Game 19: GMU (17-1 / 5-0) vs GW (12-5 / 3-1) on Monday, January 19, at 5:00 PM.

[Patriotsince81]

GW plays Davidson at home on Wednesday the 14th at 7PM. I’ll update Thursday morning.

Preseason predictions: Loaded with preseason accolades.
GW was picked to finish 4th in A10 Preseason Polls.
Rafael Castro - 1st Team All-Conference & All-Defensive Team
Tre Dinkins III - 2nd Team All-Conference
Trey Autry - 3rd Team All-Conference
Christian Jones - 3rd Team All-Conference

The game is on CBS Sports Network.

KenPom: Gives us a 57% chance of winning.
GMU - 76
GW - 60
NET:
GMU - 68
GW - 66

History:
We are 14-24 against GW all-time.
Tony Skinn is 4-1 against the Revolutionaries.

GW is currently 12-5 on the season and 3-1 in A10 play. They are 8-1 at home, 2-1 on the road, and 2-3 at neutral sites.

GW is 0-1 against Quad 1 squads, 2-3 against Quad, 2-0 against Quad 3, and 7-1 against Quad 4 teams.

Schedule: https://gwsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

Wins: Maine (67-47), South Florida (99-95), American (107-67), ODU (96-73), UMBC (89-52), Middle Tennessee (92-79), Army (84-70), William & Mary (99-86), St. Mary’s MD (97-40), Richmond (99-85), La Salle (77-55), Loyola Chicago (101-66)
Losses: McNeese (92-86), Murray St. (96-95), Delaware (70-58), #18 Florida (80-70), Dayton (79-72),

Probable Starters: 8 guys have started at one point or another. Players below started last time out against Loyola Chicago.
6’11” Rafael Castro - 15.0 ppg & 8.1 reb - Senior
6’4” Trey Autry - 11.3 ppg - Junior
6’4” Christian Jones - 10.3 ppg - Sophomore
6’3” Jean Aranguren - 7.9 ppg - Junior
6’7” Bubu Benjamin - 7.3 ppg - Junior

Reserves averaging double digit minutes:
6’8” Garrett Johnson - 13.2 ppg & 4.6 reb - Junior - has 2 starts
6’2” Tre Dinkins - 11.2 ppg - Grad Student - has 1 start
6’8” Tyrone Marshall - 8.1 ppg & 4.9 reb - Grad Student - has 11 starts - did not play last time out against Loyola Chicago
6’10” Luke Hunger - 6.2 ppg - Grad Student

Roster: https://gwsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster

Team Stats:

GW averages 87.5 points per game (2nd in the A10) while giving up 72.5 (8th in the A10).

The Revolutionaries shoot 49.1% from the floor (3rd in the A10) and 37.0% from 3 (4th in the A10).
Opponents are shooting 43.1% from the field and 30.5% from 3.

They shoot 74.2% from the free throw line (7th in the A10).

The Revolutionaries have out rebounded opponents by 7.9 boards per game and average 12.9 turnovers per contest.

Stats: https://gwsports.com/documents/2025/11/4/2025-26_Stats_Part1.pdf

Thoughts: GW lights up the scoreboard! They’ve scored 90+ nine times this season. They are 29th nationally in scoring offense and 35th in field goal percentage.

This GW team is very skilled with 5 guys shooting 50% or better from the floor. Rafael Castro at 65.8% is as efficient as they come. In the A10 he currently ranks 6th in scoring, 3rd in rebounding, 6th in blocked shots, and 4th in steals per game. Trey Autry and Tre Dinkins both shoot well over 40% from 3 and have 85 makes between them. GW is tied for 1st in the A10 in 3 pointers made with 170. We rank 13th in the league with 106 for the year. We’d better guard the 3 because they have a clear edge in that department.

This is going to be a battle in every sense of the word. Our D had better show up for 40 minutes or the streak ends! The Revolutionary Rivalry is real. Go Mason!

