Atlantic 10 Basketball: VCU on top, Bonnies drop in latest power rankings

11. George Mason Patriots

• 2020-21 record: 9-8 overall, 5-6 A-10
• Previous ranking: 11th

The Patriots continue to be the definition of a middle-of-the-pack squad, with a resume consisting of wins over teams at the bottom of the league, losses to teams at the top of the league, and a few minor noteworthy wins over other middle-of-the-pack squads.

George Mason has struggled to find that one win that makes them stand out, however.  They have yet to claim a victory over a top-100 team in KenPom, having gone 0-7 against those teams – and, since the last rankings, the Patriots have gone 0-2 against teams belonging in that category.

After back-to-back narrow wins over Saint Joseph’s, the Patriots fell on the road to St. Bonaventure by double-digits before dropping a nine-point game at Dayton.  Most recently, however, George Mason returned to the winning side, dominating Fordham on Wednesday, 77-45.

That’s not necessarily a great win, by any means – but it was one that the Patriots desperately needed, and looked good doing so.  Holding the Rams to 0.64 points per possession, the Patriots were lights-out on offense, draining 52.4% (11-21) of their long-range bombs while collecting 18 assists on 27 made field goals.  Jordan Miller (16), Javon Greene (14), and Tyler Kolek (11) finished in double-figures for George Mason.

The Patriots currently have three more scheduled tilts against teams in KenPom’s top 100, meaning they have an opportunity to pick up a confidence-boosting win that could provide the Patriots with optimism heading into next year.  Two of those three are their next tilts, with George Mason heading to VCU on February 20th before Davidson comes to town days later.