FAIRFAX, Va. – Three Atlantic 10 Conference women's basketball teams that made the postseason a year ago will make visits to EagleBank Arena this year.

George Mason found out the locations of its A-10 regular-season matchups on Thursday when the conference released the schedule pairings for the upcoming season. Among those to visit Fairfax during the 2017-18 season will be 2017 WNIT participants Fordham, George Washington – the A-10 co-regular season champ – and Saint Louis.

The league's 14 members will once again play a 16-game conference schedule in the upcoming season, which allows teams to face every opponent once and three teams twice. The complete 2017-18 conference schedule with dates and times will be announced at a later date.

The Patriots will play three teams twice (at home and on the road): George Washington, La Salle and St. Bonaventure. In addition, Mason will also host Davidson, Fordham, Massachusetts, Richmond and Saint Louis. On the road, the Patriots will also play A-10 co-regular season champ and tournament champ Dayton, Duquesne, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's and VCU.

Dayton and George Washington shared last year's A-10 regular season crown. The Flyers' received the league's lone bid to the NCAA Tournament and fell in the first round to Tennessee. Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, Saint Joseph's and Saint Louis reached the WNIT, with Fordham and SLU advancing to the second round.

For the second straight year, the A-10 Women's Basketball Championship will feature six first-round games being played on campus sites. All six first-round games will be played on Tuesday, Feb. 27 before heading to Richmond, Va., Friday, March 2 through Sunday, March 4 for the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship final games.

The top two championship seeds will receive a bye, with the remainder of the field facing off in games hosted by seeds 3-8 for the first round. For the second consecutive year, the women's championship will place an increased emphasis on the regular season in a fan friendly format.

The Patriots finished 13-17 last season and 6-10 in A-10 play. Mason earned the 10th seed in the 14-team conference tournament and lost in the first round at Duquesne, which reached the conference title game.

Mason returns eight letterwinners and three starters. Rising sophomore Jacy Bolton paves the way as the team's top returning scorer (8.3 ppg) and rebounder (4.7 rpg). The shooting guard from Drexel, Mo., was tabbed to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team after starting all 30 games.

The Patriots welcome four freshmen and three transfers – Natalie Butler, Taylor Byrne and Camden Musgrave. Byrne (Seton Hall) and Musgrave (Central Connecticut State) were on campus last year but sat out due to NCAA transfer rules. Butler, a native of nearby Fairfax Station, Va., is eligible to play immediately after graduating from Connecticut this spring. The 6-foot-5 center spent the last two seasons at UConn, playing in 62 games and helping the Huskies reach two Final Fours and win the 2016 national championship.

George Mason's Atlantic 10 Pairings
HOME
Davidson
Fordham
George Washington
La Salle
Massachusetts
Richmond
Saint Louis
St. Bonaventure
 
ROAD
Dayton
Duquesne
George Washington
La Salle
Rhode Island
Saint Joseph's
St. Bonaventure
VCU