Road to the Final Four: George Mason

Florida | George Mason | LSU | UCLA

A look back on how George Mason reached the Final Four.
- def. Michigan State 75-65
- def. North Carolina 65-60
- def. Wichita State 63-55
- def. Connecticut 86-84 (OT)

First round

Folarin Campbell made all eight of his shots and scored 21 points while Will Thomas added 18 points and 14 rebounds as the 11th-seeded Patriots used hot shooting, a balanced attack and a surprising rebounding superiority to upset sixth-seeded Michigan State 75-65 for their first NCAA Tournament victory.

Game Recap | Game Highlights | Jim Larranaga
Doyel: The real loser in George Mason's upset? Hofstra
Doyel: Overlooked Patriots now taking center stage

Second round

George Mason rallied from an early 16-2 hole to become the first Colonial Athletic team to make the round of 16 since Richmond in 1988 -- and third overall -- knocking out defending champion and third-seeded North Carolina 65-60. Lamar Butler led the Patriots with 18 points.

Game Recap | Game Highlights | Jim Larranaga
Doyel: You know how to beat UNC, George Mason? Just whistle

Washington, D.C. regional semis

Playing a short drive from George Mason's campus, Folarin Campbell scored 16 points and the 11th-seeded Patriots used a shutdown defense, holding the Shockers to 31 percent shooting, to beat seventh-seeded Wichita State 63-55 in a mid-major matchup.

Game Recap | Game Highlights | Lamar Butler
Doyel: George Mason good, even great -- but it's no UConn

Washington, D.C. regional final

George Mason became just the second double-digit seed to reach the Final Four, hitting six straight 3-pointers in the second half and shooting 5-for-6 in overtime to stun top-seeded and heavily favored UConn 86-84. The Patriots outrebounded UConn 37-34 even though the Huskies have three starters taller than any of the Patriots' frontcourt players, and all five starters scored in double figures led by Will Thomas' 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Game Recap | Game Highlights | Jim Larranaga
Doyel: No 'David' in these Patriots

Our take

How can you possibly doubt these Patriots after they defeated three of the best coaches and most elite programs in the nation? Tom Izzo and Michigan State. Roy Williams and North Carolina. Jim Calhoun and UConn. There aren't many teams that could pull that trifecta off. Quality of wins rating (on a scale of 1-10): 10