Game 10: GMU (5-4) vs UMES (3-5) on Tuesday, December 6, at 7:00 PM.

[Patriotsince81]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6W0_AvVqB4

 

[Bricker]

The bench rotation that was in during the end of the first half just didn't get it done. Tough to watch that small stretch. Most of the issues have been mentioned, but I also noticed that Ojiako's D was pretty bad last night. He flat out lost his way in the paint at least twice and gave up an easy bucket... either didn't mark his guy or failed to help.

Hopefully it was just an off night. We didn't need him to carry a huge load since Oduro was clicking.

Also, G.O. and Malik could be a potent combo off the bench if they really start clicking. I would assume Blake will get buried during conference play, so there are some minutes for the taking.

 

[GMU1983]

Where is the post-game Presser??? Why is this a problem recently after the last couple games? Are we a "Rinky Dink" operation or what?

 

[mkaufman1]

Where is the post-game Presser??? Why is this a problem recently after the last couple games? Are we a "Rinky Dink" operation or what?

Calm down dude. They’ve had some issues posting it and obviously it hasn’t been resolved. I’ll try to find out when it’s going to be resolved.

 

[GMU1983]

Thank you

 

[mkaufman1]

Thank you

No problem, I too like the pressers but I don’t know who posts them. Giantkiller has put it up on twitter so I listen that way in the meantime.

 

[dr. gunnie]

Just blabbering here for a minute:

Anyone else feeling like it's groundhog day with this team? More so, groundhog day with the program? Always in the middle tier, two steps forward and two steps back... I thought we showed some good signs vs Toledo in figuring things out then you lay an egg against UMESXYZ for most of the game. Obviously glad we got the double digit win, but I'm just hoping each game to see us turn the corner and each game it doesn't seem like it's happening or it does only to take a few steps back the following game. And this doesn't just go with this season, but maybe the program overall.

My expectations were bigger this year with so many starters returning and some talented upperclassmen transferring in. Just patiently waiting to show some signs of improvement overall as a program. The win is great, but I just want to see a little more improvement. Not sure if I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or what... I just see a lot of potential with a lot of our players and we just can't get it to click for any sustained period of time. Maybe my expectations were just wrong.

With the rest of the conference struggling I see a championship sitting there for the taking... just waiting for the moment we turn it on like Rocky did after talking with Adrian on the beach. "WHAT'S THE TRUTH, DAMN IT?!"

 

[GMUSSTN]

Just blabbering here for a minute:

Anyone else feeling like it's groundhog day with this team? More so, groundhog day with the program? Always in the middle tier, two steps forward and two steps back... I thought we showed some good signs vs Toledo in figuring things out then you lay an egg against UMESXYZ for most of the game. Obviously glad we got the double digit win, but I'm just hoping each game to see us turn the corner and each game it doesn't seem like it's happening or it does only to take a few steps back the following game. And this doesn't just go with this season, but maybe the program overall.

My expectations were bigger this year with so many starters returning and some talented upperclassmen transferring in. Just patiently waiting to show some signs of improvement overall as a program. The win is great, but I just want to see a little more improvement. Not sure if I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or what... I just see a lot of potential with a lot of our players and we just can't get it to click for any sustained period of time. Maybe my expectations were just wrong.

With the rest of the conference struggling I see a championship sitting there for the taking... just waiting for the moment we turn it on like Rocky did after talking with Adrian on the beach. "WHAT'S THE TRUTH, DAMN IT?!"

I kept thinking last night that if that game happened in 2009 or something we'd go up by 10-15 in the first half, stay there, and cruise to probably a 15-ish point victory. UMES would never really threaten to get closer than about 9 points and we'd respond. We used to hammer teams like that from the get-go. Maybe not start the game on a 10-0 run but by the U4 time out in the first half you'd know where it was heading. And 2009-10 wasn't even one of our better teams.

Obviously the game has changed but we've been basically culture-less since Hewitt got hired. He didn't care about culture, Paulsen didn't seem to care much either, or he wasn't good at establishing it (probably a little of both). When you think "George Mason Basketball" as a brand what is it? Who are we? Where are we going?

It's a long hard road back from where Hewitt took this program. We're clearly still on it. I thought the end was in sight maybe this season but it's not there unless we start playing like the team that shows up for maybe 15-ish minutes a game.

It just sucks. 11 years of this crap. However at least we have progressed far enough that last night was a double-digit win. With Hewitt that was probably a 5-8 point loss, with Paulsen a 1-point 2OT win on a buzzer beater heave.

 

[DRK331]

Post game:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1600528191659003905

 

[Verdad]

I have zero expectations for this team until real improvement is shown over at least a three game stretch where they play solid for at least 30 mins or more in each game.

Until then, just enjoy being able to drink beer at the games.

 

[EXpatriot13]

Obviously the game has changed but we've been basically culture-less since Hewitt got hired. He didn't care about culture, Paulsen didn't seem to care much either, or he wasn't good at establishing it (probably a little of both). When you think "George Mason Basketball" as a brand what is it? Who are we? Where are we going?

This is so spot on. I dont think there's a single person who can answer these questions, whether a fan or in the AD. And if they do, you'd probably get a bunch of different answers.

 

[mkaufman1]

Nah as usual @dr. gunnie you're spot on. It’s turn the corner circle the same block. I had higher expectations coming into this year as well, and it was killed off by the Paradise Jam.

I like that we are 6-0 at home, so that’s a good step.

I didn’t watch the full game last night and only saw when mason did well, but when I watch the full game I will give more thoughts. It appears there are still a lot of issues to be worked out including “are we getting somewhere”, or just circling the same block again and again. It’s tiring.

