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Tournament Coverage
Sweet 16 games

Thursday, 3/23
Duke - LSU
Memphis - Bradley
Texas - W. Virginia
UCLA - Gonzaga

Friday, 3/24
Boston College - Villanova
George Mason - Wichita St.
Florida - Georgetown
Connecticut - Washington

Elite 8 games

Saturday, 3/25
UCLA-Memphis
LSU-Texas

Sunday, 3/26
George Mason-Connecticut
Florida-Villanova

Final 4 games

Saturday, 4/1
Florida-George Mason
UCLA-LSU

by Rick Gagliano | 3/26/06

Preview: (11) George Mason (26-7) vs. (1) Connecticut (30-3)
Washington, D.C. Regional Final, 2:40 p.m. ET
Favorite: Connecticut -8 1/2

It shouldn't be any easier for the Connecticut Huskies to get into the Final Four, playing the improbable 11th-seeded George Mason Patriots, but if anything, the Huskies have shown that nothing - for them - comes easy.

UConn, widely regarded as one of the best bets to make the Final Four and win the national championship, has played sluggishly and sometimes outright stupidly throughout the tournament. They have managed to impress nobody and likely have given coach Jim Calhoun more than his fair share of heartburn.

However, their talent continues to come through in the clutch, as it did in Friday night's overtime win over Washington, and they'll need all of their talent to get by the feisty Patriots.

Unheralded and nearly unseeded, George Washington will play their usual intense defense and fundamentally sound offense while looking for running opportunities.

Where the Huskies have struggled through tight games in the first three rounds, George Mason handled adversity by overwhelming supposedly-superior opposition in their wins over Michigan State and North Carolina. In their regional semi-final against the Wichita State Shockers, they led the entire way, mostly by a comfortable 8-12 point margin.

George Mason's potential to pull off the biggest upset of the tournament should not be taken likely. UConn has not played well and their luck may just run out on them.

As this tournament has produced many nail-biters, expect another one here.


Half Time Update: Connecticut 43 George Mason 43

UConn hit 5 straight 3-pointers to grab the comfortable half time lead, but the Patriots are not in foul trouble and seem to be hanging around.

Huskies had their best half of the tournament, shooting 54% and will need to continue playing well to knock out George Mason. First five minutes of the second half will be critical. If UConn doesn't pull away early, the Patriots will hang around and keep the game close.

Recap: George Mason 86 Connecticut 84 OT

The Connecticut Huskies could not pull off another miracle shot at the buzzer and George Mason - the most unlikely Final Four participant - took the taller, more athletic Huskies out of the tourney.

After Denham Brown scored on a beautiful reverse layup scoop shot to send the game into overtime, the Patriots did not wilt and built a 5-point lead with just over a minute remaining. UConn managed to get off yet another shot at the buzzer, but this time, Brown's shot was from the wing and barely caught iron.

George Mason's squad of determined over-performers was led by big man Jai Lewis, who battled inside all day and led the scoring with 20. On the perimeter, sharp-shooter Lamar Butler poured in 19 on 6-11 shooting, going 4-6 from 3-point range. Will Thomas, another of George Mason's tough interior players, chipped in 19 as well on 8-12 shooting.

Rudy Gay led the Huskies with 20, but it was not nearly enough to hold off the controlled passion of the Patriots, who outrebounded and outhustled the Huskies to pull off the biggest upset in many years.

George Mason shot 50% from 3-point range (9-18), while UConn was 7-22 for 32%.