Atlantic 10 Basketball: George Mason rising among key weekly takeaways

3. George Mason is a contender again

The Patriots had about as disappointing of a non-conference showing as any team in the A10, and it quickly became the general consensus that expectations must have been set too high in the preseason (the team was picked to finish 4th in the A10 coaches’ poll). Alas, here we are a month or so removed from a brutal opening to the non-con, and Mason’s only two losses in their last eight contests are to possible NCAA Tournament teams in Kansas State and Davidson, and their current conference record is towards the top at 4-1

So, what could possibly have happened? How did the team that had lost consecutive games to Penn, American, and Georgia Southern become one that coaches throughout the conference have circled on their calendars? Well, several things have happened that have snowballed in a positive way.

First off, the Patriots’ heart and soul, Otis Livingston II, has become a much more consistent floor general at the point guard position. Over Mason’s first ten games, the first team all-conference candidate averaged a less-than-ideal 3.6 turnovers per game. Over the last eight, however, he’s reduced that number to 2.25. His three-point shooting has improved significantly as well, from 20.5% (first ten games) to 35.5% (last eight). Those numbers might not seem like they would warrant such monumental differences in the Patriots’ success, but getting their best player going, even if only somewhat, has fundamentally changed the vibe and swagger of the team.

Another positive change that’s taken place for Mason has been their increased energy and physicality on defense. They lacked a certain tenacity to start out the season, but they haven’t let a team score more than 67 points on them since December 3. It’s obvious that they are a completely different team than they once were on that side of the ball, and their pressure/forced turnovers have resulted in far more opportunities on offense as well.

Finally, perhaps the most important factor in Mason’s success has been the play of Junior guard Justin Kier, who has quickly elbowed his way into the A-10 Player of the Year discussion. Over Mason’s last nine, he’s averaging 19.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, and it’s not a stretch to say his play has been the difference between the Patriots being a middle-of-the-pack A10 team and a bonafide conference title-contender. With their most recent game against UMass on the line, for example, he stepped up and outplayed the consensus first team all-conference guard Luwane Pipkins in the final minutes and sealed the victory for the Patriots.

Mason should continue their hot start with the abysmal Fordham Rams upcoming on the schedule, but we’ll really get a chance to see where they stand in the conference hierarchy on the January 23, when they hit the road for a date with the extremely talented Dayton Flyers and their raucous, sell-out crowd.