Feb. 23, 2007

Boston, Mass. - The George Mason men's basketball team will take on Northeastern on Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale for both schools. The Patriots (15-13, 9-8) can lock up the fifth seed in next week's Colonial Athletic Association Tournament with a win but Mason could drop to sixth with a loss. Northeastern (11-18, 8-9) could finish as high as fifth and as low as eighth.

The Patriots are attempting to win back-to-back games for just the second time this year. The other time, Mason won five straight games. Since that win streak was snapped last month, Mason has failed to find consistency. The Patriots recently suffered their first three-game losing streak in nearly two years but wins in two of the past three games has helped Mason find a better rhythm.

Mason has won 10-or-more conference games in each of the past seasons, something only eight other schools in the country can claim. A win on Saturday will extend that streak to nine years. The Patriots last failed to win 10 CAA games in a season in 1997-98, Jim Larranaga's first year as head coach. Saturday will be Larranaga's 300th game as Mason head coach.

The Patriots are 5-3 all-time against Northeastern and 3-0 against the Huskies in CAA play. Mason won last year's contest in Boston, 71-68 and took a 74-63 win at home. This year, Mason downed Northeastern, 78-53 at the Patriot Center.

Mason will look for Folarin Campbell to return to the lineup after missing Tuesday's game with a hamstring injury. He leads Mason in points, assists, steals and 3-pointers and is second on the team in rebounding. He had appeared in all 91 games of his career until Tuesday's contest, which Mason won 60-54. He is probable for Saturday's game. The Patriots were also without John Vaughan in that game as he was serving a one-game suspension for violating team rules. Vaughan is the team's third-leading scorer and he returns to action on Saturday.