called this game. It was brutal.

[gettinblery]

Heck of a win as Loyola continues the tradition of incredibly likable teams. If you missed the video posted on X after the game it’s a must-watch. Sheldon is the best.

https://x.com/ramblersmbb/status/175542 ... avjWd9UliQ