Discuss.

 

[GMU79]

GW plays Davidson at home on Wednesday the 14th at 7PM. I’ll update Thursday morning.

Preseason predictions: Loaded with preseason accolades.
GW was picked to finish 4th in A10 Preseason Polls.
Rafael Castro - 1st Team All-Conference & All-Defensive Team
Tre Dinkins III - 2nd Team All-Conference
Trey Autry - 3rd Team All-Conference
Christian Jones - 3rd Team All-Conference

The game is on CBS Sports Network.

KenPom: Gives us a 57% chance of winning.
GMU - 76
GW - 60
NET:
GMU - 68
GW - 66

History:
We are 14-24 against GW all-time.
Tony Skinn is 4-1 against the Revolutionaries.

GW is currently 12-5 on the season and 3-1 in A10 play. They are 8-1 at home, 2-1 on the road, and 2-3 at neutral sites.

GW is 0-1 against Quad 1 squads, 2-3 against Quad, 2-0 against Quad 3, and 7-1 against Quad 4 teams.

Schedule: https://gwsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

Wins: Maine (67-47), South Florida (99-95), American (107-67), ODU (96-73), UMBC (89-52), Middle Tennessee (92-79), Army (84-70), William & Mary (99-86), St. Mary’s MD (97-40), Richmond (99-85), La Salle (77-55), Loyola Chicago (101-66)
Losses: McNeese (92-86), Murray St. (96-95), Delaware (70-58), #18 Florida (80-70), Dayton (79-72),

Probable Starters: 8 guys have started at one point or another. Players below started last time out against Loyola Chicago.
6’11” Rafael Castro - 15.0 ppg & 8.1 reb - Senior
6’4” Trey Autry - 11.3 ppg - Junior
6’4” Christian Jones - 10.3 ppg - Sophomore
6’3” Jean Aranguren - 7.9 ppg - Junior
6’7” Bubu Benjamin - 7.3 ppg - Junior

Reserves averaging double digit minutes:
6’8” Garrett Johnson - 13.2 ppg & 4.6 reb - Junior - has 2 starts
6’2” Tre Dinkins - 11.2 ppg - Grad Student - has 1 start
6’8” Tyrone Marshall - 8.1 ppg & 4.9 reb - Grad Student - has 11 starts - did not play last time out against Loyola Chicago
6’10” Luke Hunger - 6.2 ppg - Grad Student

Roster: https://gwsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster

Team Stats:

GW averages 87.5 points per game (2nd in the A10) while giving up 72.5 (8th in the A10).

The Revolutionaries shoot 49.1% from the floor (3rd in the A10) and 37.0% from 3 (4th in the A10).
Opponents are shooting 43.1% from the field and 30.5% from 3.

They shoot 74.2% from the free throw line (7th in the A10).

The Revolutionaries have out rebounded opponents by 7.9 boards per game and average 12.9 turnovers per contest.

Stats: https://gwsports.com/documents/2025/11/4/2025-26_Stats_Part1.pdf

Thoughts: GW lights up the scoreboard! They’ve scored 90+ nine times this season. They are 29th nationally in scoring offense and 35th in field goal percentage.

This GW team is very skilled with 5 guys shooting 50% or better from the floor. Rafael Castro at 65.8% is as efficient as they come. In the A10 he currently ranks 6th in scoring, 3rd in rebounding, 6th in blocked shots, and 4th in steals per game. Trey Autry and Tre Dinkins both shoot well over 40% from 3 and have 85 makes between them. GW is tied for 1st in the A10 in 3 pointers made with 170. We rank 13th in the league with 106 for the year. We’d better guard the 3 because they have a clear edge in that department.

This is going to be a battle in every sense of the word. Our D had better show up for 40 minutes or the streak ends! The Revolutionary Rivalry is real. Go Mason!

Discuss.

I agree. D or lose.

