Nov. 10, 2005

The George Mason men's basketball team tips-off the 2005-06 season on Thursday afternoon when the Patriots take on UC Irvine in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. The Patriots and Anteaters get started at 5 p.m. at Winston-Salem, N.C., with the winner facing either Wake Forest or Mississippi Valley State on Friday.

Mason has several milestones it hopes to reach this year, including an eighth straight season with 10 or more conference wins, a streak of which only 14 schools in the nation can currently boast. The Patriots will also be looking for their eighth-straight season of 15 or more wins.

First up on the slate is a UC Irvine team that had its backcourt selected pre-season All-Big West. Seniors Aaron Fitzgerald and Ross Schraeder both were voted the honor by the conference coaches. Schraeder led the Anteaters in scoring last season with 12.9 points per game while Fitzgerald averaged 12.7 points per game and 5.2 assists per game. The Anteaters lost their leading rebounder from last year's team, and their second leading rebounder, Jeff Gloger, is injured and not expected to play.

Darren Fells, who started 16 games last year, and Shamar Armstrong, who played in 26 games without a start, are the anticipated starting forwards. Mark Kelley, a junior college transfer, should start at center.

The Anteaters appeared in one exhibition game this pre-season, facing Cal Poly Pomona. The Anteaters came away with a 94-56 win in that game, with Schraeder scoring 19, Fitzgerald and Fells adding 15, Kelley scoring 13 and Armstrong contributing with 10.

UC Irvine is coached by Pat Douglass who is in his 24th season as a collegiate head coach. He has 498 wins in his career, 122 at UC Irvine in eight previous seasons.