WHEN: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (12-5, 1-3), Richmond (13-4, 3-1)
SERIES RECORD: Mason trails, 25-37
TELEVISION: NBC Sports Network
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
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 (12-5, 1-3) returns to the Commonwealth Saturday for the first of two games this season against Richmond.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Spiders is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena. Saturday's game will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network, featuring commentary from Kenny Rice and Sydney Johnson. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 2:15 p.m.

• Less than two days after losing star senior Justin Kier (re-fracture of right foot), Mason struggled offensively in a 73-67 setback at George Washington Wednesday. The Patriots shot 38.1 percent, while GW hit at a solid 49 percent clip.

• Mason is now 11-0 this season when shooting 40 percent or better from the floor, but just 1-5 when making less than 40 percent.

• Redshirt-junior AJ Wilson led the Patriots with his third double-double of 2019-20 against the Colonials. He tallied 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks on the night.

• Wilson is third in the nation in blocks/game (3.71). He is fourth on Mason's all-time blocks list (135) and his 63 blocks in 2019-20 ranks third in single season history. With two more blocks, he will pass Mike Morrison and move into second on the single-season ledger.

• Wilson is averaging 17.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and shooting 48.1 percent over the past two games.

• Jordan Miller, who has scored in double figures in three of four A-10 games, tallied 12 points and six rebounds vs. the Colonials. He leads the A-10 in 3-point percentage (.484) through 17 games.

• Javon Greene is shooting 40 percent (10-25) from 3-point range in A-10 play and averaging a team-high 3.5 assists/contest. In league games, he is 4th in the A-10 in steals/game (2.3).

• Mason is shooting a much-improved 35 percent (21-60) from 3-point range over the past three games while averaging 7.0 3pt FG made per game. In the four games prior, the Patriots had shot a combined 27.2 percent (22-81) from deep while averaging 5.5 3-pointers per contest.

• In the four games prior to GW, Mason had struggled on the glass with an average rebounding margin of -12.7. The Patriots had an improved +5 (38-33) margin against the Colonials.

• Miller averages a team-high 14.0 points and shoots 52 percent from the floor (.538 3pt FG%) in home games this season.

• The Patriots ranked in the top-25 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage for much of the season (.266 thru 12 games), but over the last five games, opponents have lit it up from deep. In those five contests, teams are shooting 44.4 percent (44-99) against the Patriots and making 8.8 triples/contest.

• Mason opponents shot just 62.1 percent from the free throw line in non-conference play. In A-10 games, Patriot foes are at 79.7 percent from the charity stripe.

KIER RE-FRACTURES RIGHT FOOT
Justin Kier, the 2019 A-10 Most Improved Player, has had an unfortunate series of injuries affect his senior campaign. He sat out the first six games of 2019-20 as he recovered from a stress fracture in his right foot. He returned to action for three games in the Cayman Classic and two subsequent home games, before missing the Dec. 21 game vs. UMBC with a left ankle sprain. Then, after a four-game return, Kier re-fractured his right foot on Tuesday (Jan. 14) at practice. He will have surgery to repair the injury and there is no present timetable for his return.

HISTORY vs. RICHMOND
Saturday's game marks the 63rd all-time meeting between George Mason and Richmond in men's basketball (Mason trails 25-37). The Patriots are 15-11 vs. the Spiders in Fairfax and 8-19 in games played in Richmond (2-7 on neutral courts). Mason has won 12 of the past 16 meetings, including seven of the past nine, dating back to the old CAA years. Mason is 6-2 vs. Richmond under head coach Dave Paulsen. The two teams split a pair of meetings last season, with Richmond winning 81-67 at the Robins Center (Feb. 6) and Mason taking the rematch 77-63 in Fairfax on Feb. 27. Jordan Miller averaged 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and shot 72.2 percent from the floor in the two games last season, while Javon Greene tallied 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and shot 50 percent against the Spiders in 2018-19.

A LOOK AT THE SPIDERS (13-4, 3-1 A-10; NET No.  59, KenPom No. 77)
Richmond was picked to finish sixth out of 14 teams in the A-10 Preseason Poll. The Spiders earned non-conference wins over Wisconsin, Vanderbilt and Boston College. Richmond is 3-1 to start A-10 play, including wins against Rhode Island and Davidson. Per usual, the Spiders feature one of the nation's most efficient offenses (1.06 points/possession, 54th). But this season, Richmond also trots out a top-100 defense (0.96 points/possession, 98th). Leading scorer Blake Francis (17.6 ppg) is injured and will not play Saturday. In addition to Francis, Jacob Gilyard averages 13.9 points, is fourth in the A-10 with 5.5 assists/contest and is third nationally with 3.3 steals/game. Nick Sherod adds 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while Grant Golden is at 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

UP NEXT
Mason remains at home to play the first of two contests against the University of Massachusetts. Tip-off Wednesday between the Patriots and Minutemen is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.