Amid All the Hoopla, Patriots Try to Stay Focused on a Tough Foe

"The pregame ceremony is for the fans, but the game is for the players," said George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga, greeting fans at Mason Madness last Friday. (By Kevin Wolf -- Associated Press)

George Mason will unveil its 2006 Final Four banner today and provide the nearly 10,000 fans at sold-out Patriot Center an opportunity to see its NCAA tournament regional trophy. There will be ESPN cameras, a smoke machine, loud music and plenty of other distractions.

Patriots Coach Jim Larranaga would also like to remind everyone of something else on display this afternoon: a basketball game.

"What I've told the team is that the pregame ceremony is for the fans, but the game is for the players," Larranaga said. "So we've got to be focused on the game, not any ceremonies. There will be a lot of excitement surrounding it, but the biggest thing is not to get caught up to the point where you can't concentrate on your job."

Following the home-opening festivities, the Patriots will have to quickly turn their attention to a highly regarded Wichita State team, which would like to avenge last season's loss to George Mason in the NCAA tournament's round of 16 and begin to set itself apart from the nation's other mid-major programs.

For the Mason players, the shift from celebration to concentration will be a challenge.

"It's definitely going to bring back great memories and it's going to be natural to remember what we accomplished," senior guard Gabe Norwood said. "I don't think that's a bad thing at all, but it's a matter of refocusing because this is the beginning of a new season.

"It's always good to look back every once in a while, but not to dwell on it."

The Patriots will be welcomed by what university officials believe will be the largest crowd in Patriot Center basketball history. The final available tickets were purchased Thursday, pushing attendance past 9,700.

Since the arena opened 21 years ago, George Mason has surpassed 9,000 only five previous times, and on each occasion the opponent was in-state rival James Madison. In fact, 10 of the 14 biggest crowds were to see the Patriots play the Dukes, who have a large following in the Washington area.

Wichita State, presumably, does not, which means almost every spectator there today will be supporting the Patriots. Last season, they averaged 4,533 per game.

"They'll be on edge, they'll be up and excited and pumped," Larranaga said. "It's going to be a great atmosphere for college basketball."

The Patriots actually opened their season last weekend with a 79-74 victory over Cleveland State and, for those who have not followed the team closely since the Final Four run, the squad has a truly new look.

The senior nucleus of forward Jai Lewis and guards Lamar Butler and Tony Skinn has departed. Lewis is playing professionally in Israel, Butler is in the Czech Republic and Skinn in Serbia.

Returning starters Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell are complemented by Norwood, guard John Vaughan, who sat out last season with a knee injury, and power forward Darryl Monroe. Thomas had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists against Cleveland State, and Monroe and Vaughan combined to shoot 13 of 18 for 30 points to spark the Patriots' comeback from a 16-point deficit.

Although Mason shot 61 percent overall, its offensive chemistry was lacking and its hallmark defense yielded an abundance of easy baskets. Against Wichita State, the Patriots will need a more complete effort. The Shockers have four starters back from a team that went 26-9 last season and, not only lost to George Mason in the NCAA tournament, but also dropped a regular season meeting.

"They've probably heard enough of how we beat them," Norwood said. "They're a great team, they're solid and consistent. You can say you're prepared for them, but then you have to do it."

Patriots Notes: Anticipating traffic and parking backups, officials are advising ticket holders to arrive well before the 4 p.m. tip-off. The first 2,000 fans will receive replica Final Four banners. The banner-raising ceremony is scheduled to begin at 3:40. . . . GMU Athletic Director Tom O'Connor has been selected to chair the NCAA Division I men's basketball committee in 2007-08.