Three days ago George Mason was hoping to get their first ever NCAA Tournament victory. Now, after beating the UNC Tarheels 65-60 on Sunday, they are preparing for the Sweet 16 and a matchup with Wichita State.

Down by 14 in the first half, Mason used an aggressive defense that forced a young UNC team into repeated turnovers and bad shots while taking advantage on the offensive end. The Patriots rode big men Will Thomas and Jai Lewis early in the second half and then kept the defending NCAA Champs at bay with the hot hands of Lamar Butler late. Tony Skinn, suspended for Mason’s first round win over Michigan State for pulling a Chris Paul in the CAA conference tourney, hit the clinching free throws to ice the game. The win gives Mason a home game at the Verizon Center on Friday against fellow mid-major and Wichita State, a team they beat earlier this season. Hopefully they’ll continue their stellar play even though they won’t be facing a team from last year’s Final Four.

With all the mid-major talk going around the college basketball universe (see: Packer, Billy and Williams, Gary), this should be quite the matchup. “It’s pretty ironic,” Skinn told ESPN. “They’ve been talking about the MVC all year, and nobody’s been saying anything about the CAA. It’s hard to believe now both conferences are in the Sweet 16…I know they think it’s revenge for them, but it’s home for us.”

AP photo by David Kohl