Tony Skinn and George Mason get huge first road win at Toledo 86-77

The Patriots continue one of the program's best starts at 7-1

George Mason used a big second half surge to secure a statement road win at Toledo last night 86-77. This win puts the Patriots in the top 100 on Kenpom (#92 currently), a place they haven’t been at this point in the season in about ten years. Amari Kelly had a huge game posting a career-best 24 points and adding 10 rebounds and two blocks. Darius Maddox and Ronald Polite each added 14 points as Mason’s balanced attack on offense continues to amaze. To win a road game like this versus a very good Toledo offense and do so with leading scorer Keyshawn Hall having a very quiet night (seven points) is something special. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Mason team score points with such ease and never seem to waiver in the second half.

The Patriots also really dominated the boards, which along with their defense, can certainly help them be a tough road opponent for anyone. They continue to hold teams below their usual offensive efficiency numbers and then out-work them on the glass. That’s always going to be important in a gritty game like this one, where we saw a ton of fouls and free-throws. Mason doesn’t seem to lose their poise and seems to not lose focus either no matter how the game is going. They are a tough group and this win definitely shows proof of that.

Something to really take note of as well is their shot selection. Coming into this season three-point shooting was a concern for me. Couldn’t have been more wrong as they are currently shooting 39.8% on threes, which is 17th best in the nation. They will not bury a team with threes but they don’t seem to just throw up shots and hope enough volume get them points. Maddox has been excellent and seems to always hit a key three-pointer late in games. Overall they seem disciplined to find the right shot and it can be from a number of different guys. This is an advantage of the veteran transfers brought in and buying into the game plan.

They head to Tennessee on Tuesday for their biggest test of the season so far. An upset there does not seem crazy if they bring the #PatriotPressure.