WHEN: Saturday, 4 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (4-5), North Carolina Central (4-6)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
LIVE VIDEO: A-10 Digital Network ($)
LIVE AUDIO: A-10 Digital Network
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
TICKETS: Click here

GAME OF THE WEEK: Holiday scarves for Mason students with valid Mason ID
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Sung by Mason and "The Voice" alum Brandon Showell
BOOK DRIVE: Bring a Book, Get a Bobblehead! Bring a new or gently used book for children ages 9-11 to a Mason men's or women's basketball game between now and Jan. 13 and receive a bobblehead (while supplies last). Drop off books at the Ticket Information booth located on the South Concourse of EagleBank Arena now through January 13.

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (4-5) continues a five-game homestand Saturday afternoon with a contest vs. MEAC foe North Carolina Central (4-6).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Eagles is set for 4 p.m. Saturday's game will be streamed on the A-10 Digital Network, featuring commentary from Bill Rohland. Pre-game coverage will begin at 3:45 p.m. The video portion of the stream requires a subscription, but the audio feed is free for all listeners.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are 3-1 at home in 2017-18 while NC Central is 1-5 on the road.

• Mason is coming off a 77-70 setback to William & Mary on Wednesday in Fairfax. The Patriots have dropped four of their last five games and will look to rebound vs. the Eagles Saturday.

• On Wednesday, Mason led by 10 at the half and by seven with seven minutes to go, but were outscored 15-4 down the stretch by the Tribe.

• Junior Jaire Grayer led the Green & Gold with a career-best 24 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. The Flint, Mich., product is averaging 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point range over the past two games.

• Otis Livingston II added 20 points (9-14 FG) and five assists vs. the Tribe. It marked the second time this season two Patriots have reached the 20-point plateau in a game.

• Livingston II became the 36th Mason player all time to reach 1,000 career points with his 13th point vs. the Tribe.

• Freshman Javon Greene posted seven points vs. the Tribe to go along with career highs in assists (3) and minutes (26). Over the past two games, he's third on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and shooting 56.3 percent from the floor (6-12 3pt FG).

• Behind Greene's effort, Mason's bench has now posted 10+ points in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Wednesday's game vs. William & Mary was the second time this year that the Mason bench has outscored opponent reserves.

• Mason's 44 first half points vs. William & Mary marked a season high, while the 27 second half points marked a season low.

• Over the past two games, Mason's usually reliable duo of Ian Boyd and Justin Kier has combined for a total of 13 points while shooting 22.7 percent (5-22) from the floor. When the Kier/Boyd pair bounces back, expect the Green & Gold to do the same.

• Goanar Mar's 13.4 points per game ranks third on the Patriots this season. It's also tied for the highest scoring average by a Mason freshman in more than 20 seasons. He is fifth amongst A-10 rookies in the category in 2017-18.

• Mason is fourth in the A-10 in free throw percentage (.724) and is shooting 82.4 percent (89-108) from the line over the past six games. Over the final five minutes of games this season, Mason also shoots a solid 82.4 percent (42-51).

• Livingston II is third in the Atlantic 10 in assists/game (5.1) while Grayer is fourth in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and has made more 3-pointers (26) than every other player in the A-10.

HISTORY vs. NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
Saturday's game marks the first ever meeting between NC Central and George Mason in men's basketball.

HISTORY vs. MEAC OPPONENTS
Mason is 24-24 (.500) all time against teams currently in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Mason's most common opponents are Coppin State (8-14), Howard (6-4) and Hampton (4-1). The majority of the meetings vs. Coppin State came when the Patriots and Eagles were members of NAIA District 19 in the early 1970s. The Patriots have not played a MEAC opponent since Nov. 21, 2008, when Mason lost at Hampton, 50-44.  The Patriots also will play MEAC foe Morgan State this season on Dec. 22.

A LOOK AT THE EAGLES (5-2, 0-0 CAA)
North Carolina Central, picked to finish 13th in the MEAC, will play its first game in a week when the Eagles come to town Saturday evening. NCCU lost all five of its starters from last season and the roster features 10 new players. They have struggled on the road in the young season - checking in at 1-5 with a 12.2 point average margin of defeat in those five road losses. The defending MEAC Champions have shot the ball with outstanding efficiency so far, leading the conference with a 49.1 field goal percentage. Among the Eagles players who have taken at least 50 shots thus far, two players currently post a shooting percentage over 50 percent, including junior center Raasean Davis. Davis is the team leader in points per game (15.0), rebounds per game (7.2) and field goal percentage (68 percent). Additionally, Davis' 68 percent shooting ranks 11th in the nation.

NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL'S MEAC DOMINANCE
The Eagles have owned the MEAC over the past few seasons and have won at least 22 games in four of the past five campaigns. During that stretch, NCCU has earned two NCAA Tournament berths and a spot in the 2015 NIT. In a three year stretch from 2012-15, the Eagles posted a 46-2 record in MEAC play. NCCU went 25-9 last season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT
Mason hosts a talented Georgia Southern team on Tuesday night (7 p.m.) inside EagleBank Arena. The Eagles boast a top-50 RPI this season and already own a win at Wake Forest.