Busting Brackets
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Atlantic 10 Basketball: 2020-21 power rankings heading into conference play

By Benjamin Zacher

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: The Atlantic 10 logo on the court before the game between the George Washington Colonials and the Richmond Spiders at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on January 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: The Atlantic 10 logo on the court before the game between the George Washington Colonials and the Richmond Spiders at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on January 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Jordan Miller George Mason Patriots (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Jordan Miller George Mason Patriots (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

8. George Mason Patriots

  • 2020-21 record: 5-3 overall, 1-1 A-10
  • Previous ranking: 9th

The Patriots are another team that could be selected in this position – or could find a place somewhere in the 11-9 range.  Dave Paulsen and his crew have strung together a decent collection of wins and losses, and appear primed to be a thorn in the side of several A-10 teams moving forward.

When last month’s rankings were released, George Mason had picked up wins over Div. II Queens as well as Howard, while dropping a game to a good Belmont squad by just 10.  The Howard game on November 28th would be their last tilt until facing VMI on December 21st – and since returning, the Patriots have gone 3-2, recording wins over VMI, Towson, and UMass, while falling to Norfolk State by three while going wire-to-wire at Dayton, falling by nine after tying the game up with 2:41 left in the tilt.

The Patriots have been led by junior Jordan Miller, who has been great to begin his junior year.  Despite not playing against VMI or Towson, Miller has led the team in scoring (17.8 on 50.7% FG/44.0% 3PT clips) and rebounding (6.0) while dishing out 14 assists across six games.  He has not been alone, either – Tyler Kolek (11.8) and Javon Greene (10.5) have supplied quality minutes, as well.

George Mason ranks in the middle in nearly every offensive statistic nationally, with the exception of FT%, where they rank among the worst at 56.7%.  They are a bit more of a mixed bag on the defensive end, ranking sub-300 in 3P% defense (39.1%), but holding teams to an 85th-best 46.8% inside the arc.  They are also among the nation’s best in preventing offensive rebounds, allowing teams a second opportunity on just 21.5% of their attempts – the 27th-best mark.

After failing to pull off the upset at Dayton, the Patriots will have two more opportunities to pick up wins over top A-10 teams, hosting VCU on Wednesday before welcoming Richmond on Saturday.

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