George Mason muscles past defending champs
By Andy Gardiner, USA TODAY
DAYTON, Ohio — George Mason completed its transformation from tournament afterthought to postseason giant killer Sunday afternoon when the Patriots officially ended North Carolina's reign as defending national champion. The 11th seed shrugged off a 16-2 Carolina run at the start of the game to topple the third-seeded Tar Heels 65-60 and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. That success followed George Mason's first-ever tournament win, 75-65 in the opening round over a fifth-seeded Michigan State team that returned four starters from a club that advanced to last year's Final Four.
Despite the Patriots' 23-7 record and strong out-of-conference schedule, critics didn't think George Mason even belonged in the tournament. The Patriots received an at-large bid after losing to Hofstra in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.
"simply the biggest win in the championship history..."
~channel 9 news
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