For George Mason, It's Pure Madness

Patriots' Improbable Run Is Still Alive With a Victory Over Wichita State

George Mason guard Lamar Butler flashes an "elite eight" after the Patriots' win in a Washington Region semifinal at Verizon Center. (By Jonathan Newton -- The Washington Post)

Coach Jim Larranaga frantically scoured the stands so he could flash double thumbs up to his wife, lost in a sea of delirious green-and-gold-clad basketball fans. Gunston, the mascot, let out an earsplitting whistle through his fuzzy green faux fur. The male cheerleaders bumped chests. And there weren't enough hugs to go around last night as George Mason extended its improbable romp through the NCAA men's basketball tournament, defeating Wichita State, 63-55, to advance to the round of eight -- rarefied air, indeed, that places the Patriots 40 minutes from the Final Four.

Up next for a team derided by some college basketball pooh-bahs as not belonging in the tournament in the first place is two-time national champion Connecticut, the Washington Region's No. 1 seed and favorite to win a third title.

Lowly 11th seeds such as George Mason aren't supposed to stick around for the second week of the tournament; they're invited to the party as little more than athletic hors d'oeuvres for elite teams to feast on. But the Patriots have done nothing but upset college basketball's world order since the 65-team field opened play last weekend, upending half of last year's Final Four -- Michigan State and defending champion North Carolina -- in their first- and second-round games in Dayton, Ohio.

Before a crowd filled with Mason partisans at Verizon Center last night, George Mason (26-7) went one better: The Patriots didn't just defeat the Shockers; they dismantled them with accurate three-point shooting and a smothering defense, holding a team that hadn't scored less than 80 points all tournament to just 19 in the first half.

Wichita State rallied in the second half, pulling within eight points with less than one minute remaining. But when the outcome was certain, George Mason senior guard Lamar Butler hugged the basketball with all his might and looked into the eyes of his father and brother in the stands.

"I just recall everyone saying we weren't supposed to be here," said Butler, among four Patriots who scored at least 10 points. "It was just an adrenaline shot from my head to my feet! It was an awesome feeling."

Larranaga was giddy, too, at 56. He went to an NCAA Final Four as an assistant coach at the University of Virginia during the Ralph Sampson era. But this was the first time one of his teams advanced this far in the tournament -- and only the second time a team from the Colonial Athletic Association has reached a region final.

"We're having a hell of a lot of fun!" said Larranaga, whose coaching philosophy relies on hefty doses of good humor -- like dancing, singing and playing baseball in the middle of practice if the tension gets too thick.

But for even the casual viewer with no rooting interest, George Mason's achievement last night distilled the very charm of the NCAA tournament. Though stacked in favor of traditional powers, its format always holds the possibility that a school with no basketball pedigree -- like the Patriots, composed almost entirely of local players who couldn't buy a glance from big-time recruiters in high school -- can prove it can compete at a championship level, too.

From the moment George Mason shocked basketball pundits by toppling North Carolina last weekend, Larranaga guaranteed he would have the most fun of any coach in the round of 16. And he urged his players to do the same.

And there wasn't a trace of tension as they trotted onto the court almost a full hour before tip-off, smiling and laughing as they loosened their muscles and honed their shooting touch. They even laughed in the pregame huddle, and Butler turned to the stands and cupped his hand to his ears as if he couldn't hear the deafening shrieks of "Let's Go Mason!"

The Patriots' starting lineup consists of five players from Maryland -- three of them seniors -- and none taller than 6 feet 7. At first blush, that gave the edge to Wichita State.