New head coach Paul Hewitt and the George Mason men's basketball team will begin their 2011-12 campaign at home against Rhode Island, the two schools announced Monday. The Patriots and Rams will meet on Friday, November 11 in Fairfax in both teams' season openers, and the first meeting between the two schools.

The contest against URI will be part of a women's/men's doubleheader at the Patriot Center, with head coach Jeri Porter's team scheduled to play first in their season opener against American.

"We are glad that the schedule is complete and we have found another quality opponent in the University of Rhode Island," said Hewitt, who was hired in May to join the program following 11 successful seasons at Georgia Tech, including a national championship game appearance in 2004.

The Rams are coming off a 20-14 season, including a 9-7 mark in Atlantic 10 conference play, where they finished sixth in the standings in 2010-11. URI returns two starters, including junior forward Nikola Malesevic, the top returner who averaged 10.5 points along with 4.3 rebounds per game last year.

Rhode Island advanced to the quarterfinal round of the A-10 Tournament last season, where they fell to eventual Sweet 16 participant Richmond, 55-45. They earned a berth to the College Basketball Invitational, falling to Central Florida, 66-54, in the CBI Second Round in Orlando.

URI is the second A-10 team that Mason will face in the upcoming season, as the Patriots host Duquesne on Wednesday, December 21. Last year, the Patriots squared off against four teams from that conference (Charlotte, George Washington, Duquesne, Dayton), going 3-1.

With the addition of the matchup, the Patriots are scheduled to host 14 home contests in 2011-12, including five against non-conference opposition.

Fans will have their first look at the 2011-12 Patriots on October 31, when the Patriots will host Lycoming in an exhibition at 7 p.m. That game was rescheduled from its previously announced date of October 29.