 

[Portlandian]

My favorite thing about GMU-GWU is the existence of a rivalry specific cocktail.

The Orange Line: The Mason-GW Rivalry Cocktail | Giant Killer

giantkiller.co

 

[MasonFanatic]

Will Chris Caputo kick the game ball into our bench again during the post-game handshake line?

 

[Verdad]

Will Chris Caputo kick the game ball into our bench again during the post-game handshake line?

Hopefully yes - because that likely means he is pissed off and we are all
Happy!

 

[TheStringer]

As I posted in last nights game thread, Riley defending Castro scares tf out of me.

 

[ProfessorCFK]

5pm tipoff - whyyyyyy?!

 

[GMUgemini]

5pm tipoff - whyyyyyy?!

vcu st. Joe’s is at 3:00 pm on the same day, even worse.

Both are on cbssn, so guessing television dictated start time but I can’t imagine either time slot is going to draw well.

 

[gmutom]

vcu st. Joe’s is at 3:00 pm on the same day, even worse.

Both are on cbssn, so guessing television dictated start time but I can’t imagine either time slot is going to draw well.

Just going on a hunch here, but it could it be because the government, most schools including Mason, and many companies are closed for MLK Day.

 

[Verdad]

Just going on a hunch here, but it could it be because the government, most schools including Mason, and many companies are closed for MLK Day.

Bingo - we play GW every year on MLK Day and it is typically at an "odd" time for a weekday game.

 

[PDGL Hoops]

Defense was abysmal in the first half last night. Their bench players blew by us on the dribble and crashed the boards. Stop starting game slow, dig out of the awful 3 point shooting %, and run these guys into the ground.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

Think we’re just going to have to accept that this is the formula for this years team:

1. Start off slow and get behind 2-6 points sometime in the first half.
2. Continue back and forth until 10 minutes left in the game.
3. Then suddenly wake up and play great defense.
4. Be very clutch at the end
5. Rinse
6. Repeat

This may be a symptom of having a completely new team this year with not one player of significance returning.

What use to take several years of figuring out how to work with each other on an optimal level, now has to be condensed into a single season.

What we are watching is this team figuring itself out. It’s not ideal for mid majors especially but Tony Skinn and company have been doing it on a Master Class level so far.

 

[thebiasedannouncer]

Lots of similarities to this years vcu team from this years GW group. High flying offense that has put on some defensive horror shows this season. We'll be able to score on them, the question will be how much can we stop them.

See you all at the Bank Monday evening.

 

[gmutom]

For all the grief Allenspach takes around here, I'm curious why Presley is held to a different standard. He started both halves yesterday, and his only stat in the box score was three fouls in 7 minutes. If people claim his lack of offense is offset by his defense, why is Riley not given the same free pass? Could our slow starts be attributed to starting a player who has scored 5 total points in the last 5 games?

My point here isn't to criticize Presley or defend Riley but more to show the hypocrisy that we hold defense-first players to a different standard than offense-first players. There's no question Allenspach is a liability in the post, so I'm baffled as to why we didn't help him out more last night. It will be coaching malpractice if we leave him alone against Castro.

As for the slow starts, maybe it's time to try something new like playing Mincy, Long and Fatt together and then bringing Booker, Adebayo and Presley off the bench as needed. Some will say if it's not broke don't fix it, but sooner or later these slow starts are going to create a deficit we can't overcome.

 

[thebiasedannouncer]

For all the grief Allenspach takes around here, I'm curious why Presley is held to a different standard. He started both halves yesterday, and his only stat in the box score was three fouls in 7 minutes. If people claim his lack of offense is offset by his defense, why is Riley not given the same free pass? Could our slow starts be attributed to starting a player who has scored 5 total points in the last 5 games?

My point here isn't to criticize Presley or defend Riley but more to show the hypocrisy that we hold defense-first players to a different standard than offensive-first players. There's no question Allenspach is a liability in the post, so I'm baffled as to why we didn't help him out more last night. It will be coaching malpractice if we leave him alone against Castro.

