Why George Mason Could Win The Atlantic 10

College basketball season is barely a month away, and while most of the attention will be on blue-blood title hopefuls, true hoops junkies know it's the mid-majors that make the sport go round. There's nothing more magical than when some small school from a one-bid conference finds themselves ranked in the top-25, or when a double-digit seed takes down a heavy favorite in the NCAA tournament.

One school that knows that feeling all too well is George Mason, whose run to the Final Four in 2006 remains one of the all-time great stories in March Madness history. Don't look now, but GMU's squad this coming season may have the chance to be its best one since. BartTorvik.com has the Patriots listed 85th in the country on its preseason projections, good enough for fourth in the Atlantic 10.

Thanks to the transfer portal rendering continuity all-but extinct in college sports today, it's never easy to predict how well any team will perform until they actually take to the court. This dilemma has especially hurt mid-majors, and GMU is no exception after losing major 2023-24 pieces in Keyshawn Hall and Baraka Okojie to other schools. That being said, the Patriots were able to compensate by adding K.D. Johnson, Zach Anderson, and Giovanni Emejuru, among others.

Johnson in particular is a name that many college hoops fans should recognize, having spent his past three seasons playing heavy minutes on an Auburn team that was consistently top-25 caliber. Now a fifth-year senior, he could make a legitimate run at A-10 Player of the Year.

Mason additionally will finally see the services of Jalen Haynes, who transferred to the program a season ago but redshirted. Haynes is a former Virginia Tech recruit, as is the Patriots' top returning scorer Darius Maddox. Johnson, Haynes, Maddox, and former Oklahoma State Cowboy Woody Newton give GMU four different players with power conference experience.

Most importantly of all, though, is the culture that has been set by head coach Tony Skinn. Many mid-major schools have to deal with concern that their coaches view their job as merely a stepping stone to bigger and better aspirations, but Mason doesn't. After all, Skinn is an alum, and was in fact a member of that legendary '06 team. It's clear he cares very passionately about the program and is dedicated towards bringing it back to its glory days.

Last season was Skinn's first at the helm, and though there were some growing pains, there were also many promising signs that should translate to greater success as he gains experience. GMU competed hard in nearly every game it played a season ago, taking only three double-digit losses, and earned a statement win over ranked Dayton in February. The team finished 20-12 on the year, exceeding expectations in a big way.

George Mason has all of the signs of a program that is on the rise, and could be ready to make a big jump in performance this season. They are talented, experienced, and well-coached, and yet still flying under the radar in the A-10. Don't be surprised if the Patriots are a legitimate contender to win the conference and return to the Big Dance for the first time in 14 years.

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