WHEN: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: John Gray Gymnasium - George Town, Grand Cayman
RECORDS: Mason (6-1), Nebraska (3-2)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
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GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman - The George Mason University men's basketball team (6-1) continues play in the 2019 Cayman Classic Tuesday night with a semifinal contest against Big Ten foe Nebraska.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Cornhuskers inside John Gray Gymnasium is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday's game will be broadcast on FloHoops, featuring commentary from Scott Galetti and Kyle Youmans. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game live on the GoMason Digital Network. Streaming coverage will begin at 7:15 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
* Depending on the outcome of Tuesday's games, Mason willeither face New Mexico State or USF Wednesday. A win vs. the Huskers would send the Patriots to the championship game (7 p.m.), while a loss would relegate Mason to the 3rd/4th place game (5 p.m.).

* Mason is 6-1 for the first time since 2007-08. The Patriots began the year 5-0 for the first time in school history, before falling to then-No. 6/7 Maryland on Friday.

* The Patriots opened the Cayman Classic with a 60-53 win over Old Dominion Monday. Mason held ODU to just 28.6 percent (8-28) shooting in the second half and 35.8 percent overall (19-53).

* ODU entered the game ranked 10th in the nation in offensive rebounding (14.0/game). Mason held the Monarchs to just three offensive boards and 0 second chance points.

* Javon Greene led Mason with a season-high 19 points (5-10 FG) to go along with seven rebounds and two steals. He's posted 10+ points in all seven games this season.

* Greene leads Mason in assists (2.9 apg), 3pt FG made (18) and steals/game (1.7) and is second in rebounding (7.3 rpg).

* AJ Wilson added 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks vs. ODU. He is averaging 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks over the past two contests.

* Mason has held its opponent under 40 percent shooting in four games and under 30 percent from 3-point range in five games this season. The Patriots are 26th nationally in 3pt FG defense (.259).

* Five different players have led the team in scoring through seven games and four Patriots average at least 12.1 points per game.

* 2019 A-10 Most Improved Player Justin Kier returned to action for the first time this season vs. ODU (4 min, 0-1 FG, 2 reb). He is continuing to recover from a stress fracture in his foot and will look to make gradual minutes progression in the coming weeks.

* With his three blocks vs. ODU, AJ Wilson is now tied with Byron Tucker (1989-92) for eighth place on the all-time Mason blocks list (97).

HISTORY vs. BIG TEN OPPONENTS
Mason will play its second Big Ten opponent in three games Tuesday when the Patriots battle Nebraska. Mason is 4-24 all time against current members of the conference. The Patriots' most common opponents are Maryland (0-9), Penn State (1-7) and Michigan State (1-2). The win over the Spartans came in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament (75-65), sparking the Patriots' run to the Final Four. Mason defeated Penn State in Coach Paulsen's second season in Fairfax (2016-17), dominating the Nittany Lions, 85-66, in Happy Valley on Dec. 7, 2017.

A LOOK AT THE CORNHUSKERS (3-2, 0-0 BIG TEN; KenPom No. 136)
Nebraska was picked to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the 2019-20 Big Ten preseason poll. The Huskers are 3-2 to begin the year under first year head coach Fred Hoiberg. Nebraska opened the Cayman Classic with a 82-71 win over Washington State on Monday. Nebraska, along with future Mason opponent TCU, leads the nation with 14 new players on its 2019-20 roster as compared to last season's edition. Stephen F. Austin/Salt Lake Community College transfer Cam Mack leads Nebraska with 14.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. GW transfer Jervay Green adds 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds/game. Four Huskers average at least 10 points this season.

NOVEMBER NON-CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS UNDER PAULSEN
Mason has posted a 5-6 record in November non-conference tournaments under head coach Dave Paulsen. The Patriots went 2-1 in the 2015 Charleston Classic (W vs. Ole Miss, W vs. Oklahoma State, L vs. No. 6 Virginia) and reached the championship game where they fell to the top-10 Cavaliers. Mason also has played in the Gulf Coast Showcase in 2016 (2-1), Cancun Challenge in 2017 (0-2) and Emerald Coast Classic in 2018 (0-2). The Patriots were competitive in last season's event against a pair of KenPom top-35 teams. In the second game against Baylor, Mason trailed by just one at the half and was within four with eight minutes to go. The Bears would go on to defeat Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament en route to a berth in the Round of 32 (L vs. #1 seed Gonzaga). Mason's first opponent at Emerald Coast, Cincinnati, also advanced to the Big Dance as a No. 7 seed in 2019. Mason opened the 2019 Cayman Islands Classic with a 60-53 triumph over Old Dominion
 
UP NEXT
Mason will play either New Mexico State or the University of South Florida on Wednesday to wrap up the Cayman Islands Classic. With a win over Nebraska, Mason would advance to the championship game at 7:30 p.m. With a setback to the Cornhuskers, Mason would play in the 3rd/4th place game at 5 p.m.