- It didn’t get the attention of Missouri’s shocker over top-ranked South Carolina, but a case can be made that the biggest upset of the Division I women’s basketball season was engineered by our own George Mason.
On Dec. 1, the Patriots stunned Florida 75-71 at EagleBank Arena. Along with it being Mason’s first victory over an SEC team since 1996, it’s a result that becomes even more seismic when these teams are charted in the latest NET rankings, the metric that has replaced RPI as the NCAA’s primary method for evaluating teams. Florida is at No. 43; George Mason checks in at 246. The 203-place difference is by far the largest in any loss by a Top-50 team.
The three biggest NET upsets vs Top 50 teams, by rankings gap:
203 – George Mason (246) d. Florida (43)
168 – Cincinnati (191) d. UCF (23)
122 – Stetson (160) d. Florida Gulf Coast (38)
Also, George Mason is only of just three teams outside the NET Top 150 with a win over a Top-50 team – Top 50 teams are 348-3 against those at 151 and beyond – and the only squad outside the Top 200 with such a result.
So sure, outside expectations figure to be minimal when 14th-seeded Mason (9-18, 3-12) opens Atlantic 10 tournament play Wednesday against No. 11 Saint Louis. But thanks to what they pulled off in early December, these Patriots should understand as well as anyone in D-I that anything truly is possible.
2. Forfeiting a home game
One of the hidden consequences of Virginia’s mysterious home forfeit to Notre Dame played out in the ACC Tournament seedings as the Fighting Irish edged out Virginia Tech for the last of the coveted Top-4 seeds and a double-bye in the league championships. The two teams finished tied in the conference standings, but, of course, Notre Dame’s mark included a win it didn’t have to earn on the court. Granted, even on the road, the Fighting Irish would have been clear favorites against the 5-21 Cavaliers. But strange things can happen when teams actually lace ‘em up.
Just ask George Mason.
To be fair, Tech could have seized a Top-4 seed on its own Sunday against No. 3 N.C. State, but the Wolfpack held on for a 68-66 victory. A sluggish start left the Hokies in chase mode throughout and they could never quite get level. But we have no quarrel with the final sequence, which set up a stepback 3-point attempt by program all-time leading scorer Aisha Sheppard for the win. Here’s hoping she gets that same look in another big-time spot.
The extra game aside, fifth-seeded Virginia Tech can’t be too upset about its draw, which if form holds would set up yet another encounter with the Wolfpack, the sixth since late January 2021. . And while Tech is just 1-4 in those prior recent meetings, two of the losses have been by two points and a third by six.
3. Making a Tall Statement
Akila Smith is the first player in Longwood women’s basketball history to be named Big South Player of the Year. For the second consecutive year, she’s the Big South Defense Player of the Year, the fourth player in conference history to ever earn this award in back-to-back seasons.
Standing 5-11, Smith is third nationally in blocks and fifth in the NCAA in blocks per game at 3.07. Smith is the only player who stands less than 6-0 who is among the top 50 in blocked shots across the nation.
This past season, Smith, averaging 16.8 ppg, compiled four double-doubles and added her second career triple-double early in the season against Sam Houston. That triple-double was only the third in program history for Longwood.
What A Player.
Now, how about Elizabeth Kitley — the first Hokie to win the ACC POY Award?
The junior center is a beast, averaging 17.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting a league-best 53.8%. She earned four ACC Player of the Week honors, the most in the league.
The Summerfield, North Carolina was also an All-Defensive Team selection and let’s repeat. She’s a junior. We salute Kitley and coach Kenny Brooks for not only recruiting her but developing her into one of the elite players in the game.
4. Dribbles and bits
For the Lady Pirates, it’s essentially a return to say goodbye – Hampton did not play in the 2021 Big South tourney because of a COVID pause and will become a Colonial Athletic Association member on July 1. … Dayton is the top seed in this week’s Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament after finishing the regular season 14-1, nipped by VCU on Feb. 13. The Rams are the 4 seed in the tournament and will meet Ls Salle, George Washington or Saint Bonaventure in Friday’s quarterfinals. VCU stunned top-seeded Dayton last year in the conference tournament semifinals before going on to defeat UMass in the championship game. … Richmond meets Davidson in a first-round game on Thursday. The Spiders rallied from a 26-9 deficit to defeat VCU in the regular-season finale for both teams. … JMU concludes regular-season play by hosting Drexel and traveling to Delaware. While the CAA will not include the Dukes in the conference tournament — punishment for the school moving to the Sun Belt — we’re hopeful that by winning at least one of the next two, the Dukes can advance to the WNIT. JMU has not finished with a losing record since 2003.
5. Baltimore-bound Captains
We’re disappointed that Christopher Newport (24-0) will not get to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament that starts this weekend, but good things are in store for the Captains if they win their first two games. The Division III power remains unbeaten and top-ranked and won its first-ever Coast-to-Coast Conference crown last weekend.
NCAA Division III rules give preference to men’s teams for hosting on even years and women’s teams on odd ones. (The CNU men are hosting Baruch in Friday’s first round.) But the rules require that it flip for the second weekend, so if both teams are in line to host sectionals, the women’s team would get to host those rounds.
The Captains will head to Johns Hopkins for a first-round game on Friday against Mitchell and a potential second-round match against the host. Mitchell is 12-13, but snagged the automatic conference bid with upsets of Eastern Nazarene and New England College to win the New England Conference title. Johns Hopkins is 22-5. The second-round game is Saturday.
Photos courtesy of Longwood Athletics, Virginia Tech Athletics