WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (3-0), JMU (2-1)
SERIES RECORD: Mason trails, 48-50 (.490)
LAST MEETING: Mason def. JMU, 66-53, on Dec. 7, 2018
TELEVISION: MASN
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF) 
TICKETS: Click here

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team will battle James Madison for the 99th time in program history Saturday when the two former conference rivals renew their feisty series.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Dukes is set for 7 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on MASN, featuring commentary from Bill Rohland and Craig Esherick. In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason (3-0) is off to its best start since 2013-14, when the Patriots began the campaign 4-0.

• Last time out, Mason took down NEC preseason favorite LIU, 80-74, on Wednesday night inside EagleBank Arena. Mason shot 53.3 percent in the second half and forced 15 LIU turnovers.

• Sophomore Jordan Miller exploded with a career-best 25 points (3-5 3pt FG), to go along with five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the win. After averaging 5.5 shots over the first two games of 2019-20, Miller took 18 (and made 10) vs. LIU.

• Redshirt-junior AJ Wilson chipped in 10 points (5-8 FG) vs LIU and is averaging 12.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg through three contests. Wilson is eighth in the country in blocks/game (4.3) and seventh nationally in block rate (18.2%).

• Sophomore point guard Jamal Hartwell II is averaging 12.0 ppg, shooting 41.2 percent from 3 and has committed just one turnover in 113 minutes (6.0 A/TO ratio thru 3 games).

• Freshman point guard Xavier Johnson is averaging 26.7 mpg and has scored 10+ points in two of three contests. 11 of his 13 points vs. LIU came in the final six minutes of play.

• Junior Javon Greene leads Mason in assists (3.3 apg), 3pt FG% (.444) and 3pt FG made (8). He's averaging 13.7 points, has scored 10+ points in all three games, and tallied 12 points (4-5 FG) and a team-high eight rebounds in the win over LIU.

• Mason is holding opponents to 39.9 percent overall and 26.4 percent from 3-point range through three games.

• In large part due to Wilson's efforts, Mason leads the A-10 in blocks/game (6.3) through three games this season.

• This season, 59.8 percent of Mason's points come from 2-point range (43rd nationally). Five Patriots (four starters) are shooting 50 percent or better from the floor overall this season.

• Through two games, Mason is grabbing an offensive rebound on 35.5 percent of missed shots (58th nationally) but allowing an offensive rebound on 36.6 percent of opponent misses (314th nationally).

HISTORY vs. JMU
The Patriots hold a 48-50 (.490) all-time record vs. the Dukes. James Madison is Mason's most common opponent over the program's 54-year history, as Saturday will mark the 99th meeting. Mason is 26-19 vs. JMU in Fairfax, 18-27 in Harrisonburg and 4-4 on neutral courts vs. the Dukes. The Patriots have won 22 of the past 24 games between the schools. In the most recent matchup, Mason won 66-53 in Fairfax on Dec. 7, 2018, behind 21 points from Otis Livingston II and a double-double (16 pts, 11 reb) from Justin Kier. Kier is from Grottoes, Va., just minutes from downtown Harrisonburg and the JMU campus. Two seasons ago, 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. That finish included four clutch free throws during one-and-one opportunities by then freshman Goanar Mar.

A LOOK AT THE DUKES (2-1, 0-0 CAA)
James Madison was picked to finish fourth in the 2019-20 CAA preseason poll and received four first-place votes. JMU has captured home wins over Charlotte (79-74) and Div. III Shenandoah (96-48), and dropped a 65-34 contest to No. 11 Virginia on Nov. 10 in Charlottesville. The Dukes have held opponents to 34.1 percent shooting and a paltry 20.2 percent from 3-point range over the first two games of the season. JMU is led by preseason All-CAA First Team selection Matt Lewis, who paces the Dukes in scoring (14.4 ppg), rebounding (10.0 rpg) and assists (3.7 apg). Four Dukes average double figure scoring totals, including Zach Jacobs (11.7 ppg), Michael Christmas (10.3 ppg) and Deshon Parker (10.0 ppg).

HISTORY vs. IN-STATE DIV. I OPPONENTS
Saturday's game marks the 395th all-time game for Mason against an in-state, Div. I foe. The Patriots are 184-210 (.467) vs. Commonwealth opponents over the past 53 seasons. Harkening back to its CAA history, Mason's most common in-state opponents are James Madison (48-50), William & Mary (40-28), Richmond (25-37), VCU (20-41) and Old Dominion (21-36). This season, Mason will host the Dukes and play home-and-homes with A-10 Virginia schools Richmond and VCU. Mason already defeated Longwood 76-65 on November 8.

UP NEXT
Mason plays the final game in its season-opening homestand Tuesday when the Patriots battle Loyola (Md.). Tip-off against the Greyhounds is scheduled for 7 p.m.