George Mason Basketball Avoids Early Rut That Doomed 2018-19

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Ask most George Mason basketball fans about the 2018-19 season and they’ll almost certainly bring up the first three games of the season. It was a stretch that threw the season off the tracks and torpedoed the hopes of a potential at-large NCAA Tournament bid.

Zero wins, three losses, all against mid-major teams ranked outside KenPom’s Top 100.

“Dave Paulsen explained last season as the second part of one long season,” said Bryan Lawrence, creator of Giant Killer and host of the By George podcast. “We had high expectations.”

“Losing three straight games to bottom-half teams not only set us back as a team but as a fan base as well.”

Fast-forward to the present day and Mason is experiencing the exact opposite scenario. Expectations were much lower coming in — No. 4 preseason rank last year; No. 9 preseason rank this year — and the 0-3 start has been replaced by a 3-0 start. What’s more, the wins have rolled in for Mason without the help of their only two seniors.

Justin Kier, their leading scorer from a year ago, is out indefinitely with a foot injury and Ian Boyd, a leader and three-year rotation player, is out for the season with a wrist injury.

The competition through three games hasn’t been quite as good as their opening games last year — average KenPom rating: #144 last year vs. #280 this year —  yet the experience the young players are getting is valuable and will certainly benefit the overall program come conference play. Guys are growing up fast and the ball is moving every which way on offense.

One game it’s this guy, the next it’s that guy; this group isn’t selfish and that could be a low-key factor for a successful season in Fairfax. To my surprise, five different players have double-digit scoring averages through three games.

Unselfishness is a pleasant surprise but perimeter defense may be the calling card for the ’19-20 Patriots team. Through three games, they’re allowing 64.6 points per game and holding teams to 27.5 percent from beyond the arc.

“Paulsen hasn’t started 3-0 at Mason yet and we’re doing it with young guys. There’s room to be optimistic, and there’s always room on the bandwagon,” Lawrence added.



The George Mason basketball program continues their season on Saturday at home against James Madison at 7:00 P.M ET.