The good
- This is not Paul Hewitt's Mason team. They played defense, they rebounded, and for the most part, there was a general sense of purpose in what was happening on the court. In Dave We Trust.
- Marko Gujanicic = Luke Walton- Marko played a fantastic game. In the first half, he'd hit 3's, grabbed boards, made terrific passes, and looked like he was one his way to a sneaky triple-double (he ended with 14 point, 10 boards, and 4 assists)
- Not quite Mason-related, but there is something nice about the gym the game was played in. I know this won't sound like a compliment, but there was a weird nostalgia for seeing a game played in a venue that felt like a high school gym (and had a crowd size to match). Later this year, I'll catch the Patriots in the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, which is a palace. This was far more intimate.
The bad
- It's tough not to compare Wednesday night's offense to the version that showed up against UVA, and find last the more recent approach lacking. Against Virginia (a game I caught on TV), it seemed, especially in the first half, as if there was a ton of motion. On Wednesday, the offense was far more stagnant, running mostly a high low set in which Gujanicic would set up at the foul line, flash up to a point now and then, or get the ball and try to dump it in to Shevon Thompson. In general, there was a huge number of ugly possessions, with guys standing around waiting for someone else to play hero ball. It wasn't what I expected, based on the UVA game.
- The depth on this team is going to be a challenge for the entire season, based solely on the fact that there's very little of it. I think Mason played 8 guys in the game, but DeAndre Abram and Danny Dixon only played for a few minute a piece, cutting the rotation down to really, 6 players. Holloway's suspension, and Isiah Jackson's transfer were both apparent in their impact. (note: Looking at the box score, I missed that Kameron Murell played 7 minutes... Mason played 9 guys in this one, but the point still stands)
- The depth thing go me thinking. I wonder if there are times when Coach Paulsen wants to press, push the tempo, or incorporate more motion into the offense, but literally doesn't have the ability to give his guys a breather after doing so.
- Shevon still really struggles with the double team.
The ugly
- They were up by as much as 16 and lost the game. (this deserves its own bullet point)
- Early in the 2nd half, Manhattan went to a trapping defense, and it seemed like none of Mason's players had ever seen a full court press. Ever. Not in video sessions, video games, high school or anywhere. Mason's 3 guards were generally flummoxed. You can argue the Freshman deserved a possession or 2 to figure it out, but neither Moore nor Gujanicic were helping much either. This is what turned the game around for Manhattan, and in my mind, why Mason took a long ride back to Fairfax.
For the first half, Mason played OK, and the score was more lopsided than the actual game was. There were times in this game (especially early), when it almost felt like watching a big brother play against a little brother. The older guy scores when he needs to, plays defense on occasion, and as soon as the younger kid scores a couple in a row, then takes interest and exerts energy to keep his distance. Unfortunately, by late in the 2nd half, it was like the Big Brother's overconfidence caught up, and when shots stopped falling (both due to Little Brother's defense and some odd decisions by Mason), the end felt inevitable.
That said, this game was a dramatic improvement from the Paul Hewitt days. There was a sense of purpose in the rotation; Mason's best players played the most minutes (a stunning difference from a year ago).
There's a theory in baseball that gets thrown around here and there regarding roster construction, that the easiest improvement to make is going from "awful" to "league average." Applied to this team, there are a couple of gaping holes (Mason's ability to beat the press, entry passes to Shevon, Shevon beating double coverage), but if the team can clean those things up and gets a boost from Holloway when he returns, it's not hard to imagine these guys being middle of the pack in the A-10, and making some noise in Brooklyn.
Given the holiday yesterday, that's the type of outcome Mason fans can be thankful for.
