WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (13-7, 2-5), Rhode Island (14-5, 6-1)
SERIES RECORD: Mason trails, 4-5
TELEVISION: Stadium/MASN
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LIVE AUDIO: Click here
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GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF) 
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team hosts Atlantic 10 contender Rhode Island on Tuesday night inside EagleBank Arena.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday's game will be televised regionally on Stadium and locally on MASN, featuring commentary from Matt Martucci and Dr. John Gianinni. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage set to begin at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are coming off a 68-53 setback at Davidson Saturday. The Patriots held the lead (44-43) with 11 minutes to play, but the Wildcats closed the game on a 12-2 spurt to claim the win.

• Redshirt-junior AJ Wilson led Mason in scoring (18 pts) and blocks (5) vs. the Wildcats. Wilson has scored at least 16 points in four of the past five games and is averaging 9.0 rebounds per contest during that stretch.

• Junior Javon Greene cooled off vs. Davidson after averaging 35.5 points in his previous two games, but still chipped in 12 in 35 minutes. He's fifth in the A-10 in scoring (18.9 ppg) in league play and is third in steals (2.6 spg).  

• After missing two games due to illness, sophomore point guard Jamal Hartwell II returned in a limited role at Davidson and provided a spark off the bench. He tallied seven points (3-6 FG) in just 14 minutes of action. He provided a number of breaks for freshman Xavier Johnson, who had been playing nearly the entire game in Hartwell II's absence.

• Mason is 6-1 when scoring 70 or more points this season, but just 7-6 when scoring less than 70. After shooting 31.7 percent vs Davidson, the Patriots are 2-6 when not hitting at 40 percent or better from the field.

• In the seven games that Justin Kier played at least 10 minutes, Jordan Miller (29.1 mpg), Javon Greene (27.6 mpg) and AJ Wilson (24.7 mpg) all averaged under 30 minutes. In games when he DNP or played less than 10, the breakdown is as follows: Miller (31.5 mpg), Greene (33.7), Wilson (30.3).

• The Patriots rank fourth in the A-10 in league games with 8.0 steals per contest. In addition, after being out-rebounded in the first three A-10 games (-13.6 average margin), the Patriots have held the rebounding edge in each of the past four (+5.8 average margin).

• Greene averages a team-best 16.5 points in home games this season, while Jordan Miller averages 13.4 points and shoots 50 percent overall (59-118) and from 3-point range (17-34) inside EagleBank Arena.

• Mason is currently in a stretch of its A-10 schedule in which the Patriots play four of five games on the road.

HISTORY vs. RHODE ISLAND
Tuesday's matchup marks the 10th all-time meeting between Mason and Rhode Island. The Rams hold a 5-4 advantage in the series and had won five in a row before Mason's victory in 2019. Mason is 2-2 against the Rams in Fairfax. Last season, Mason put together one of its best efforts of the year in an 84-67 win in Kingston on January 13. Justin Kier led Mason with 19 points and Javon Greene added 15 (4-8 FG). The game also served as Jordan Miller's breakout debut, when he tallied 14 points (6-8 FG), two blocks and two steals in his first career game. It marked Mason's first victory over URI since the Patriots joined the A-10 in 2013-14.

A LOOK AT THE RAMS (14-5, 6-1 A-10; NET No.  47, KenPom No. 56)
Rhode Island was picked to finish fourth in the 2019-20 A-10 preseason poll. URI received six votes in this week's AP Top-25 poll. The Rams feature a top-40 KenPom defense and are allowing just 0.906 points per possession in conference play. The Rams get 57.6 percent of their scoring from 2-point range (20th nationally). Junior Fatts Russell leads the A-10 with 19.9 points/game and dishes out a team-best 4.6 assists per game while ranking second nationally with 3.16 steals/contest. Senior Jeff Dowtin adds 13.6 points/game while sophomore Tyrese Martin is at 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Senior Cyril Langevine averages 10.0 points, ranks third in the A-10 with 10.4 rebounds/game and grabs 3.74 offensive rebounds/contest (17th nationally).
 
UP NEXT
Mason hits the road for the first of three-straight road games. First up is St. Bonaventure on Saturday (Feb. 1) in Olean. Tip-off between the Patriots and Bonnies is set for 4 p.m. The game will be televised on Stadium and broadcast in the DMV on MASN.