There really couldn't be that much a difference between the quality of a No. 14 seed and a No. 11 seed could there? Well the AU Eagles are about to find out, as they are only three seeds away from the place in which George Mason University made their magical Cinderella run.
George Mason had made appearances in the NCAA tournament before but never like they did in 2006. The public was fixated on the team as they completed upset after upset. There is nothing the public likes more than an underdog and AU has the opportunity to be that team this year.
AU is heading to their second NCAA birth in two years and second only in school history Thursday. They will play Villanova University in Philadelphia, which is essentially a home game for the Wildcats. Even President Obama has picked Villanova over the Eagles.
The last time a team like AU became a Cinderella was when the George Mason Patriots made an improbable run to the final four. At first glance, it may seem like George Mason was years ahead of AU in basketball when it happened. In reality, however, the teams look almost identical.
The first and perhaps most stunning comparison between the two would be their regular season records. They are almost identical, with AU having one more regular season win. Even their home records are the same, with the Patriots recording a 12-1 record on their home court in Virginia, while this year AU has been almost unstoppable at home going 13-1.
The road records can be called similar to with George Mason only winning eight of its 12 road games while AU only won 11 of its 17. The only major difference not counted in these statistics was that GMU played several neutral court games, including their conference tournament, while AU did not.
The teams' two conferences have had similar success in the tournament as well. George Mason's 2006 tournament run was the farthest any member of the CAA has ever gone. The U.S. Naval Academy's run to the regional finals with David Robinson in 1986 is the farthest any current Patriot League team has advanced in the tournament (Navy was affiliated with the CAA in 1986). The only major difference between GMU and AU is how they reached the tournament - AU with an automatic bid and George Mason with an at-large bid.
Even the rosters of the two teams can be called similar, with the exception of the player's ages. Overall in the most important category, average points per game; GMU had five players who averaged double-digit points, while AU has three. The easiest and most logical comparison is by the two teams leading point getters. For Mason, it was Jai Lewis, a 6'7'' Senior Forward who had an overall shooting percentage of 50.7 and averaged 13.7 points per game. AU's "All-Star" is 5'11'' Senior guard Garrison Carr. Carr averaged 17.8 points per game and had a combined shooting percentage of 52.6.
Half the battle is the squad you put on the court and the other half is whom you're playing against. The first game of George Mason's magical run was against No. 6 seed Michigan State University - a team that is a perennial powerhouse and made the final four the year before. Senior Maurice Ager, who averaged 19.3 points, led Michigan State to a 22-12 season before they faced the Patriots. AU will play Villanova in the first game Thursday.
The Wildcats made their presence felt last year with a trip to the Sweet 16 and are back for more this year. Senior Daunte Cunningham who averages 16 points a game help lead them to the a 26-7 season. The major difference between the two teams is that Michigan State played George Mason in Dayton, Ohio, while Villanova will play AU on basically a home court in Philadelphia.
The statistics between the AU Eagles' season this year and the George Mason Patriots' regular season during their unforgettable season are scarily similar. They are nearly identical in every way with AU having a slight edge in every category. There is a big difference to what happens on paper and what happens on the court. In reality there is no way of predicting what will happen on Thursday. It doesn't look like it is entirely out of the realm of possibility for AU to replicate one of the greatest stories in NCAA history.
You can reach this staff writer at atomlinson@theeagleonline.com.
