Area College Basketball Preview
George Mason, U-Va. Take to the Hardcourt
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Florida State (13-8, 2-4 ACC) at Virginia Tech (12-8, 3-3)
9 p.m., Comcast SportsNet , WGRQ (95.9 FM), WAGE (1200 AM)
Thompson Time: Forward Jeff Allen will return tonight after a two-game suspension, but J.T. Thompson made sure Virginia Tech hardly missed him. Thompson, a versatile and athletic freshman, had 13 points and 8 rebounds against Duke and scored 14 points with 12 rebounds against Boston College in the first two starts of his career. "Let's face it, he got the opportunity," Coach Seth Greenberg said. "With that opportunity, he's put his arms around it." Even with Allen returning, Thompson likely earned more playing time.
On Guards: Florida State's best asset is its veteran back-court foursome of Toney Douglas, Isaiah Swann, Ralph Mims and Jason Rich. The Hokies answer with a pair of freshmen, Malcolm Delaney and Hank Thorns. "I'm not sure I'll ever feel good about this matchup, at least not until its over," Greenberg said. But he felt Delaney and Thorns "took a huge step forward" against Boston College on Saturday. After combining for nine turnovers against Duke, they committed only two at BC while better managing Tech's secondary break.
-- Adam Kilgore
Virginia Commonwealth (15-4, 8-1 CAA) at George Mason (14-6, 6-3)
7 p.m., ESPN2, WTNT (570 AM)
A Perfect Home: Last week the Patriots were hoping this game -- a rematch of last year's CAA tournament final -- would provide an opportunity to pull even with the Rams atop the conference. But a 61-58 loss at UNC Wilmington on Saturday, their 10th loss in the last 11 visits to Trask Coliseum, dropped them two games back and in a four-way tie for second place with UNCW, William & Mary and Delaware. The Patriots are 9-0 at Patriot Center and have won their four CAA home games by an average of 29.3 points. Since making an NCAA-record 10 of 10 three-pointers at James Madison, G Dre Smith is 2 of 13 from that distance.
Rams Are Tough: After a 3-3 start, the Rams have won seven straight and 12 of 13. On Saturday, before a sellout crowd in Richmond, they scored 49 second-half points while shooting 59 percent during a 76-62 victory over Drexel. G Eric Maynor, star of last year's NCAA tournament victory over Duke, is averaging 18.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists; he's also shooting 43 percent on three-pointers. VCU defeated Mason in all three meetings last year and is 4-2 on the road this season. In addition, the Rams beat Maryland in the BB&T Classic last month at Verizon Center.
-- Steven Goff
