Men's Hoopsters Face George Mason To Open Year

Men’s basketball tips off its 2010-11 season on Saturday by traveling down to Fairfax, Va., to face George Mason. The Patriots, who are best known for their run to the Final Four in 2006, are ranked No. 16 in the preseason Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Let’s take a quick look at the enemy.

LAST SEASON: The Patriots experienced some success a year ago when they went 17-15 (12-6 CAA). George Mason missed out on the NCAA tournament, but, like Harvard, it received a bid to the CIT, where it bowed out in the first round. The Patriots and the Crimson had three common opponents: Dartmouth, George Washington, and William & Mary. Harvard went 4-0 against the trio, while the George Mason went 1-2.

THIS SEASON: The Patriots, which return all five starters from last year’s squad, have yet to play a game this season, but they are expected to finish near the top of the Colonial Athletic Association. The coaches in the conference selected George Mason to place second in the league, behind Old Dominion.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Senior guard Cam Long was the leading scorer for the Patriots last year, averaging 12.2 points per game in addition to 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Long struggled with his shot, shooting just 38.1 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from deep, but was named to the preseason All-CAA First Team.

PREDICTION: The Crimson did not do itself any favors scheduling a potential NCAA tournament team for its first game. In its first game post-Jeremy Lin ’10, Harvard will also be without sophomore forward Kyle Casey, who is sidelined with a broken foot. Lacking the star power from last year, the Crimson is likely to drop its first contest.

George Mason 74, Harvard 64.