2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 2005–06 George Mason Patriots George Mason Patriots wordmark.svg Colonial Athletic Association CAA 8 27–8 15–3 Jim Larranaga 9th Scott Cherry 4th James Johnson Chris Caputo 1st Patriot Center CAA regular season champions NCAA tournament Final Four The 2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team represented George Mason University in the 2005–2006 NCAA basketball season. The team achieved several milestones, including a team-record 23 regular season wins, and earned an at-large bid to that year's NCAA tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, the Patriots reached the Final Four, becoming the first team from the Colonial Athletic Association to accomplish that feat. The number 11 seed in the East region, they advanced to the Final Four by knocking off UConn, the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, 86–84 in overtime in the Elite Eight. George Mason, which had never won an NCAA tournament game up until this tournament, thus tied the 1986 LSU Tigers as the lowest seed to ever reach the Final Four. The Patriots then lost to eventual national champions, Florida. Season notes On April 26, 2006, it was announced head coach Jim Larranaga had received a contract extension to keep him with the team through the 2011–2012 season.http://www.fansonly.com/schools/gema/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042606aaa.html Larranaga Signs Extension Through 2011-12 Season - GEORGE MASON OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE 2010-02-01 https://archive.today/20120730073935/http://www.fansonly.com/schools/gema/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042606aaa.html 2012-07-30 dead On March 30, 2006, Larranaga received the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award.http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/033006aab.html Larranaga Receives Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award - GEORGE MASON OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE 2010-02-01 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110708212353/http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/033006aab.html 2011-07-08 For the first time in school history, the men's basketball team was ranked on the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, coming in at #25 for the week of February 20, 2006.http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022006aaa.html Mason Cracks Top 25 For First Time - GEORGE MASON OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE 2010-02-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20110708212754/http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022006aaa.html 2011-07-08 dead On December 27, 2005, senior guard Lamar Butler set a George Mason men's basketball record for most career 3-point field goals.http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/122705aaa.html Butler Breaks Record in Rout of Holy Cross - GEORGE MASON OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE 2010-02-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20110708212802/http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/122705aaa.html 2011-07-08 dead The 2005–06 George Mason Patriots were predicted to finish 3rd in the Colonial Athletic Association.http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/102605aaa.html Men's Basketball Selected Third in Preseason Poll - GEORGE MASON OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE 2010-02-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20110708212809/http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/102605aaa.html 2011-07-08 dead On September 15, 2005, it was announced that sophomore guard John Vaughan would miss the entire season due to a torn ACL.http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/091205aaa.html Vaughan to Miss 2005-06 Season - GEORGE MASON OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE 2010-02-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20110928144138/http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/091205aaa.html 2011-09-28 dead Awards First Team All-CAA Jai Lewis Second Team All-CAA Tony Skinn CAA All-Defensive Team Will Thomas CAA Player of the Week Jai Lewis – Jan. 30 Tony Skinn – Feb. 20 Recap The Patriots enjoyed their best season in 2005–2006 when they won a school-record 23 games in the regular season, and for one week were even ranked in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 for the first time in school history. Head coach Jim Larranaga, who began his stint at George Mason in 1997, also became the CAA's all-time leader in coaching victories and was named the winner of the 2006 Clair Bee Coach of the Year Awardhttp://gazette.gmu.edu/articles/8158/ Coach Larranaga Receives Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award – The Mason Gazette – George Mason University gmu.edu 2008-01-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20071229121646/http://gazette.gmu.edu/articles/8158/ 2007-12-29 dead on March 31, 2006, and the Virginia Coach of the Year on June 26, 2006, the same day he was nominated for an ESPY