 

[DRK331]

Post game #2:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1600531833975734276

 

[GMUSSTN]

This is so spot on. I dont think there's a single person who can answer these questions, whether a fan or in the AD. And if they do, you'd probably get a bunch of different answers.

And I don't even think it has to be like "havoc," which was so easily marketable that I can't blame Richmond McDonald's Night Manager University for running with it. But we need to establish some kind of identity otherwise it's going to be more of the same.

I don't really want/need billboards and t shirts about it, I just want the players to buy in. Something that we can take on the court and play our way and let the other team decide if they're going to react to us or not. Starting ice cold every night (let's face it, UMES was also ice cold and we only turned that into a 10 point lead which was quickly erased) isn't going to do it.

 

[mkaufman1]

Mason basketball: where mediocrity is tradition.

 

[gmujim92]

I kept thinking last night that if that game happened in 2009 or something we'd go up by 10-15 in the first half, stay there, and cruise to probably a 15-ish point victory. UMES would never really threaten to get closer than about 9 points and we'd respond. We used to hammer teams like that from the get-go. Maybe not start the game on a 10-0 run but by the U4 time out in the first half you'd know where it was heading. And 2009-10 wasn't even one of our better teams.

Obviously the game has changed but we've been basically culture-less since Hewitt got hired. He didn't care about culture, Paulsen didn't seem to care much either, or he wasn't good at establishing it (probably a little of both). When you think "George Mason Basketball" as a brand what is it? Who are we? Where are we going?

It's a long hard road back from where Hewitt took this program. We're clearly still on it. I thought the end was in sight maybe this season but it's not there unless we start playing like the team that shows up for maybe 15-ish minutes a game.

It just sucks. 11 years of this crap. However at least we have progressed far enough that last night was a double-digit win. With Hewitt that was probably a 5-8 point loss, with Paulsen a 1-point 2OT win on a buzzer beater heave.

Just blabbering here for a minute:

Anyone else feeling like it's groundhog day with this team? More so, groundhog day with the program? Always in the middle tier, two steps forward and two steps back... I thought we showed some good signs vs Toledo in figuring things out then you lay an egg against UMESXYZ for most of the game. Obviously glad we got the double digit win, but I'm just hoping each game to see us turn the corner and each game it doesn't seem like it's happening or it does only to take a few steps back the following game. And this doesn't just go with this season, but maybe the program overall.

My expectations were bigger this year with so many starters returning and some talented upperclassmen transferring in. Just patiently waiting to show some signs of improvement overall as a program. The win is great, but I just want to see a little more improvement. Not sure if I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or what... I just see a lot of potential with a lot of our players and we just can't get it to click for any sustained period of time. Maybe my expectations were just wrong.

With the rest of the conference struggling I see a championship sitting there for the taking... just waiting for the moment we turn it on like Rocky did after talking with Adrian on the beach. "WHAT'S THE TRUTH, DAMN IT?!"

The truth is, sadly, we’re now on our third coach post-Larranaga and the longer we go without having any real noteworthy success, the more it looks like the L era was a glaring outlier produced by lucking into a Hall of Fame coach who liked what he had built and decided to stay for 14 years.

Beyond winning this or that game, the Mason program has a lot to prove over the next couple years. If Kim can’t get us back to the tournament that will be a real bad look.

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

The truth is, sadly, we’re now on our third coach post-Larranaga and the longer we go without having any real noteworthy success, the more it looks like the L era was a glaring outlier produced by lucking into a Hall of Fame coach who liked what he had built and decided to stay for 14 years.

Beyond winning this or that game, the Mason program has a lot to prove over the next couple years. If Kim can’t get us back to the tournament that will be a real bad look.

Yea, we become essentially a "blanket" A-10 team. One of 6 or 7 teams in the A-10, you could throw a blanket over and say "Remember when they were good....What happened?...Now, they just drag down the NET of the conference."

 

[gmujim92]

Yea, we become essentially a "blanket" A-10 team. One of 6 or 7 teams in the A-10, you could throw a blanket over and say "Remember when they were good....What happened?...Now, they just drag down the NET of the conference."

Maybe even worse, people won’t even remember when we used to be good. Mason will be the quintessential one-hit wonder.

 

[GMUSSTN]

Maybe even worse, people won’t even remember when we used to be good. Mason will be the quintessential one-hit wonder.

We basically are that now. Kids in college now were in elementary school the last time we were good. If we wanted to not be a one hit wonder we had to keep L and be the top 25 team we were supposed to be in 2011-12. Our best seasons might as well have been in the 90s at this point. We're starting from scratch. We have been completely irrelevant our entire time in the A10. Haven't even played on Saturday.

I think that's why we're all so frustrated. Yeah we have a great home winning streak but we've given every single team we've played a chance to beat us. That's a recipe for a bad team, which is what we've had for the last decade. We've all watched this play out before.

That being said there is enough talent on this roster to turn it around. I'd almost rather we pick a side of the court to be dominant on and go with it. We clearly suck at defense, so let's come out guns blazing, push the pace, and crank up the possessions. Or hell, go the other way. We use our size/length and slow the game down. Make other teams shoot lights out if they want to win. Right now we're doing neither well.

 

[mkaufman1]

I’d actually say that defense is what the staff wants our calling card to be. We saw it in action against Toledo. That was the first time in a long time I saw Mason play defense legitimately.

That said, it’s still circling the same block. Need to win the remaining OOC games and some before we all would feel better. A lot of really good opportunity to make this year very respectable and progress even if they fall short of an ncaa bid.