Mason has been a slow starting team in most of their games this season. If the game is close in the first half, there's a good chance that Mason will win easily when the second half comes around. In the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament, Georgia State took a double digit lead in the first and were still blown out. Mason ran out of steam against VCU today in the semis after trailing big early.
While Mason doesn't have a player who would've started on the '06 team, they do have a balanced attack and a deeper bench. Those are two reasons why Mason tends to struggle early and thrive late. It takes time to figure out who has the hot hand. There isn't an obvious go to player on each possession. But the opposing team is worn down having to focus on all five Patriots on the floor. It doesn't help that Mason has a couple of guys on the bench talented enough to start.
Size is a problem. But Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison up front play bigger than they are. Luke Hancock is the Folarin Campbell-type player. He's a good ball-handling forward who also rebounds fairly well. Cam Long is the best player. Andre Cornelius is the spark. I didn't like sixth man Isaiah Tate's game when he first came to the team. He'd constantly make the wrong play at the right time. He's the opposite player now. He's a glue guy who always comes up with a rebound, a steal, or a bucket when the team needs it most.
The team's win streak, the nation's longest, was snapped earlier today. All they need is to start another six game winning streak the rest of the way.
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