WHEN: Sunday, Noon
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (7-8, 1-1), Davidson (6-7, 1-1)
SERIES RECORD: Davidson leads, 3-2
LAST MEETING: Mason def. Davidson, 76-69, on Feb. 8, 2017 in Belk Arena
TELEVISION: NBC Sports Network
NBC STREAM: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: A-10 Digital Network
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
TICKETS: Click here

BRING A FRIEND: Mason students can bring a friend to the game for FREE and get FREE pizza. Just bring your friend and your valid Mason ID to the North Entrance of EagleBank Arena.
GAME SPONSOR: Interstate

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (7-8, 1-1) begins a three-game A-10 homestand with a Sunday contest vs. Davidson (6-7, 1-1).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Wildcats is scheduled for noon inside EagleBank Arena. Sunday's game will be broadcast to a national audience on NBC Sports Network. Mike Corey will handle play-by-play duties, while Ron Thompson will provide color commentary. In addition, Bill Rohland will provide an audio broadcast of the game on the A-10 Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason is 5-3 at home this season while Davidson is 1-5 on the road. The Patriots are 2-1 vs. the Wildcats under head coach Dave Paulsen.

• Mason has won 11 of its past 21 A-10 games after capturing just 12 of its first 39 from 2013-16.

• Five of the Patriots next seven games will be played in Fairfax.

• Last time out, Mason won at UMass, 80-72, in overtime. The Patriots outscored the Minutemen 14-6 in the extra session.

• Mason held UMass to opponent season lows in field goal percentage (.382) and 3-point percentage (.185). The Patriots are 6-1 when holding their opponent under 45 percent from the floor this season.

• Junior Otis Livingston II led Mason with a monster effort in Amherst. He set career bests in points (33), assists (9) and free throws made (11) while making 10-of-20 field goal attempts and grabbing six rebounds in 43 minutes on the floor.

• Fellow junior Jaire Grayer posted his third 20+ point effort of the year vs. UMass. He tallied 20 points (3-7 3pt FG), five rebounds, three steals and two blocks vs. the Minutemen.

• Freshman forward Greg Calixte added eight points while posting career highs in rebounds (12) and minutes (31) at UMass.

• Since entering the starting lineup vs. Penn State on Dec. 17, Calixte is averaging 6.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and shooting 57.1 percent in 25.8 minutes per game.

• Through the first 14 contests of the A-10 season across the conference, Mason was the only team to win a road game. The Minutemen had been 7-1 at home entering Wednesday's game.

• Over the past five games, Mason is shooting just 22.2 percent (16-72) from 3-point territory.

• Mason posted its second-best rebounding margin (49-39, +10)  of the season against the height- and girth-superior Minutemen. The Patriots are 5-3 when they win the rebounding battle this season.

• The Patriots are averaging 36.0 points in the paint over the past three games after averaging 26.8 over the first 12 contests. Mason has won three of four games in which the team has posted at least 35 points in the paint.

HISTORY vs. DAVIDSON
Sunday's game marks the sixth all-time meeting between Mason and Davidson in men's basketball. The Wildcats hold a 3-2 edge in the all-time series, although Mason is 2-1 against Davidson under head coach Dave Paulsen. The teams have split a pair of meetings in Fairfax. In last season's matchup, Mason won 76-69 on Feb. 8 in North Carolina. Otis Livingston II (16 points) and Jaire Grayer (12 points, 5-7 FG, 6 rebounds) played well in the meeting.

A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS (6-7, 1-1 A-10; No. 179 RPI, No. 116 KenPom.com)
Davidson was picked to finish sixth out of 14 teams in the A-10 preseason poll. The Wildcats went 5-6 over a non-conference schedule that included games against No. 8 Virginia, No. 12 North Carolina and Mountain West favorite Nevada. Davidson has split a pair of A-10 games so far, with a loss at Richmond (69-58) and home win over Saint Louis (54-51). The bulk of Davidson's offense comes from the perimeter, as the Wildcats rank in the top-20 nationally in 3-point field goals made/game (10.8). The Wildcats also are one of the nation's best at protecting the ball, as Davidson is in the top-5 in both assist/turnover ratio (1.83) and fewest turnovers. The Wildcats are led by preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection Peyton Aldridge, who is in the top-40 nationally and is second in the A-10 in scoring (21.1 ppg). He also averages 6.9 rebounds/game. Freshman Kellan Grady looks to have locked up a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie Team while ranking second on the team in scoring (15.7 ppg). He's shooting 39.2 percent from long distance. Jon Axel Gudmundsson chips in 13.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest.

UP NEXT
Mason continues its A-10 homestand with a contest against Saint Joseph's on Wednesday (January 10) inside EagleBank Arena. Tip-off between the Patriots and Hawks is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the A-10 Network (subscription required). A free audio stream on GoMason.com also is available, with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

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