As for the slow starts, maybe it's time to try something new like playing Mincy, Long and Fatt together and then bringing Booker, Adebayo and Presley off the bench as needed. Some will say if it's not broke don't fix it, but sooner or later these slow starts are going to create a deficit we can't overcome.

Completely agree.

Tony put Billups on Castro many times last year to try and mess him up. Now, obviously we do not have a Billups on this team, not by a longshot, but i could see trying to mess him up by putting a Malik/Troutman on him early just to try it out.

 

[hoops10]

Look we are winning, and that is all that matters. However just a few comments. I don't understand how Sivka comes in before Kanga. Quite frankly Sivka does not rebound, plays poor defense and isn't going to set screens for anyone. I know he is a good dude and hard worker, but we need Kanga to play more minutes. If nothing else its for his rebounding and defense.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

Look we are winning, and that is all that matters. However just a few comments. I don't understand how Sivka comes in before Kanga. Quite frankly Sivka does not rebound, plays poor defense and isn't going to set screens for anyone. I know he is a good dude and hard worker, but we need Kanga to play more minutes. If nothing else its for his rebounding and defense.

This is a legit criticism. The announcers a couple
of games back mentioned that Mason “scares me when Allenspach and Kanga are in the game at the same time”.

Kanga needs to be on Castro Monday. Period

 

[NewPatriot]

For all the grief Allenspach takes around here, I'm curious why Presley is held to a different standard. He started both halves yesterday, and his only stat in the box score was three fouls in 7 minutes. If people claim his lack of offense is offset by his defense, why is Riley not given the same free pass? Could our slow starts be attributed to starting a player who has scored 5 total points in the last 5 games?

My point here isn't to criticize Presley or defend Riley but more to show the hypocrisy that we hold defense-first players to a different standard than offensive-first players. There's no question Allenspach is a liability in the post, so I'm baffled as to why we didn't help him out more last night. It will be coaching malpractice if we leave him alone against Castro.

As for the slow starts, maybe it's time to try something new like playing Mincy, Long and Fatt together and then bringing Booker, Adebayo and Presley off the bench as needed. Some will say if it's not broke don't fix it, but sooner or later these slow starts are going to create a deficit we can't overcome.

Some perspective is needed.


Malik Presley was a power 4 transfer who had not played since the end of 23-24 at Vandy and he only averages 11.6 mpg as a freshman.

For whatever reason, he never appeared on one game once he transferred to Texas.

His asset is that he very good at getting to the bucket. There is no evidence he's 3 point shooter and was the last second addition to the roster.


The fact he was supposed to be the 10th man off the bench.

Once BOC, Troutman and Hill got injured then Skinn had to start him ..there was no one else.
.
Hes a connector and Mason won with him in the lineup. Its not always stats..he meshes with the rest of the lineup and does the dirty work and Mason wins
..end of story

 

[TheStringer]

This is a legit criticism. The announcers a couple
of games back mentioned that Mason “scares me when Allenspach and Kanga are in the game at the same time”.

Kanga needs to be on Castro Monday. Period

I fully agree with this. Kanga fights and fouls hard. So even if its just to spell Allenspach or someone else, Kanga will beat up Castro which will tire him out

 

[jruby]

Look we are winning, and that is all that matters. However just a few comments. I don't understand how Sivka comes in before Kanga. Quite frankly Sivka does not rebound, plays poor defense and isn't going to set screens for anyone. I know he is a good dude and hard worker, but we need Kanga to play more minutes. If nothing else its for his rebounding and defense.

I really think Stas coming in messes with Teams. They have no idea what to do and not from him per se but for the other 4 on the floor. Then as soon as they start to figure it out, Tony takes him back out and boom run happens or whatever. The only game I would question Tony's coaching on was VT which was just a horrible game all the way around. I get it on Kanga and I also want to see more of him but its all about that balance.