– stock.adobe.com)
George Mason rallied from an 18-point deficit to get within three with 3:47 to go, but Bradley clamped down on D from there to finish out the 75-67 win in the second round of the 2025 NIT on Saturday.
That ends the season for the A-10 co-champs, as the school that Mason shared the regular-season title with, VCU, begins its search for a new head coach.
VCU is losing Ryan Odom, who was 52-21 in two seasons at the school, including a 28-7 mark this season, to Virginia, forcing Athletics Director Ed McLaughlin to, once again, initiate another coaching search.
“We would like to thank Ryan Odom for his leadership at the helm of the VCU Men’s Basketball program the past two seasons, for his mentorship in service of our student-athletes and for continuing the rich championship tradition for which our program has been known in the classroom and on the court,” McLaughlin said in a statement on Saturday.
“We made a very competitive offer for him to remain as our coach, yet support him fully as he returns to a university so close to his heart, and look forward to playing against his UVA teams in the future,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin has been the AD at VCU since 2012, and in that time, he has had to replace Shaka Smart (Texas, Marquette), Will Wade (LSU, McNeese State, NC State) and Mike Rhoades (Penn State), so, he has a good track record there.
Tony Skinn just finished Year 2 at George Mason, his alma mater, and he has two 20-win seasons under his belt, including a 27-9 finish this season.
Bradley (28-8) took control on Saturday with a 24-11 run over the final 8:04 of the first half that made it 37-28 Braves at the half.
The lead would grow to 18 six minutes into the second half, but Mason was able to chip away at the deficit, eventually getting it down to three, at 65-62, on a layup by Darius Maddox with 3:47 to go.
Bradley held the Patriots without a field goal for the next 3:06, and got the lead back up to eight in the final minute, and held on to post the W.
A quartet of seniors led the way for Mason – KD Johnson with 16 points, Maddox with 15 points and five boards, Zach Anderson with 11 points and five boards, and Jalen Haynes added 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“I’m thankful for our seniors,” Skinn said after the game. “This was a phenomenal season. Twenty-seven wins in a season is not normal, and I’m grateful to these guys for it.”
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Chris Graham
