With 3.8 seconds remaining, Sherrod Wright caught the ball. The George Mason University sophomore took three dribbles, jumped and shot a dagger through the heart of VCU players and fans.
That was the Valentine's Day victory. Now it's time for part two. The Patriots will face VCU again on Saturday for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“I think the thing you battle all the time are people not understanding how good your league is,” head coach Paul Hewitt said after the Feb. 14 win.
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Both teams are fresh off their appearances in last year's NCAA tournament. The Patriots made it to the third round and then lost to #1 seed Ohio State. The Rams on the other hand took a run all the way to the Final Four. The Patriots and Rams want to pick up right where they left off.
Thanks to the CAA producing Final Four teams in two of the last five years, the CAA title is more important than ever. Not too long ago, winning 20 games in a season would have gone down as a huge George Mason success. Just a few years back, winning the CAA would have been a dream. As for now, times are different – the team wants more. Thanks are to Jim Larranaga.
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After 14 seasons, coach Larranaga left his mark. The Patriots turned around the previous administration's 38-70 record to an astonishing 271-162 under Larranaga. George Mason suddenly saw itself in the postseason nine out of those 14 years, including a Final Four appearance in 2006. They won the CAA Conference in four of those seasons, and won at least 20 games in five.
With only Saturday’s rematch and the CAA Conference Tournament remaining, time is running out for the Patriots and Rams to stake their claim in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Time to seize the moment.
Editor's Note: Story changed to reflect Patriots' correct 2011 run.
