VCU and George Mason dominated the A-10 regular season from start to finish. So it was only fitting that these two old CAA foes would face each other in the A-10 Tournament Championship.
In front of the best crowd of the A-10 tournament by far, the Rams and the Patriots took the floor with all of the energy they could conjure, playing their third game in as many days.
As defense is the calling card of both sides, the first half went exactly how you would expect. A low-scoring affair that went back and forth. That is until the game started to get very chippy and technical fouls were issued against Jalen Haynes for GMU and Christian Fermin.
The scrum to force a jump ball, with 3:01 to go, followed by a lengthy review took the air out of both sides’ offensive rhythm. George Mason went on to miss their last eight field goals, while the Rams broke a four-minute field goal drought with a Jack Clark triple. VCU went into the half with an eight-point lead, 36-28.
In the second half, the Patriots came out and hit four triples to cut the lead to two points. But VCU’s Joe Bamisile converted on back-to-back and-one opportunities, and the A-10 Player of the Year was left wide open for three, bringing the lead back up to five, with 11 minutes remaining.
From there, the Rams led the entire way but George Mason hung around. With 15 seconds to go, VCU’s Zeb Jackson had a chance to put the game away, but a miss and a defensive rebound by Jalen Haynes put the ball in the hands of Zach Anderson with a chance to tie it. His three-pointer from the nearside wing rattled around and out sealing the A-10 Championship for the VCU Rams.
Takeaway #1: VCU in crunch time once again
After George Mason knocked down a few technical free throws to tie the game at 24 with just over three minutes to go, the Rams once again finished the first half on a roll.
On the defensive end, they held George Mason without a field goal in the final three minutes of the first half. While the Patriots finished 0-8 from the field. Also, similar to the semifinals, the Rams finished the first half on a 12-4 run.
In the second half, VCU did not need to go on another run to pull away. Instead, it was done on the defensive end. After George Mason cut the lead to just one point with 2:27 to go, the Rams shut down the Patriots on the defensive end. From that point on, the Rams had a few key defensive stops to close the game out, including one on the final offensive possession for George Mason.
Although that play was more of a miss from behind the arc, the contest was there and made the shot more difficult. If the Rams are successful in the NCAA Tournament against BYU, domination in crunch time will be a very important key.
Takeaway #2: VCU’s physicality
With Jalen Haynes wearing the Green and Gold for George Mason, he has provided a key mismatch against nearly every A-10 team this season. At 6-foot-8 and 265 pounds, Haynes is one of the most physical bigs not only in the conference but in the country.
On the season, he averaged 14.1 points per game, while shooting 56.3% from the field. However, when he played VCU this season, he shot 44% and 35% in the championship game. While the front court of VCU does not look like the most physical in the conference, they certainly are one of the most athletic.
Their timing on nearly every contest at the rim in the win over George Mason, was the main reason they brought the trophy home. In the win, the Patriots were just 6-26 on shots around the rim, which just proves VCU as one of the best defensive teams in the country.
As one of the most efficient defensive teams in the country, an added jolt of physicality is exactly what the Rams needed in the A-10 tournament. When they play in the NCAA Tournament this week against BYU, I would expect a lot of the same from the A-10 Champions.
Takeaway #3: Expect George Mason to stick around
For George Mason, it has been a week of reminiscing and creating new history inside Capital One Arena. Looking back to the 2006 NCAA Tournament, the Patriots played two games in the Nation’s Capital. As an 11-seed, George Mason defeated 7-seed Wichita State and 1-seed UConn dramatically to advance to the Final Four. A leader on that Patriot’s squad, Tony Skinn, is the current head coach in Fairfax.
After the Championship game, head coach Tony Skinn expressed his discontent with George Mason not being considered for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“I would love to know when the last time an A-10 team won 26 games and did not get into the NCAA Tournament?” coach Skinn said.
Rhetorical question or not, George Mason was worthy of at least being in the conversation. Making the A-10 Championship game should speak for itself, after “Next Four Out” Dayton did not win a game in the conference tournament. Either way, the Patriots still believe they will play postseason basketball in some capacity, likely in the NIT.
In just two years, coach Skinn has brought George Mason back to prominence in the A-10. Expect the Patriots to be competitive next year, not only in the conference but to make the NCAA Tournament.