No. 12 George Mason (23-10) vs. No. 5 Notre Dame (24-7)

By Jimmy Sirody
Don Best senior writer

Expecting another Final Four run from George Mason may be asking too much. In fact, one win would be a notable achievement. That doesn't mean the Patriots don't have a chance to knock off Notre Dame in the opening round of the East Regional on Thursday at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

The Irish's reliance on the three-point shot always makes it a candidate for an upset win or an upset loss. Last year, Notre Dame entered the tournament with 24 wins, but was bounced by Winthrop. However, Luke Harangody was still a work in progress and the Irish were without junior guard Kyle McAlarney.

George Mason made its way back to the dance by winning the CAA tournament with blowout wins over UNC-Wilmington and William & Mary. The Patriots have been streaky with unexpected losses to the likes of Georgia State, Delaware and Northeastern and only one win of note, a November upset of Kansas State.

This GMU team is younger, smaller than and not as deep as the one that ran to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed two years ago. The Patriots tallest starter is 6-foot-7, while three Notre Dame starters go at least 6-8.

George Mason wins by playing tight defense, making few mistakes and crashing the boards. The last thing the Patriots want to do is get in a shootout with the Irish.

Coach Jim Larranaga's bunch defends with few tricks, junk looks or zones, just a steady diet of in-your-face man-to-man for 40 minutes - the same kind of pressure that often flustered Notre Dame this season.

The Irish have the ability to shoot from the outside and generate offense in the paint. They are also tough to beat in close games because they hit free throws at more than a 76 percent clip in Big East play, tops in the league.

Notre Dame allowed opponents to shoot around 40 percent for the year, but with the exception of Tory Jackson, it really doesn't have a lock down defender. However, the offense has been fully capable of bailing out the defense.

The Irish lead the nation in assists, averaging around 19 per game, and they always seem to find the open man, especially for the outside shot. They also take very good care of the basketball and are one of the best shooting offenses around, hitting 41 percent from beyond the arc.

The Notre Dame defense will have to control Will Thomas if it expects to win and advance. Thomas, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, was a key member of GMU's run to the Final Four. He has scored in double figures in 28 of his teams 33 games to average 15.8 points. He also chips in 10.2 rebounds per game. Thomas has a tough-to-defend left-handed hook shot.

Irish coach Mike Brey will likely put Rob Kurz, who is 6-foot-9 and 232 pounds, on Thomas. He has a much weight and more height.

Notre Dame has fared poorly against slowdown teams, averaging 53 or less shots a game over the last three seasons and cashing at an anemic 3-12 clip.

The Irish have been on the high side in 13 of their last 17 versus teams with a winning record and they have eclipsed the 'total' at a 10-0 clip when playing against teams with a winning record after 15 or more games this year.

Last year was only the second time since 1988 that a No. 12 seed failed to beat a No. 5 seed. The Irish were just 7-7 on the road this year while the Patriots have won four of their last six tourney games and 'covered' five of six. Notre Dame will need to be on upset alert.

Most offshore books opened the Irish as a 6 1/2-point favorite with the 'total' set at 141 1/2.

If Notre Dame advances, it could get a rematch with Winthrop. The Notre Dame-George Mason winner faces the Washington State-Winthrop winner in the second round on Saturday.

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