Last year, George Mason finished sixth in the Colonial Athletic Conference with a record of 16-13.
But there was reason to be optimistic in Fairfax, Va., as the Patriots were led by three juniors -- Lamar Butler, Tony Skinn and Jai Lewis.
Fast forward one year, and Butler, Skinn and Lewis are now the senior leadership for a team that knocked off Michigan State and North Carolina in succession en route to the Sweet 16.
Now, why should Penn fans care?
George Mason's team from last year sounds a little like this season's Quakers. This year, juniors Ibrahim Jaaber, Mark Zoller and Steve Danley played huge roles for the team, which is coming off an even better season than the 2004-05 Patriots, complete with an NCAA Tournament berth.
But before you start booking your tickets to next year's Sweet 16 sites, recent history offers a cautionary tale.
And Quakers fans don't have to look too far to find it.
Two years ago, Princeton was the toast of the Ivy League with its 13-1 conference record, which coincidentally gave the Tigers a first-round matchup with Rick Barnes' Texas Longhorns.
But more impressive than John Thompson III's Tigers that year was that they did it with their only contributing senior, Ed Persia, injured for much of the Ivy season. The rest of the team was made up of juniors, including Judson Wallace, Will Venable and Andre Logan and sophomore point guard Scott Greenman.
Hopes were high in Princeton as winter rolled around in 2004, with the Tigers the odds-on favorite for a return to the Big Dance, and the words "Top 25" being thrown around regarding this team.
But there was one problem.
Even with all the pieces in place, there was still one thing missing: John Thompson III, who had left to take the head coaching job at Georgetown, where his father had coached the Hoyas to a national championship.
No, this was Joe Scott's team. The Princeton Tigers, with all that talent, those returning all-Ivy players and the hopes of a national ranking, became the first team in program history to suffer a losing record in Ivy League play.
And the same situation could come about this year for the Quakers, as Temple has been given permission to talk to coach Fran Dunphy regarding the Owls' vacancy on the bench.
Still, there are no guarantees in the world of college basketball. Even if Dunphy were to leave, Jaaber, Zoller, Danley and crew could very well adjust to a new system without a problem and have the year that everybody has been expecting since the Class of 2007 proved itself last season.
And even if Dunphy were to stay for a season that certainly appears to be worth staying for, the Quakers could go through another year of not knowing how to win close games, get a low seed and be in line for another first round exit.
Or its fate could be even worse if Columbia's sophomore class -- the closest thing the Ivy League has to Penn's juniors -- matures quickly enough.
So even with four starters and sixth man Brian Grandieri returning next year, there is a long way to go before anyone knows whether the Quakers are the next George Mason, or just the next Princeton.
Zachary Levine is a junior mathematics major from Delmar, N.Y., and former Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His e-mail address is zlevine@sas.upenn.edu.
