Spring Break
GMU bound for NCAA Tournament
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: Sports
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The Patriots will have every opportunity to try and replicate what they accomplished just two years ago.
GMU, a team that shocked the country in 2006 advancing to the Final Four as an 11-seed, received the CAA's automatic bid into the field of 65 by defeating the "Kardiac Kids" of William & Mary 68-59.
The Patriots used the inside-outside combination of Will Thomas (18 points, 13 rebounds) and Folarin Campbell (20 points, named Tournament Most Valuable Player) to defeat the Tribe, a team that had knocked off top seeded Virginia Commonwealth to reach the title game.
Fifth-seeded W&M took the conference by surprise as they hit big shot after big shot to defeat Georgia State, Old Dominion and the Rams.
Many experts, including yours truly, never gave the Tribe a chance, but the team had a will to win-and do so in dramatic fashion-with the games on the line.
And they gave everyone a heart attack in the process.
Right out of the gate, W&M looked like it was about to throw its dreams of heading to the big dance out the window. The Tribe trailed by six late in the second half and was down two with 1.5 seconds left, but David Schneider hit a 3-pointer giving W&M its first win, 58-57.
In their second game against ODU, the number four seed, the game once again went down to the wire, but this time there was a different hero. Nathan Mann hit a three of his own with 7.5 seconds remaining unknotting a 60-60 tie and sending W&M to the semifinals.
The Tribe were matched up against VCU, the elite team in the conference; however they were not intimidated by the Rams' homecourt advantage. W&M had an eight-point lead late in the second half, only to see it evaporate as CAA Player of the Year Eric Maynor and Jamal Shuler hit threes to spur the comeback.
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