March 7, 2008

Richmond, Va. - The George Mason men's basketball team will begin its quest for its first CAA title since 2001 on Saturday night when the Patriots take on either Northeastern or James Madison in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament. The Patriots are the tournament's third seed and they will await the winner of Friday night's contest between the sixth-seeded Huskies and the 11th-seeded Dukes. Saturday's game will tip at approximately 8:30 p.m. and be televised in Fairfax on Cox Cable Channel 74.

The Patriots enter Saturday's game looking to advance to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament for the third straight year and fourth time in five seasons. The Patriots are currently 20-10 and it is the eighth 20-win season in school history and third in head coach Jim Larranaga's 11 years. Since the CAA was formed, Mason has advanced at least to the CAA semifinals in every season in which it has won 20 games.

Should the Patriots meet James Madison (13-16), the Mason seniors of Folarin Campbell, Jordan Carter and Will Thomas will look to remain the only four-year senior class in school history to have never lost to the Dukes. Should Mason play Northeastern (13-16), the Patriots will be looking to avenge a loss in the regular-season finale last Saturday.

First-Team All-CAA selection Will Thomas is attempting to become just the seventh player in school history to average a double-double on the season. He currently is averaging 16.0 points and 10.4 rebounds. He is on pace to finish his career first in minutes played. He already owns the school record for games played and games started. He has 14 double-doubles on the year, most in the CAA.

Thomas, who is the fifth three-time All-CAA Defensive Team selection in CAA history, entered this week eighth in the nation in field-goal percentage and 17th in rebounds per game. He leads the CAA in rebounding, is second in field-goal percentage and sixth in scoring. He is third all-time in CAA history in career field-goal percentage at 61.2

Over the past 14 games, Second-Team All-CAA selection Folarin Campbell is averaging 20.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and he has scored 16 or more in all 14 of those contests. He is the only player in school history to reach 1,400 points, 400 rebounds, 300 assists, 150 3-pointers, 100 steals and 50 blocks.

Northeastern has been led by second-team All-CAA selection Matt Janning, who is third in the conference in scoring,, averaging 16.4 points per game. James Madison has been led by Abdulai Jalloh, who is eighth in the CAA with a 15.7 points per game average. He's also 14th in rebounding, at 5.6 per game, 13th in assists, at 2.9 per contest, and sixth in steals, at 1.69 per game.

Ticket availability is limited and fans are urged to go to www.ticketmaster.com or call (804) 262-8100 to order tickets. A limited number of student tickets will be available for purchase through Mason and can only be picked up with a Mason student ID.