WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (4-6), James Madison (7-4)
SERIES RECORD: JMU leads, 50-47
LAST MEETING: Mason def. JMU, 76-72, on Nov. 29, 2017
TELEVISION: MASN
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ ($)
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network 
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
TICKETS: Click here

TOYS FOR TOTS: Help kids in need this holiday season by donating to Toys for Tots at the Men's Basketball game this Friday December 7th against James Madison. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Interstate truck at the South Entrance of EagleBank Arena!
GAME OF THE WEEK: Free Mason rally wigs for Mason students with valid Mason ID.
FACULTY/STAFF 50% OFF TICKETS: Mason faculty & staff will receive 50% off tickets with a valid Mason ID

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team hosts its most common opponent in program history - James Madison - on Friday night in EagleBank Arena.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Dukes is set for 7 p.m. Friday's game will be televised regionally on MASN. "Voice of the Patriots" Bill Rohland will handle play-by-play duties while Craig Esherick will provide color commentary. That broadcast also will be streamed on ESPN+. In addition on Friday, Steve Kolbe will call an audio stream of the game on the GoMason Digital Network. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:45 p.m.

HISTORY vs. JAMES MADISON
The Patriots hold a 47-50 (.479) all-time record vs. the Dukes. James Madison is Mason's most common opponent over the program's 53-year history, as Friday will mark the 98th meeting. Mason is 25-19 vs. JMU in Fairfax, 18-27 in Harrisonburg and 4-4 on neutral courts vs. the Dukes. The Patriots have won 21 of the past 23 games between the schools. In the most recent matchup, Mason completed an improbable comeback to defeat the Dukes on Nov. 29, 2017 in Harrisonburg. The Patriots overcame a four-point deficit with seven seconds to play to take a 76-72 victory.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason has won 21 of the past 23 meetings with the Dukes.

• The Patriots are coming off a tight 72-67 setback to Vermont on Monday night in Fairfax. Mason held the Catamounts to just 33 percent shooting in the first half, but UVM shot a 65.2 percent clip in the second half to claim victory.

• Junior Justin Kier exploded for a career-high 32 points against the Catamounts on 12-of-15 shooting. He also matched his career high with four steals and grabbed four rebounds.

• Kier's 30+ point performance marked the first by a Mason player since Livingston II scored 30 vs. St. Bonaventure on January 31 last season.

• Among the A-10's top-10 field goal percentage leaders, Kier is the only guard on the list (10th; 56.0 percent, 51-91). He's averaging 23.5 points and shooting 75 percent from the floor (18-24) over the past two games.

• A-10 Co-Player of the Week Otis Livingston II was limited to six points (1-7 FG) and one assist while committing seven turnovers vs. UVM. He came in to the game with 17 assists, three turnovers and a 20.0 ppg average in the previous two contests.

• Livingston II needs just eight points Friday to jump from 10th to seventh on the all-time Mason scoring list.  

• In losses this season, Mason opponents are shooting 60.6 percent (94-155) in the second half, as compared to 39.0 percent (69-157) in first halves of losses.

• Mason had 16 turnovers vs. Vermont. The Patriots are 4-1 this season when they commit fewer than 15 turnovers and 0-5 when the turnover count is above 15.

Notable Career Averages vs. JMU (min. 2 games)
Otis Livingston II: 12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 34.4 FG% 36.4 3pt FG% (3 games)
Jaire Grayer: 9.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 37.0 FG%, 37.5 3pt FG% (3 games)
Justin Kier: 7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 30.8 FG% (2 games)
Ian Boyd: 13.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 50.0 FG%, 66.7 3pt FG% (2 games)

HISTORY vs. CAA OPPONENTS
Mason is 220-162 (.576) all time against teams currently in the Colonial Athletic Association. The majority of those meetings came when the Patriots competed in the CAA from 1985-2013. The Patriots' most common CAA opponents are James Madison (47-50), William & Mary (40-28) and UNC Wilmington (40-31). Mason defeated William & Mary, 87-84, in Williamsburg on Dec. 1 this season.

HISTORY vs. IN-STATE DIV. I OPPONENTS
Friday's game marks the 389th all-time game for Mason against an in-state, Div. I foe. The Patriots are 181-207 (.466) vs. Commonwealth opponents over the past 53 seasons. Harkening back to its CAA history, Mason's most common in-state opponents are James Madison (47-50), William & Mary (40-28), Richmond (24-36), VCU (20-39) and Old Dominion (21-36).

A LOOK AT THE DUKES (7-4, 0-0 CAA; KenPom No. 200)
James Madison was picked to finish sixth in the 2018-19 CAA preseason poll. The Dukes have won seven of their first 11 games, including road victories at East Carolina (73-72) and Charlotte (74-69) and a home win against Radford (73-66).Senior Stuckey Mosley leads the Dukes with 16.8 ppg and is shooting 40.7 percent from 3-point range. Darius Banks (14.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Matt Lewis (14.2 ppg, 2.8 apg) also average double figures for JMU.

UP NEXT
Mason takes a two-week competitive hiatus for the University's final exam period. The Patriots return to action on Friday, December 21, with a contest against Patriot League foe Navy. Tip-off between Mason and Navy is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

#GetPatriotic