WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (1-3), NC Central (1-3)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 1-0
LAST MEETING: Mason def. NC Central, 77-65, on Dec. 9, 2016
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ ($)
LIVE AUDIO: A-10 Digital Network 
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
TICKETS: Click here

GAME OF THE WEEK: FREE Paisano's Pizza for Mason students with valid ID
FACULTY/STAFF DISCOUNT: Mason Faculty & Staff can purchase tickets for 50% off with their Mason ID.

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team wraps up its opening round Emerald Coast Classic games with a Tuesday night matchup vs. MEAC power North Carolina Central inside EagleBank Arena.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Eagles is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+. An ESPN+ subscription, with access to all Mason home events and select away events, as well as NHL/MLB/College Sports and more, can be purchased for $4.99/month. In addition on Tuesday, "Voice of the Patriots" Bill Rohland's audio stream will be available for free via GoMason.com. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• After Tuesday, Mason will head to Niceville, Fla., for a Friday contest vs. Cincinnati (Nov. 23) on CBSSN. The second on-site Emerald Coast Classic game will be on Nov. 24 against either Baylor or Ole Miss.

• After Tuesday's contest, three of Mason's next four games will be either on the road or at a neutral site.

• Mason picked up its first win of the season Saturday (69-65) with a victory over Southern. Senior Otis Livingston II posted a season-high 17 points and dished out a team-high four assists.

• With his second assist, Livingston II passed Bryon Allen and moved into fifth on the Mason all-time assists list (now has 383 in his career).

• AJ Wilson posted personal bests in rebounds and minutes (27) en route to the second double-double (12 pts, 11 reb) of his career. He also tallied a season-high six blocks. He is sixth in the nation in blocks per game (3.7) and second in the A-10 in FG% (.714). He swats 15.3 percent of the shots he faces. That block rate ranks 14th nationally.

• Justin Kier added 11 points for the Patriots vs. Southern. He's scored 10+ points in three of four games and is shooting 52.8 percent (19-36) on the season.

• The Patriots have one of the most balanced scoring offenses in the nation. Seven student-athletes average between 12.8 and 8.8 points per game.

• The Patriots committed a season-low 13 turnovers vs. Southern. It was an improved effort after a season-high 21 turnover night at Georgia Southern. Mason ranks 13th in the A-10 in turnovers/game (16.8).

• Senior Jaire Grayer is shooting 50.0 percent from deep and averaging 4.0 3-point field goals made per game over the past two contests.

• A key to the Patriots' improvement over the rest of the non-conference schedule will be on the defensive end of the floor. Mason currently is 12th in the A-10 in scoring defense (78.3 ppg) and 14th in FG% defense (.496). Mason held Southern to an improved 42.2%.

HISTORY vs. NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
Tuesday's game marks the second all-time meeting between Mason and NCCU. The Patriots won the inaugural matchup, 77-65, on Dec. 9 last season in Fairfax. Otis Livingston II posted a team-high 17 points (7-10 FG, 3-3 3pt FG) while adding three assists. Justin Kier notched 14 points and five assists, while Goanar Mar added 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Jaire Grayer posted 10 points, a team-high eight rebounds and three steals. The Patriots shot 52.7 percent (29-55) from the floor in the game and held a +6 (37-31) edge on the glass.

HISTORY vs. MEAC OPPONENTS
Mason is 22-23 (.489) 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 Morgan State (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. Mason went 2-0 against MEAC foes last season. The Patriots also will face MEAC foe Morgan State on Nov. 28.

A LOOK AT THE EAGLES (1-3, 0-0 MEAC; KenPom No. 291)
NC Central was picked to finish second out of 12 teams in the 2018-19 MEAC preseason poll. The Eagles are 1-3 to start the year, with losses to nationally-ranked Clemson (51-71) and 2018 AAC champion Cincinnati (51-73). In the 2017-18 season the Eagles made their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance; their third in five seasons. NCCU returns all five of its starters from the 2018 tournament run. Among the returning players is senior Raasean Davis, who is ranked 27th in the nation in offensive rebounds. Davis was named to the preseason All-MEAC First Team. Randy Miller Jr. leads the Eagles in scoring, averaging 18.0 points per game. 2018 Second Team All-MEAC  selection Reggie Gardner Jr. also returns to the lineup, averaging 7.8 ppg.

UP NEXT
Mason hits the road for a Thanksgiving weekend berth in the Emerald Coast Classic. The Patriots open the event in Niceville, Fla., with a Friday (Nov. 23) matchup against Cincinnati. The 7 p.m. contest will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Mason will then play either Baylor or Ole Miss on Saturday (Nov. 24).