WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (9-11, 3-4), VCU (13-8, 5-3)
SERIES RECORD: VCU leads, 38-19
LAST MEETING: VCU def. Mason, 71-60, on March 10, 2017 in A-10 Quarterfinal
TELEVISION: CBS Sports Network
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here TICKETS: Click here

GAME SPONSOR: Virginia Lottery
GAME OF THE WEEK: Free Mason stadium blanket for season ticket holders, mini-plan holders (South Entrance). The giveaway also is for Mason students (w/valid ID, while supplies last, at North Entrance).

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (9-11, 3-4) will host longtime conference rival VCU (13-8, 5-3) before a capacity crowd on Saturday inside EagleBank Arena.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 2 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena. Saturday's game will be broadcast to a national audience on CBS Sports Network, featuring commentary from Jason Horowitz and John Thompson III. Evan Washburn will handle sideline reporting duties. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the A-10 Digital Network, with pre-game audio coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason is 7-4 at home this season, while VCU is 2-3 on the road.

• The Patriots won three of their first five A-10 games, but have since dropped their last two on the road.

• Mason is coming off a 95-89, double overtime setback at Duquesne on Jan. 20. The Patriots erased deficits of 15 (1st half), 11 (2nd half) and 7 (1st OT), but could not come out on top against the Dukes.

• Five Patriots scored in double figures, led by sophomore Justin Kier, who tallied a career-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He made the last-second lay-in in the first OT session to force a second overtime.

• Kier is averaging a team-best 20.0 points and shooting 66.7 percent (16-24) over the past two contests.

• Junior Jaire Grayer added 22 points at Duquesne and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds. He has posted two-straight double-doubles and is averaging 16.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists over the past two contests.

• Grayer is 18 points away from becoming the 37th Patriot all time to reach 1,000 career points.

• Ian Boyd (17 pts, 8 reb vs. Duq) hit double figures for the third time in four games, while Otis Livingston II (12 pts, 6 ast) and Greg Calixte (10 pts, 7 reb) also played well in Pittsburgh.

• Mason is one of just eight teams in the nation which features four starters that shoot 80 percent or better from the free throw line. The others are No. 3 Purdue, No. 19 Auburn, Notre Dame, Marquette, Oregon, William & Mary and Mercer (stat credit: Patrick Stevens).

• Mason opponents have shot a combined 64 percent (32-50) in the first half over the past two games. Mason foes have shot 50 percent or better in the opening half in six of seven A-10 contests. In second halves, Mason has held its opponent under 50 percent shooting in six of seven A-10 games.  

• Over the past eight games, Mason opponents are averaging 81.9 points and shooting 46.7 percent from the floor.

• Mason has scored at least 80 points in four of the past six games after not reaching 80 points in any of the season's first 14 contests.

JAIRE IS EVERYWHERE
Junior Jaire Grayer is, perhaps quietly, having one of the best all-around statistical seasons in the A-10 this year. The Flint, Mich., product ranks in the top-10 in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.398, 4th), 3-point field goals made (51, 6th), rebounding (7.6 rpg, 6th) and blocks (1.1 bpg, 10th). When diving deeper into the stats, he's also sixth in effective field goal percentage (.533) and eighth in the league in all-around player efficiency rating (21.0). He's also 11th in the A-10 in win shares, with 2.4 of Mason's victories being attributed to Grayer's offensive and defensive contributions on the court.

HISTORY vs. VCU
Saturday's game marks the 58th all-time meeting between old CAA and current A-10 foes George Mason and VCU. Mason is 13-10 at home vs. VCU, 5-21 on the road and 1-7 on neutral courts. The Rams have won 11 of the past 14 meetings, including all three during the 2016-17 season. VCU leads the all-time series, 38-19.

A LOOK AT THE RAMS (13-8, 5-3 A-10; No. 117 RPI, No. 134 KenPom.com)
VCU was picked fourth out of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. The Rams posted an 8-5 non-conference mark, with the losses coming to No. 2 Virginia, Marquette, No. 25 Michigan, Texas and Seton Hall. After starting A-10 play 3-3, VCU has won its last two league contests over George Washington and at Saint Louis. VCU is second in the A-10 in scoring offense (77.1 ppg), but is 13th in scoring defense (74.5 ppg) and 11th in field goal percentage defense (.455). The Rams are led by preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection Justin Tillman, who is sixth in the A-10 in scoring (18.2 ppg) and second in rebounding (9.6 rpg). He ranks in the top-20 nationally with 14 double-doubles. Senior point guard Jonathan Williams leads the A-10 in assists (5.8 apg) and chips in 10.2 points per game, while De'Riante Jenkins (13.0 ppg) and Isaac Vann (10.5 ppg) also average double figures for the visitors from Richmond.

UP NEXT
Mason remains at home to take on St. Bonaventure on Wednesday (January 31) at 7 p.m. in EagleBank Arena. The game will be broadcast on Stadium, which features local television affiliates across the nation, as well as an online stream.

#GetPatriotic