Will Clock Strike Midnight?

WASHINGTON â€”  Every instinct says today will be it for George Mason. Thanks for the charming story, and glad the bus ride back to Fairfax, Va., won’t be long.

It would be one of the greatest upsets in NCAA tournament history if George Mason were to defeat top-seeded Connecticut today in the Washington Regional final to reach the Final Four.

But this is the round where the story almost always ends, where Cinderellas of years past -- Kent State, Tulsa, Rhode Island, Gonzaga, even a Navy team led by David Robinson -- have gone home.

George Mason is a longer shot than any of those.

The Patriots (26-7) are seeded 11th, and are only the fifth team seeded 11th or lower to reach the Elite Eight.

Of those, only Louisiana State in 1986 won another game to make the Final Four.

The only other team seeded lower than eighth to reach the Final Four since seeding began in 1979 was No. 9 Penn that year.

So is this it for George Mason?

Probably, with a lineup that goes 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7 against a UConn lineup that goes 6-3, 6-6, 6-9, 6-10 and 6-11, with four probable first-round NBA draft picks.

But there is just that shred of suspense, that if George Mason could beat former national champions Michigan State and North Carolina, and Connecticut could trail Albany and Washington by double digits, well, why not?

“I’ve told the players, quite frankly, if the name on our jersey was not George Mason, if it was Georgia Tech from the [Atlantic Coast Conference], everyone would look at this differently and they would look at what we’ve done in the tournament,� said George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga, whose team plays in the Colonial Athletic Assn.

“They don’t do that. They have a preconceived notion because of the league we come from.�

Preconceived notions are taking a hit in this tournament, where the gap between the mighty and the lesser-known has shrunken visibly.

In a city where Georgetown basketball traditionally rules, the Patriots were at the top of the Washington Post sports page Saturday, and Georgetown’s Sweet 16 loss was near the bottom.

There is a giddiness about George Mason that has kept the Patriots loose, but beneath it there is also a decided lack of intimidation.

Jai Lewis, the 6-7, 275-pound forward who is one of five George Mason starters from Maryland, used to play against Connecticut’s Josh Boone and Rudy Gay -- both also from Maryland -- while he was in high school.

And the prevalence of summer basketball, with teams criss-crossing the country, has diminished the gulf between the haves and have-nots, Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun said.

“Everything has changed in the sense that they are known factors,� Calhoun said. “When we go through the rosters of teams, they say, ‘I played against him there, I did this.’ They knew guys from Washington, a West Coast team.

“I think that’s really one of the things that’s helped change the idea of ‘Cinderella.’ �

So take those seedings, said Rashad Anderson, the Connecticut guard whose three-pointer with 1.8 seconds got the Huskies to overtime against Washington on Friday, and forget them.

“A lot of people get caught up in 1 seeds versus 8 seeds, 11 seeds versus 2 seeds,� Anderson said. “When it comes down to it, you’ve got to win. Nobody cares about all that stuff, rankings, all that stuff goes away.�

Calhoun remains concerned about his 30-3 team that is playing well short of its best but has gathered itself for five or 10 minute stretches when it had to.

The Huskies -- many of them up till 4 or 5 a.m. Saturday after their overtime victory over Washington -- need to rebound better, block more shots, and perhaps most important, take care of the ball better after 26 turnovers against Washington.

They face a George Mason defense that held Michigan State, North Carolina and Wichita State to combined 36.7% shooting -- and despite a small lineup, held its own on the boards.

“I know we are kind of undersized,� George Mason’s Will Thomas said.

“But we play with big hearts.�

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

David vs. Goliath

A comparison of Washington Regional finalists Connecticut and George Mason:

Enrollment -- Connecticut had a total fall enrollment of 28,683. George Mason’s enrollment was 29,728, making it the largest university in Virginia.

* Site -- Connecticut is in Storrs, 118 miles from New York City. George Mason is in Fairfax, Va., 16 miles from Washington D.C.

* Conference -- Connecticut is in the Big East, which placed a record eight teams in this year’s tournament and has had five NCAA champions in its 27-year history. George Mason is in the Colonial Athletic Assn., which placed two teams in this year’s tournament, only the third time in 24 years the league has had more than one representative.

* Tournament record -- Connecticut is 42-25 in its 27th appearance, with two national championships. George Mason is 3-3 in its fourth appearance, with all of the victories coming this season.

* Program history -- Connecticut played its first game during the 1900-01 season. The Huskies have a 1,427-810 all-time record. George Mason fielded its first team in 1966-67 and moved up to Division I 12 seasons later. The Patriots have a 550-569 all-time record.

* NBA players -- Connecticut has sent 22 players to the NBA, including Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon. George Mason has sent three players to the NBA: Jason Miskiri, Robert Rose and Ricky Wilson.