award.http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062606aae.html Larranaga Named Virginia Coach of the Year 2008-01-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20110708212140/http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062606aae.html 2011-07-08 dead Although the team lost to Hofstra during the CAA tournament, George Mason were still able to grab an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. This marks the first time in which the Patriots earned an at-large bid and the first time in 20 years in which the CAA sent two teams to the tournament (the other being conference tournament winner UNC Wilmington). The Patriots entered the tournament as an 11th seed and defeated the 6th seeded Michigan State Spartans, who had played in the previous year's Final Four. In their second round matchup against the defending champion North Carolina Tar Heels, the Patriots were once again underdogs. After falling in a 16–2 hole early in the game, the team was able to bounce back and win the game, 65–60. Their next game was against another mid-major, the Wichita State Shockers. George Mason jumped out to a big early lead, and the Shockers were not able to overcome. The Patriots won, 63–55.March 24, 2006 George Mason advances to school's first Elite Eight https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=264000029 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20201111202353/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=264000029 November 11, 2020 July 30, 2022 ESPN Associated Press Their Elite Eight matchup found themselves facing the Connecticut Huskies, a team that was tabbed as the favorite to win the national championship the entire season. The Patriots were able to defeat the top-seeded Huskies, 86–84 in overtime, in what is recognized as one of the most memorable games in tournament history. Their tournament run would end in Indianapolis, in a Final Four matchup with the Florida Gators, the eventual national champion in both 2006 and 2007 (with the same starting lineup both years). The Patriots were the first team out of the CAA to reach the Final Four and also became the second team to reach it as a double-digit (11th) seed (the other being the LSU Tigers in 1986, also an 11th seed). George Mason's Cinderella story ended in Indianapolis, when the eventual National Champion Florida Gators defeated them 73–58 on April 1, 2006. Despite their loss, many sports analysts considered their performance in the 2006 tourney to be the best run by a mid-major in tournament history. In the final rankings of 2005–2006 season, the USA Today/ESPN poll ranked the Patriots eighth in the nation—their highest rank to date. Mason was atypical of recent Final Four teams not only in being a true mid-major, but also in their unusual scoring balance. The Patriots had five players average in double figures, making them one of only six Final Four teams in the 10 seasons from 1998 to 1999 through 2007–08 with that distinction. (Two of the other five teams in this club are Florida's back-to-back national champions in 2006 and 2007.)https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/columns/story?id=3267369 Florida did it but can balanced scoring lead Xavier to Final Four? Andy Glockner ESPN.com 2008-02-28 2008-03-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20080303064556/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?id=3267369 3 March 2008 live Roster 2005 George Mason Patriots y y Lamar Butler 22 G 6 2 170 SR yes Fort Washington, Maryland Oxon Hill y Tim Burns 12 G 6 3 185 JR Greenfield, Massachusetts Worcester Academy Folarin Campbell 42 G 6 4 205 SO Silver Spring, Maryland Springbrook y Jordan Carter 2 G 6 0 175 SO Indianapolis, Indiana Brebeuf Chris Fleming 40 F 6 7 240 FR Manassas, Virginia Osbourn Park Makan Konate 3 F 6 7 215 JR Mali Worcester Academy Jai Lewis 55 F 6 7 275 SR Aberdeen, Maryland Aberdeen y Charles Makings 24 G 6 2 210 JR Silver Spring, Maryland St. John's College Gabe Norwood 5 F 6 5 190 JR State College, Pennsylvania State College y Tony Skinn 1 G 6 1 175 SR Takoma Park, Maryland Takoma Academy y Will Thomas basketball 34 F 6 7 230 SO Baltimore, Maryland Mount Saint Joseph's y Jesús Urbina 13 F 6 7 235 JR y Barquisimeto, Venezuela Amelia Academy John Vaughan 23 G 6 3 179 SO y Laurel, Maryland Laurel Jim Larrañaga (Providence) Scott Cherry (North Carolina) James Johnson (Ferrum) Chris Caputo (Westfield) https://web.archive.org/web/20120204165804/http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/gema-m-baskbl-mtt.html 2010-07-27 Stats Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Jai Lewis 35 – 30.4 .523 .348 .651 7.8 1.8 1.4 .7 13.7 Tony Skinn 34 – 31.6 .396 .339 .802 3.5 2.8 1.6 .0 12.6 Lamar Butler 35 – 31.9 .454 .378 .733 2.5 2.2 .9 .2 11.9 Will Thomas 35 – 31.9 .580 .000 .516 7.2 1.1 .7 .7 11.8 Folarin Campbell 35 – 31.1 .491 .343 .761 4.2 3.4 .7 .7 11.0 Gabe Norwood 35 – 21.1 .425 .375 .588 2.0 1.9 .9 .7 3.4 Sammy Hernandez 35 – 11.1 .518 .375 .278 3.1 .5 .2 .3 2.8 Tim Burns 20 – 6.0 .400 .400 .000 .5 .4 .3 .0 1.8 Jordan Carter 28 – 6.5 .524 .364 .333 .7 .7 .5 .0 1.0 Chris Fleming 28 – 4.7 .440 .000 .500 .7 .0 .1 .2 1.0 Makan