FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University men's basketball program will take part in the inaugural Atlantic 10/Mountain West Challenge Series during the 2020-21 season, when the Patriots travel to the Golden State to take on the Fresno State Bulldogs.
 
The Patriots and Bulldogs will match up on December 5, 2020 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. The contest will act as a homecoming of sorts for Mason point guard Jamal Hartwell II, who is from Inglewood, Calif.
 
"This game is a great opportunity to bring Jamal closer to home," head coach Dave Paulsen said. "We also appreciate the opportunity to showcase George Mason basketball in the talent and tradition-rich basketball state of California."
 
Next year's contest marks the second time in four seasons Mason will face off with Fresno State. The two teams also met in the 2017 Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
 
In the Mountain West-Atlantic 10 Challenge Series, two conferences will play ten games each season, with each league hosting five games per year. Games in the first year of the series will be held in all four continental U.S. time zones, spanning from coast to coast.
 
Matchups for each year are determined by the league offices based on a number of factors, including the previous year's records, NET rankings and team achievements, as well as projected rankings and anticipated strength of teams for the upcoming season. All 10 games in 2020 will be played during the first week of December, with television and digital rights residing with the host conference.
 
For the A-10, Davidson, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis and VCU will begin the challenge at home, while Dayton, Duquesne, George Mason, Richmond and St. Bonaventure will play on the road.
 
"We are looking forward to this partnership with the Mountain West Conference.  Intentionally stretching our scheduling footprint into four time zones is great for television exposure and brand expansion," stated Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "Non-conference games are important and these matchups will be highly competitive, exciting and fun for our fan base."
 
Announced in December of 2018, the Mountain West/Atlantic 10 Challenge Series, is a scheduling partnership that covers the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, with an option to extend the partnership for an additional two years, into the 2023-24 season.
 
2020 Atlantic 10 – Mountain West Challenge Series Matchups
Game times and television coverage to be announced at a later date
 
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020
Utah State at Davidson
 
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020
UNLV at VCU
St. Bonaventure at New Mexico
 
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020
San Diego State at Saint Louis
George Mason at Fresno State
Boise State at Rhode Island*
Air Force at Saint Joseph's
Richmond at Colorado State
Duquesne at Wyoming
 
Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020
Dayton at Nevada
 
About the Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 and consists of 14 diverse members across eight states and Washington, D.C. The mission of the Atlantic 10 is to provide an enhanced student-athlete experience through 21 nationally competitive championship sports. The basketball-centric conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for its student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The membership consists of Davidson College, the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University and Virginia Commonwealth University. For more information, visit www.atlantic10.com.
 
About the Mountain West
From its inception in 1999, the Mountain West has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the Mountain West continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. Now in its 20th year, the MW has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. The Mountain West membership is comprised of 11 all-sport members: the United States Air Force Academy, Boise State University, Colorado State University, Fresno State, University of Nevada, University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, San José State University, UNLV, Utah State University and University of Wyoming. In addition, the University of Hawai'i and Colorado College participate in the Mountain West as single-sport members in football and women's soccer, respectively.