WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (0-0), Navy (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 15-9
LAST MEETING: Mason def. Navy, 84-63, on Dec. 21, 2018, in Fairfax, Va.
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team opens the 2019-20 campaign against Patriot League foe Navy on Tuesday as part of Armed Forces Night inside EagleBank Arena.

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

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are 30-23 (.566) all time in season openers. Mason is 19-8 at home, 7-13 on the road and 4-2 in neutral site debuts. The Green & Gold are 1-3 in season debuts under head coach Dave Paulsen.

• The Patriots return 10 letter winners and three starters from a 2018-19 squad which won a school-record 11 A-10 games, captured a program-best five A-10 road victories and won an A-10 Tournament game for the third-straight season.

• Mason has averaged 9.7 A-10 wins over the past three seasons. The Patriots averaged 4.3 conference victories over their first three seasons in the league.

• The Patriots tuned up for the season with a 74-33 victory over Catholic University on Wednesday (Oct. 30). The Patriots held the Cardinals to just 19.1 percent from the floor (9-47) and 3-of-19 (.158) from 3-point territory.

• Three Patriots scored in double figures, led by sophomore point guard Jamal Hartwell II, who tallied 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He made 3-of-6 3-pointers in 21:42 on the floor.

• Redshirt-junior forward AJ Wilson chipped in 12 points (6-11 FG) and three blocks, while junior Javon Greene added 10 points, eight rebounds and a game-high four steals.

• Mason will be led  this season by senior guard Justin Kier, the 2019 Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player. A preseason All-A-10 second team selection, Kier is expected to miss the first portion of the season as he recovers from a stress fracture in his right foot.

• The Patriots will open the 2019-20 schedule with five-straight home contests. It's the most home games to start a campaign for the Green & Gold since 1996-97.

HISTORY vs. NAVY
Tuesday's matchup marks the 25th game between the two institutions in men's basketball. In the most recent meeting last season, the Patriots defeated the Midshipmen 84-63 on Dec. 21, 2018. Mason is 8-3 when facing Navy at home, 6-6 when traveling to Annapolis, and 1-0 at neutral sites. The Patriots and Midshipmen met twice in CAA Tournament play and split that pair of meetings in 1986 and 1991. The Patriots have won 10 straight in the series, although prior to last season, the two programs had not met since 1991. Prior to their CAA days, both schools participated in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference South (ECACS), beginning in the early 1980s. The two teams both entered the CAA in the same season (1985-86) and remained in the same conference for six years until the Midshipmen moved to the Patriot League in the 1991-92 season.
 
During the mid-1980s, legendary forward David Robinson battled against the Patriots. Throughout his junior and senior seasons, Robinson averaged 23.4 points and 14.0 rebounds against the Green & Gold. Robinson competed in nine career games vs. Mason. During his senior campaign, the Naismith and Wooden Award winner tallied 33 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for the Midshipmen in a Feb. 9, 1987 matchup with the Patriots in Annapolis.

A LOOK AT THE MIDSHIPMEN (12-19, 8-10 Patriot League; KenPom No. 310, NET No. 281)
Navy was picked to finish 9th in the 2019-20 Patriot League Preseason poll. The Midshipmen finished their last 10 games with a 5-5 record, including a first round conference tournament victory against American. Navy fell to conference leading-Colgate in the semifinals, who went onto win the conference. Although the Midshipmen lost their two senior leading scorers in George Kiernan (12.4 ppg) and Hasan Abdullah (10.1 ppg), the Midshipmen return junior guard Cam Davis (9.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg), senior center Evan Wieck (8.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and sophomore guard John Carter Jr. (8.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg). Navy struggled from the field last season, finishing 322nd in the nation in field goal percentage (41.0) and 311th in scoring (66.5 ppg).

ACTIVATING SUCCESS IN THE ATLANTIC 10
Over the last three seasons, George Mason has become one of the most consistent programs in the A-10. The Patriots are one of just four programs to post a league record of .500 or better in each of the past three campaigns. The other programs are Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure and VCU.

IT'S MILLER TIME!
Sophomore guard Jordan Miller returns to the Mason lineup after a stellar back-half of his freshman season. Initially expected to redshirt the 2018-19 campaign, Miller worked his way into the Patriot lineup after injuries challenged Mason's depth. The Middleburg, Va., product responded admirably, scoring 10+ points in nine of the final 12 games of the season. The ball hawk led Mason in offensive rebounds (64) despite playing just half the season. He tallied three double-doubles on the year, including a 14-point, 13-rebound effort at VCU on Feb. 2.

INJURY BUG BITES PATRIOTS EARLY
Mason will be without a senior for at least the first few weeks of the season as Justin Kier recovers from a stress fracture in his right foot. In addition, senior guard Ian Boyd is out for the season after having a surgical procedure on his right wrist. The two seniors have combined for  1,632 points, 799 rebounds and 280 assists over their three seasons in a Mason uniform. The bad injury luck carries over from last season, as Mason players missed a combined 48 games due to injury.

GREENE MADE MAJOR STRIDES IN SOPHOMORE SEASON
Javon Greene took a huge step forward during his sophomore campaign in 2018-19. After scoring in double figures five times in 33 games during his freshman campaign, Greene surpassed that number with 13 10+ point efforts in 2018-19. He shot 44.6 percent for the year (up from 35.4% in 2017-18) and grabbed 4.9 rebounds per contest. He  emerged as one of the team's top perimeter defenders on the other end of the floor and became nearly automatic from the free throw line, where he led the A-10 in FT percentage (.905).
 
UP NEXT
Mason returns to EagleBank Arena to host Big South foe Longwood on Friday (Nov. 8) as part of Mason Family Weekend. Tip-off in Fairfax is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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