George Mason Patriots

1. Exercising David s Demons. Mason cracked the Top 25 on February 20 for the first time in school history after winning at Wichita State. It marked the first time a CAA team has been ranked since a 1987 David Robinson-led Navy team was No. 18 in the polls, and a Beastie Boys-led "Licence to Ill" album was No. 1 in the charts. Mason s NCAA Tourney birth is also the CAA s first at-large bid since, well, 1987.

2. Jai Lives. Several NFL teams have sent scouts to watch Mason forward Jai Lewis in action with the hopes of finding the next Antonio Gates. Lewis is Mason s best player and at 6'7", 275 lbs, he is three inches taller and 15 pounds heavier than Gates (I have a class with him; he barely fits in the desks). Lewis also has "great hands and athleticism" and possesses Mel Kiper s most important non-descript NFL draft day asset: terrific upside.

3. The Squirrel Master. GMU s top guard Tony Skinn has adopted this nickname because of his uncontrollable attraction to nuts. In Mason s semi-final CAA Tourney game against Hofstra, Skinn punched Hofstra s Loren Stokes right in the babymakers. As a result, Skinn will serve a one-game suspension, miss the Patriots first round game and give Mason fans their own (metaphorical) punch in the balls. — Chris Mottram