WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (1-1), Binghamton (1-1)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
LIVE VIDEO: A-10 Digital Network
LIVE AUDIO: A-10 Digital Network
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GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
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HALFTIME PERFORMANCE: Tyler's Amazing Balancing Act

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (1-1) begins a two-game homestand to open the 2017 Cancun Challenge on Thursday vs. Binghamton (1-1).

Mason also will host CSUN on Saturday (6 p.m.) before beginning the Mexico portion of the event vs. Louisiana Tech Nov. 21 (6 p.m.) on CBS Sports Network.

Tip-off Thursday between the Patriots and Bearcats is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday's game will be streamed on the A-10 Digital Network, featuring commentary from Bill Rohland. Pre-game coverage will begin at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The young Patriots are coming off a strong performance Sunday in a 72-61 setback at No. 16 Louisville. Mason led 27-24 at the half, 46-40 with 12:01 to play and trailed by just four (63-59) with 2:07 to go.

• Junior Jaire Grayer posted game highs in points (20), rebounds (10) and steals (4) while tying his career high in 3-point FG made (5).

• Grayer is averaging 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and shooting 50 percent (43.8% from 3pt range) through two games.

• Sophomore Justin Kier eclipsed his career scoring best for the second-straight game, dropping 18 points (6-9 FG, 6-7 FT) vs. the Cardinals. After averaging 5.8 ppg last season (.428 FG%), Kier is at 16.5 ppg and shooting 64.7 percent this season.

• Despite Louisville ranking 12th in the country in average height (Mason is 292nd), the scrappy Patriots were out-rebounded by just five on Sunday (36-31). Offensive rebounds were tied at 7-7.

• Mason is +1.0 in turnover margin through two games. Last season, Mason's season average was -2.8.

• All five Mason starters are averaging at least 9.5 points. Kier (+10.7), Grayer (+8.1) and Ian Boyd (+6.1) are well above their scoring averages from a year ago.

HISTORY vs. BINGHAMTON
Thursday's game marks the first ever contest between Binghamton and George Mason in men's basketball.

HISTORY vs. AMERICA EAST OPPONENTS
Mason is 17-11 all time against teams currently in the America East Conference. Mason's most common opponents are UMBC (12-8), Hartford (2-0), Maine (0-2) and Vermont (2-0). The bulk of the UMBC meetings came in the 1970s when the two teams were conference partners in NAIA District 19 and the Mason-Dixon Conference (Div. II). In the most recent matchup with an America East foe, the Patriots knocked off UMBC 74-63 on Dec. 4 , 2012 inside EagleBank Arena.

A LOOK AT THE BEARCATS (1-1, 0-0 AMERICA EAST)
Binghamton was picked to finish t-6th in the 2017-18 America East preseason poll. The Bearcats have split a pair of games to open the season. Binghamton kicked off the campaign with a 76-59 home win over Morgan State (Nov. 10) before falling at Cornell 94-84 on Monday (Nov. 13). The Bearcats return their top five scorers from 2016-17. Through two games, junior/Washington D.C. native Thomas Bruce leads the team in scoring (21.0 ppg) and is ranked in the top-50 nationally in rebounding (12.5 rpg). Sophomore guard Fard Muhammad chips in 14.5 points and is shooting 53.3 percent from deep (8-15), while junior guard J.C. Show is at 13.0 ppg and 3.0 apg.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Patriots ranked 297th in the nation in Ken Pomeroy's "experience" stat last season, after featuring five freshmen, two sophomores and two seniors for most of the season. Mason features a similarly young team this season, with no scholarship seniors on its roster (2 juniors, 3 sophomores, 3 freshmen). Coincindetally, Mason is once again ranked 297th in 2017-18, with an average player collegiate tenure of 1.12 years.

CANCUN PRESENTS UNIQUE INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
The Patriots will participate in the 2017 Cancun Challenge Nov. 21-22 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Mexico. It marks just the second time Mason has played regular season games outside the United States and its territories in program history. Mason's only other international contest was an 86-66 victory over Winthrop in the Rogers AT&T NCAA Basketball Showcase in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Dec. 2001. Outside of the Continental U.S., Mason has played in the Chaminade Classic (1989), Puerto Rico Tip-off (2009, 2014), the Paradise Jam (USVI, 2012) and the Diamond Head Classic (2013).

UP NEXT
Mason remains in Fairfax to take on Cal State Northridge in the team's second Cancun Challenge contest in Fairfax. The Patriots will host the Matadors on Saturday (Nov. 18) at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the A-10 Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 5:45 p.m.