2011 NCAA Tournament: George Mason Patriots vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Preview

What: George Mason Patriots vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

When: Sunday, March 20th; 5:15 P.M.

Where: Quicken Loans Arena; Cleveland, Ohio

Television: CBS

Roadrunners' Record: (27-6, 16-2 CAA)

Opposing Site: George Mason Basketball

After easily dispatching UT-San Antonio on Friday, Ohio State moves on to round three of the NCAA Tournament to face the George Mason Patriots in Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday. George Mason advanced into the top-32 by defeating Villanova with a furious comeback in the waning minutes, ultimately taking the lead on a 3-point bucket by forward Luke Hancock with 21 seconds left on the clock. Along with his heroic play in the final moments, Hancock led the Patriots in points (18) and assists (5), shooting 50% from the field and generally tearing apart Villanova's defense. Fellow forward Mike Morrison joined Hancock in the double-digits, scoring ten points on an 83% field goal percentage and notching 11 rebounds in contribution to the victory.

Ohio State has often been compared to the 2007 Buckeye squad that lost the title game to Florida, but they will not be the only team on the court with noteworthy predecessors. Immediately following their second round victory, George Mason began drawing comparisons to the 2006 Patriots-- who also lost to Florida in the Final Four-- an association the current George Mason players have distanced themselves from in favor of a more individual perspective. These Patriots have united behind the slogan, "We are this year's George Mason," a somewhat odd attempt to manufacture motivation from flattering comparisons to the most successful group in school history. Incidentally, if the tactic works for George Mason and they do upset the Buckeyes, it will only deepen the relationship between the two historical Patriot teams.

It doesn't take much to be more of a challenge than UT-San Antonio, but George Mason is a team that can stand on its own merits. They are ranked 24th in RPI, went undefeated at home, and won three of four games against RPI Top 50 opponents. Unlike the Roadrunners from Texas, George Mason deserved a tournament bid and possesses the talent to do something with the opportunity.  Head coach Jim Larranaga has a roster overflowing with athleticism. While he doesn't have a true center, he does have five versatile forwards with size who all play meaningful minutes. The aforementioned Hancock and Morris, 6''5 and 6''9 respectively, and 6"6 Ryan Pearson were on the floor for at least 65% of the game against Villanova, and 6''8 Johnny Williams logged 17 minutes off the bench. Larranoga adjusts his lineup, as any coach does, with opponent and context in mind, but clear tendencies have developed over the Patriots' season.

The above chart can be confusing at first, but it visually delivers more information than I can relay in a single story without resorting to formulaic and lengthy explanations. As you can see by hovering over the boxes, Hancock, Pearson, and guard Cam Long account for 55% of the Patriot's points, with Long being particularly effective in pure shooting ability. He has hit 55 3-point shots, 25% of all the 3-point shots made on the team, and has the highest effective field goal percentage of any of their major contributors.

With 3-pointers making up only 27% of George Mason's score distribution, they rely on the long-range shot slightly less than Ohio State and far less than the heaviest 3-point teams in college basketball. Intriguingly, there's evidence that the Patriots should actually be one of the heaviest 3-point teams in the country, as they make them at a much higher rate than many. They rank 13th nationally in 3-point percentage, sinking their shots at a rate just under 40%.

George Mason is one of the most unique teams Ohio State will have faced this season. They shoot extremely well, but they aren't a team full of pure shooters like Michigan who run an offense that incorporates the 3-point shot as an integral facet. They certainly aren't a team that emphasizes offensive rebounding as a strategy. The Patriots only rank 158th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage and 122nd in free throw rate, one of the Four Factors that is often paired with offensive rebounding percentage because of style correlations. Big teams that like to drive to the basket and play physical will generally rack up both a large number of rebounds and fouls.

If there's a team that mirrors George Mason on Ohio State's schedule, it's the Purdue Boilermakers. Like Purdue, George Mason is a forward-heavy roster that shoots well and doesn't turn the ball over.The Patriots are 23rd in the country in effective field goal percentage and 14th in turnover percentage, while Purdue ranks 91st and 7th in the respective categories. It's an imperfect comparison-- George Mason shoots significantly better than the Boilermakers-- but a very apt one stylistically. Even the coaches share an affinity for man-to-man defense and similar use of the bench.

If you accept the comparison, it's a little concerning with Purdue being one of the two teams to defeat the Buckeyes this season. Ohio State will have a veritable home-court advantage with the game in Cleveland, however, and they won't be facing any player as singularly talented as either JaJuan Johnson or E'Twaun Moore. Purdue is a better defensive team than George Mason, as well, ranking 35 places higher in Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency measure.

Tip-off is slated for 5:15 on CBS, but that will be contingent on the timely finish of earlier games. The winner of this game will play Kentucky in the Sweet Sixteen.