Konate 11 – 2.2 .167 .000 .000 .4 .0 .0 .0 .2 Charles Makings 13 – 2.5 .250 .000 .000 .7 .2 .2 .0 .2 Schedule November 6 7:00 p.m. yes 2005–06 St. Francis Xavier X-Men St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia Exhibition 99–70 November 10 7:00 p.m. yes yes UC Irvine Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, North Carolina Coaches vs. Cancer Classic 79–56 1–0 14,665 November 11 7:00 p.m. yes yes 2005–06 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Wake Forest University Wake Forest 18 Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, North Carolina Coaches vs. Cancer Classic 78–83 OT 1–1 14,665 November 22 7:00 p.m. yes Creighton Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 52–72 1–2 3,119 November 26 7:00 p.m. yes yes 2005–06 Manhattan Jaspers Manhattan College Manhattan Draddy Gymnasium The Bronx, New York 72–66 2–2 1,979 December 2 7:00 p.m. yes 2007–08 Georgia State Panthers Georgia State University Georgia State GSU Sports Arena Atlanta 81–51 3–2 1–0 1,332 December 5 4:30 p.m. yes yes 2005–06 American University Eagles American University American Verizon Center Washington, D.C. BB&T Classic 75–35 4–2 11,712 December 7 7:00 p.m. yes Old Dominion Ted Constant Convocation Center Norfolk, Virginia 53–54 4–3 1–1 6,475 December 10 5:00 p.m. yes 2005–06 Radford Highlanders Radford University Radford Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 81–69 5–3 3,328 December 21 7:00 p.m. yes Hampton Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 79–66 6–3 2,771 December 27 2:00 p.m. yes 2005–06 Holy Cross Crusaders College of the Holy Cross Holy Cross Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 71–38 7–3 3,501 December 30 7:00 p.m. yes yes Mississippi State Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, Mississippi 61–63 7–4 9,094 January 2 5:30 p.m. yes 2005–06 Northeastern Huskies Northeastern University Northeastern Matthews Arena Boston 71–68 8–4 2–1 1,206 January 5 3:00 p.m. VCU Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia Rivalry 73–60 9–4 3–1 3,005 January 7 4:30 p.m. 2005–06 Delaware Blue Hens University of Delaware Delaware Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 70–56 10–4 4–1 2,774 January 12 7:00 p.m. yes William & Mary Kaplan Arena Williamsburg, Virginia 65–46 11–4 5–1 2,024 January 14 2:00 p.m. yes 2005–06 James Madison Dukes James Madison University James Madison JMU Convocation Center Harrisonburg, Virginia 65–43 12–4 6–1 3,531 January 19 7:00 p.m. Northeastern Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 74–63 13–4 7–1 3,312 January 21 8:00 p.m. yes UNC-Wilmington Trask Coliseum Wilmington, North Carolina 63–69 13–5 7–2 5,621 January 26 8:00 p.m. William & Mary Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 81–58 14–5 8–2 4,394 January 28 2:00 p.m. Old Dominion Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 66–47 15–5 9–2 6,627 February 2 7:00 p.m. yes Delaware Bob Carpenter Center Newark, Delaware 57–52 16–5 10–2 3,085 February 4 7:00 p.m. UNC-Wilmington Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 69–62 17–5 11–2 6,733 February 9 7:00 p.m. yes VCU Stuart C. Siegel Center Richmond, Virginia 73–61 18–5 12–2 6,212 February 11 4:00 p.m. 2005–06 Towson Tigers Towson University Towson Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia Homecoming 65–53 19–5 13–2 6,443 February 15 7:00 p.m. Drexel Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 67–48 20–5 14–2 4,476 February 18 8:00 p.m. yes yes Wichita State Charles Koch Arena Wichita, Kansas ESPN Bracket Busters ESPN2 70–67 21–5 10,478 February 23 7:00 p.m. yes 2005–06 Hofstra Pride Hofstra University Hofstra Hofstra Arena Hempstead, New York 66–77 21–6 14–3 4,210 February 25 7:00 p.m. James Madison Patriot Center Fairfax, Virginia 61–56 22–6 15–3 8,448 |- !colspan=9| 2006 CAA men's basketball tournament March 4 7:00 p.m. yes 2 Georgia State 10 Richmond Coliseum Richmond, Virginia Quarterfinals 61–56 OT 23–6 NA March 5 6:00 p.m. yes 2 Hofstra 3 Richmond Coliseum Richmond, Virginia Semifinals 49–58 23–7 5,310 |- !colspan=9| 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament March 17 7:10 p.m. yes yes 11 W Michigan State 6 W University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio First Round CBS 75–65 24–7 12,495 March 19 2:20 p.m. yes yes 11 W North Carolina 10 3 W University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio Second Round CBS 65–60 25–7 12,945 March 24 7:27 p.m. yes yes 11 W Wichita State 7 W Verizon Center Washington, D.C. Sweet Sixteen CBS 63–55 26–7 NA March 26 2:40 p.m. yes yes 11 W Connecticut 2 1 W Verizon Center Washington, D.C. Elite Eight CBS 86–84 OT 27–7 19,718 April 1 6:07 p.m. yes yes 11 W Florida 11 3 M RCA Dome Indianapolis, Indiana Final Four CBS 58–73 27–8 43,822 8 AP Poll Eastern Time Recruits The following is a list of commitments George Mason received for the 2006–07 season:March 2021 Louis Birdsong Darryl Monroe Dre Smith References George Mason Category:George Mason Patriots men's basketball seasons Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons George Mason George Mason Patriots men's basketball team George Mason Patriots men's basketball team