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For George Mason, It's Pure Madness
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But the Patriots withered the Shockers from the start.
Folarin Campbell, who led the team with 16 points, set the tone by blocking a shot and making three three-pointers in the first five minutes.
Under the Patriots' defensive onslaught, the Shockers couldn't hang onto the ball, couldn't shoot from under the basket and couldn't score from the perimeter, either. Thanks to the wide body of 275-pound Jai Lewis, they reduced Paul Miller, the Shockers' leading scorer, to a first-half asterisk.
The Shockers trudged to the locker room at halftime with a paltry 19 points on 30 percent shooting.
Wichita State was the Patriots' first opponent that didn't take victory for granted, having lost to Mason just last month. But the Shockers were no match for George Mason's defense on this night. And they had the misfortune of facing an 11th seed that was enjoying the uncanny good fortune of a home-court advantage. That's not how NCAA brackets are supposed to work, but the Patriots' pluck in toppling two higher-seeded teams delivered just that.
Patriots fans turned out with a passion that seemed to have pent up far longer than the school's 34-year history and never flagged.
With fans like that, as well as a fun-loving coach and happy band of players, George Mason might not be finished yet.
"It's not like we're in a situation where we're nervous or having any kind of fear," Larranaga said. "These guys have played basketball their whole lives. They enjoy being with each other. They enjoyed executing the plan on the court. As long as we can continue to do that, anything is possible."
