– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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WASHINGTON — Of course, George Mason’s run in this year’s Atlantic 10 Tournament is mainly chalked up to how good the Patriots have been throughout the whole season, carrying over the momentum of a 24-win regular season into the sprint that is conference tournament.
But it’s possible that their current position of being on the precipice of tournament glory is a byproduct of muscle memory for George Mason head coach Tony Skinn, whose crowning achievement as a collegian came in the same city and on the same floor also two decades ago.
George Mason, the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, advanced to Sunday’s championship game after ending the Cinderella run of No. 6 seed Saint Joseph’s 74-64 inside Capital One Arena in our nation’s capital on Saturday afternoon. The win sets up a championship match-up with No. 1 seed and longtime rival VCU, who took out the fourth-seeded Loyola Ramblers 62-55 in the first semifinal.
No college basketball fan thinks of George Mason without reminiscing about the magical run that the Patriots had in 2006, when they earned a surprise at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament only to then defeat three former NCAA Tournament champions — Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut — on their way to a shocking Final Four appearance. Skinn was the team’s point guard that season, and Mason’s wins against Wichita State in the Sweet 16 and against the Huskies in the Elite Eight came inside Capital One Arena, then known as the Verizon Center.
Now in his second season as a head coach in college basketball, Skinn has led the Patriots to back-to-back 20-win seasons, including a 15-3 record in league play heading into this weekend’s conference tournament. Both wins in D.C. so far have come by double digits, and in today’s victory, Jalen Haynes had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Patriots led by nine at halftime (37-28) and recovered after the Hawks went on a 7-0 run to begin the second half regain control of the contest.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday’s semifinals, with photos taken by DC-area photographer Clifford Ray Williams. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 48 pictures in total.
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