We're blessed today by the presence of Dan Steinberg runs the DC Sports Bog, the Washington Post's online home that really does a great job of covering all the sports that don't get quite enough attention in Washington (which is everything other than the Redskins).  I always end up there looking for sweet stories about Gilbert Arenas and one of my all-time favorite college players, Caron Butler, but Steinberg's realm includes all of the DC area schools, meaning Virginia Tech, George Mason, UMBC, Georgetown and Maryland are all represented.

Dan explains this later, but he actually covered the 2006 team and is quite familiar with the program and this year's squad, which I'm sure you all know by this point, contains two starters from the same team that made the Final Four.    

1) What are the similarities between this team and the 2006 team you covered that knocked off perennial powers UConn, Michigan State and North Carolina?  I know personnel-wise there are a few holdovers, but does anything else in this year's squad remind you of the Final Four Patriots?

Both years everything starts with team defense, and both year's the offense runs through Will Thomas. I know the national audience probably remembers Jai Lewis from two years ago, and he was a big bruiser who scored some huge buckets in the tournament, but I thought Will Thomas was the team's most important player for much of that run. And the reason this team wins, then and now, is because they're all committed to playing D.

2) Could you explain Jim Larranaga's coaching style for those not familiar?  Zone versus man, press versus half-court, speedit up versus slow it down, quick hook or "Let 'em play?"  When it comes down to the final minutes of a close game, how does he handle the situation?

I probably haven't been around the team consistently enough to dissect the man's X's and O's--I was the "beat writer" in 2006, but for us that only meant about 8 regular season games, and I had to go with George Washington for Mason's first two tourney games, and this year I've hardly been around them at all. In the past he's gotten a lot of attention for using a "Green Team," subbing in the top five bench players en masse and letting the second team have a good run as a group. He tried that briefly this year and it didn't really go too well,  but he's certainly not hesitant about fiddling with his rotation. Isiaiah Tate, for example, was not a major contributor during the season, but he found himself on the floor a good bit during the CAA tournament.

3) All the research on Will Thomas I've done leads me to believe he's an absolute monster.  Are there any big men - college or pro, past or present - that he reminds you of?  Is he as good as all of the numbers and press lead me to believe he is?

Kevin McHale is the first name that came to mind: the sneakiness, the wisdom of how to play in the post, the knack for coming up with the ball. If he was 4 inches taller, he would be an NBA star. But he just doesn't have an outside shot, and he's so undersized. The biggest stat we kept using in 2006 was his record against Rudy Gay in high school (they went to archrival Baltimore private schools). Gay was by far the bigger, more athletic, more hyped recruit, but Thomas absolutely dominated him in high school, year after year, game after game. Gay played well in the 2006 regional final, but it just seemed so fitting that Thomas's team won yet again. I think Thomas's history of dominance over Gay was one reason Mason showed no hints of being intimidated against U-Conn. So anyhow,
yeah, I think he's that good, and I can't wait to see how he fares against Harangody.

John Vaughan can be one of the best defenders in the CAA at times, but coaches have worried that his attention sometimes flags. But he was a defensive monster in the postseason. Dre Smith came in as a Juco transfer last year and is certainly quick. He set an NCAA record for three pointers made without a miss in midseason, then went through massive shooting struggles. Both guys have loads of experience, but both have had their inconsistencies. Folarin Campbell has played the 1, 2 and 3 in his collegiate career, and if there's one guy on this team you want taking the big outside shot at the end of the game, it's still him.

5) Is there a potential X-factor on this team Irish fans should worry about seeing getting hot early?  I'm expecting to feel the pain from Thomas and Folarin Campbell, but who else should Notre Dame be wary of?

Chris Fleming had some of his best performances of the season in the CAA tournament. He won't wow anyone with his athleticism, but he's super emotional and can be active on the offensive boards.