WASHINGTON D.C. REGION FINAL FOUR PREVIEW

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D.C. REGION FINAL FOUR: Two Cinderellas, Two Huskies

George Mason and Wichita State meet to see which surprise team will advance to the Elite Eight

March 21, 2006

By Jason Brough
BodogNation Contributing Writer

Prior to their first-round game against No. 6 Michigan State, making a case for George Mason to reach the Sweet 16 would have been extremely brave.

Then again, that's what Cinderella stories are all about.

The Patriots, minus suspended guard Tony Skinn, shocked the experts and beat the Spartans 75-65 on Friday. In the process, they dominated the boards, outrebounding MSU 38-23, and shot a blistering 59.2 percent from the field.

Still, no one gave them a chance in their next game against mighty North Carolina either; they were 6-point underdogs. But they did it again, beating the defending national champions and No. 3 seed in the region 65-60, despite trailing 16-2 at the game's outset.

This time, it wasn't shooting and rebounding that worked for the Patriots; they shot 39.7 percent and were outrebounded 40-33. It was a quick, ever-changing defense that produced the win. During one stretch in the second half, the confused Tar Heels turned the ball over on six consecutive possessions.

Now that the No. 11 Patriots have knocked off two of the NCAA's powerhouses, No. 7 Wichita State must look like a pushover by comparison. Add to the fact George Mason has already beaten the Shockers this year - a 70-67 decision on Feb. 18 in Wichita - and you can bet it won't be satisfied without reaching the D.C. Region finals.

Speaking of those Shockers, nothing against them, but they'll be looking to continue taking advantage of one of the kindest draws in the tournament. So far they've beaten two teams that struggled down the stretch in No. 10 Seton Hall and No. 2 Tennessee. Now, they get George Mason, a squad that many believed didn't even belong in the tournament. Granted, they'll have to play them in the Patriots' backyard.

The Shockers' strength is team balance. Five players scored in double digits in their 80-73 victory over the Volunteers.

"It's been that story all year," Wichita State's Kyle Wilson told the Associated Press after putting up 17 points against Tennesse. "It's rare that the same person is our leading scorer in the next game. It shows we have options on the offensive end and it makes us a hard team to guard."

The Washington Huskies were a No. 1 seed last year and bowed out in the Sweet 16. This year, as a No. 5 seed, they'll look to avoid a similar fate.

The Dawgs from Seattle are a team that's built on offense. They've scored a whopping 82.4 points per game this year, fourth best in the NCAA.

That said, it was their 191st-ranked defense that won them the game against Illinois.

"I guess we didn't understand the high level of intensity and how physical they were going to play," Illini coach Bruce Weber told the AP after the Huskies dispatched his team 67-64.

Weber's comments should serve as a warning for No. 1 UConn, Washington's next opponent.

"I hope this game proved to everybody that we're not soft," Washington forward Bobby Jones told the AP.

It was Jones' stellar defense on Illinois guard Dee Brown that helped the Huskies advance. Brown shot just 5-for-18 from the field.

"I didn't care if I scored a single point as long as [Brown] wasn't the reason they won the game," Jones told The Seattle Times.

Washington is 7-1 against the spread in its last eight games, and will need to bring an even higher level of play against the Huskies from Connecticut.

Jones will likely be handed the tough task of guarding UConn's point guard, Marcus Williams.

Williams has been awesome so far for the eastern Huskies. In their two wins over Albany and Kentucky, the junior put up 20 and 21 points, respectively.

Though UConn has lost just once straight up in its last fives games, it hasn't covered the spread in any of them.

Coach Jim Calhoun sensed his team was lacking confidence after losing to Syracuse in the Big East tournament and then barely surviving a scare from No. 16 Albany in the first round of March Madness.

"Sometimes I'd like to see them with more swagger," Calhoun told the AP following his team's 84-80 victory over Kentucky. "Perhaps we'll walk out of here with that kind of swagger."

PHOTO: Marcus Williams helped UConn survive two scares during the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament (AI Wire photo).

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