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Men's Basketball Prepares for #5 Villanova in Puerto Rico Tip-Off
To watch video of the team dunking during shootaround on Wednesday click HERE Nov. 18, 2009
San Juan, Puerto Rico - The George Mason men's basketball team will take on Villanova on Thursday in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament at 2 p.m. EST on ESPNU. The Patriots will face the fifth-ranked Wildcats for the first time since an eight-point defeat two years ago in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando. The radio broadcast of the game can be heard on WTNT 570 AM. Mason enters the contest 2-0 on the year with wins over Liberty and Dartmouth. Mason beat the Flames, 76-72, and the Big Green, 60-44. Both wins came at Patriot Center so Thursday's contest will be the first game for the young team away from home. To call Mason a young team is an understatement. Six players made their first-ever road trip as a Patriot, five other players are in their second year on the team and one of those is a redshirt freshman. Mason has one senior, Louis Birdsong, and two juniors, Cam Long and Isaiah Tate. Mason's four top scorers are in either their first or second season. Sophomore Ryan Pearson is averaging 15.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, sophomore Mike Morrison is averaging 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, freshman Luke Hancock is averaging 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 58.8 percent from the field (fifth in the CAA) and sophomore Andre Cornelius is averaging 8.5 points with 3.0 assists. Junior Cam Long is the highest-scoring upperclassman averaging 8.0 points and 3.0 assists.
Villanova enters the Puerto Rico Tip-Off ranked fifth in the nation by the Associated Press after a 2-0 start. The Wildcats are sixth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Six players are scoring in double figures led by Corey Stokes who is averaging 17.0 points per game. Corey Fisher is averaging 13.0 points and 6.0 assists while Taylor King is scoring 11.5 points and grabbing 7.0 rebounds off the bench. Scottie Reynolds averages 11.0 points and 3.5 assists while Maalik Wayns averages 11.0. Antonio Pena is averaging a double-double with 10.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. Villanova has outscored the opposition by more than 30 points and is grabbing nearly 15 more rebounds while shooting close to 50 percent from the field. Villanova's wins came against Fairleigh Dickinson, who they beat 84-61, and Penn, who they downed 103-65 on Tuesday night. Only once has Mason beaten a team ranked as high as fifth in the nation. That was 2006 when Mason beat second-ranked UConn in the NCAA Tournament Regional Final. |
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