George Mason could do it again 

March, 12, 2011
03/12/11
10:11
AM ET
By Jordan Brenner

No team embodies the spirit of the Giant Killers philosophy better than the 2006 George Mason Patriots, who rose from 11th-seed obscurity to make it to the Final Four. Back then, GMU met nine of the 10 criteria we set out in the earliest iteration of this project (which uses historical data and current statistics to determine which mid-majors have the best chance of pulling off tourney upsets against the big boys), and despite receiving what was a rather controversial at-large bid at the time, the Patriots went on to shock the college hoops universe.

Our model has advanced quite a bit since then (check out our methodology, for free, here), and every year at this time we delve into the stats to find "this year's George Mason."

With that pursuit in mind, could it be that 2011's George Mason is ... George Mason?


To read Jordan Brenner's full take on the tournament potential of the 2011 George Mason Patriots, including an analysis of how they stack up against GMU's 2006 squad, you must be an ESPN Insider. Sign up today and get access to Giant Killers and all of Insider's NCAA coverage before and throughout the tournament.

Jordan Brenner | email

ESPN The Magazine contributing writer
Brenner writes for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Insider. He covers the NBA and college basketball.
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Giant Killers
Giant Killers Blog

Giant Killers is Insider's annual metrics-based forecast of NCAA tournament upsets. A Giant Killer is a team that beats a tourney opponent seeded at least five spots higher. For a full explanation of our model, click here.

Peter Keating
Peter Keating

Peter Keating is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, where he has covered investigative and financial stories since 1999. His work on concussions in football has earned awards from the Deadline Club, the New York Press Club and the Center for the Study of Sport in Society. He joined the Giant Killers team in 2008.

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Jordan Brenner
Jordan Brenner

Jordan Brenner is a contributing writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Insider. He has covered pro and college basketball for the last decade and launched the Giant Killers project in 2006.

Follow Jordan Brenner on Twitter.

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