WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The first message was written angrily in blood-red ink. Someone inside the George Mason locker room clearly had heard about Connecticut senior Rashad Anderson's guarantee that UConn would beat George Mason on Sunday. That someone, whoever he is, had scribbled the message on a grease board for his team to see:
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| Hoist that hardware, Folarin Campbell; you've earned it! (Getty Images) |
The second message was written defiantly in black ink. After George Mason had beaten UConn 86-84 in overtime to win the Washington D.C. Region, the grease board had a new message. Someone, whoever he is, had grabbed a black marker and scribbled a single number over -- and through -- the first message:
4.
George Mason is going to the Final Four. Wrap your brain around that idea. George Mason, 11th-seeded George Mason, in the Final Four. The Patriots have knocked off two Final Four teams from last season, Michigan State and North Carolina, and then Wichita State, and now the most talented team in college basketball. That would be UConn.
So here's what we have: We have the second No. 11 seed ever to reach the Final Four (LSU did it in 1986), and the first No. 11 seed to get here as a mid-major. And we have that No. 11-seeded mid-major beating the most feared team in college basketball.
Given the stakes, did we just watch the greatest upset in college basketball history?
UConn doesn't think so. UConn doesn't think this was an upset at all.
"It wasn't no upset," a humbled Anderson said. "They're a great basketball team."
George Mason coach Jim Larranaga knows upsets. He was an assistant at Virginia in 1982 when Ralph Sampson and the No. 1 Cavaliers lost to NAIA Chaminade. That game was immediately dubbed the greatest upset in college basketball history, and to this day it stands in a small group of uber-upsets that includes sixth-seeded North Carolina State over Hakeem Olajuwon and No. 1 Houston in 1983, and eighth-seeded Villanova over Patrick Ewing and No. 1 Georgetown in 1985.
After Sunday, people will nominate a new member for that group: 11th-seeded George Mason over Rudy Gay and No. 1 Connecticut in 2006.
People will be wrong, much as I was wrong Friday when George Mason beat Wichita State in the Sweet 16 and my reaction was: Congratulations, George Mason, and goodbye -- the Patriots cannot beat UConn in the region title game.
Oops.
