What: Virginia Cavaliers (7-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. George Mason Patriots (6-2, 1-0 CAA)
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Date: December 6, 2011
Place: John Paul Jones Arena
TV: ESPN3
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network
Spread: Virginia -9.5; Pomeroy: Virginia by 7
Last Meeting: 1997; Virginia 60, George Mason 45
Last Time Out: George Mason 65, Towson 53
Series: Virginia leads 6-0
The Cavaliers avoided a potential letdown game last weekend by handily taking care of Longwood 86-53. This will be a familiar coaching matchup, as Mason head coach Paul Hewitt previously hails from Georgia Tech, a squad that Virginia head coach Tony Bennett is 3-0 against with Hewitt at the helm.
This is the second CAA team the Hoos will have faced this year. Earlier this season at the Paradise Jam, Virginia held preseason CAA favorite Drexel to just 35 points, coming out with a 49-35 snoozer of a win.
Mason's Ryan Pearson is the guy to look out for, posting double-doubles in each of the first three games this season for the Patriots. Pearson averages a whopping 19.8 points per game, while pulling down 8.4 rebounds per game. The probable lineups follow the jump.
VIRGINIA'S PROBABLE STARTERS
| G | Jontel Evans | Jr. | 5.9 ppg | 1.5 rpg | 2.9 apg |
| C | Assane Sene | Sr. | 6.3 ppg | 3.9 rpg | 0.9 blk |
| G | Joe Harris | So. | 12.6 ppg | 3.8 rpg | 1.8 apg |
| G | Sammy Zeglinski | Sr. | 7.5 ppg | 2.5 rpg | 2.7 apg |
| F | Mike Scott | Sr. | 15.9 ppg | 10.0 rpg | 1.9 apg |
GEORGE MASON'S PROBABLE STARTERS
| G | Bryon Allen | So. | 7.8 ppg | 4.0 rpg | 3.5 apg |
| G | Vertrail Vaughns | R-So. | 11.9 ppg | 2.5 rpg | 2.0 apg |
| G | Sherrod Wright | R-So. | 12.0 ppg | 3.6 rpg | .623 FG% |
| F | Ryan Pearson | Sr. | 19.8 ppg | 8.4 rpg | 1.9 apg |
| F | Mike Morrison | Sr. | 8.4 ppg | 6.6 rpg | 1.5 apg |
According to Pomeroy rankings, Virginia has the 8th best defense in the country, with an adjusted efficiency of 86.5. The Hoos are one of only two 1-loss teams remaining in the ACC, along with Duke. By comparison, the Patriots are ranked 47th in defense with an adjusted efficiency of 92.8. Both teams are comparable offensively when adjusted for tempo. This team is nowhere near the team that made the Cinderella run a couple years back, and the Cavaliers should have no problems taking care of business in the final of a four-game homestand.
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