WHEN: Friday, 2 p.m.
WHERE: Walter E. Washington Convention Center - Washington, D.C.
RECORDS: George Mason (1-0, 0-0), Belmont (1-0, 0-0)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
LIVE VIDEO (ESPN3): Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The George Mason University men's basketball team returns to action Friday with a game against mid-major power and KenPom top-100 opponent Belmont.

Tip off between the Patriots and Bruins is set for 2 p.m. Friday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3, featuring commentary from Jeremy Huber and Craig Esherick. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
* After playing at 8 p.m. Thursday, Mason will now play at 2 p.m. Friday. It's the Patriots' quickest turnaround since the 2016-17 Gulf Coast Showcase, when Mason played Houston (7:30 p.m.) and Kent State (1:30 p.m.) on back to back days.

* The Patriots opened 2020-21 with a 66-65 win over top-10 Div. II program Queens Thursday night. Mason trailed by five (65-60) with 3:55 to go, but held the Royals scoreless from there to take the win.

* Preseason All-A-10 Third Team guard Javon Greene led Mason with a team-high 19 points (5-8 FG, 8-9 FT) in the win, including two clutch free throws to put Mason ahead with under 20 seconds remaining.

* Sophomore Josh Oduro matched his career best with 13 points in the win (6-10 FG), while junior Jordan Miller added 11 points, including Mason's final two baskets of the game.

* Preseason All-A-10 Defensive Team pick AJ Wilson swatted five shots Thursday. With five more, he will tie Andre Gaddy and Mike Morrison for second on the all-time Mason blocks list.

* Wilson ranked sixth nationally in blocks/game (2.9) and set the Mason single season blocks record (92) in 2019-20. He was one of just two players in the country to post at least 90 blocks and 90 offensive rebounds.

* Mason turned it over 18 times vs. Queens but also forced 21 Royals miscues. A historically adept defensive rebounding bunch under Dave Paulsen, Mason surrendered 19 offensive rebounds to Queens and posted a -15 (25-40) rebounding margin Thursday.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Friday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3, featuring commentary from Jeremy Huber and Craig Esherick. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m.

HISTORY vs. BELMONT
Mason and Belmont will match up for the first time on the basketball court.

HISTORY vs. OVC OPPONENTS
Friday's game will mark just the ninth time in program history that Mason has played a current member of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Patriots are 6-2 all time against OVC teams, with the bulk of those meetings coming against Morehead State (3-1). The Patriots also are 2-0 against Austin Peay, including a 66-60 win in 2004 which sent the Patriots to the NIT Sweet 16. Lamar Butler made a Mason NIT record five 3-pointers in the victory. Last season, the Patriots earned a 66-60 victory over OVC member Jacksonville State on Dec. 3. Jordan Miller led Mason with 19 points (8-13 FG) in the win.

A LOOK AT THE BRUINS (1-0, KenPom #96)
Mid-major power Belmont was picked to finish third in the 2020-21 OVC Preseason Poll. The 2020 OVC champs, Belmont has captured 20+ victories in 14 of the past 15 seasons and earned nine NCAA berths during that span. The Bruins opened the season with a 95-78 victory over Howard Thursday. Freshman JaCobi Wood led Belmont with 21 points (8-14 FG), while junior Luke Smith added 20 points (7-11 FG). Preseason All-OVC picks Nick Muszynski (15 pts, 5 reb) and Grayson Murphy (14 pts, 13 reb, 7 ast) also were stellar for the Bruins.

MASON IN SEASON OPENERS
With the victory over Queens, the Patriots are now 32-23 (.574) all time in season openers. Mason is 20-8 at home, 7-13 on the road and 5-2 in neutral site debuts. The Green & Gold are 3-3 in season debuts under head coach Dave Paulsen and have won two-straight openers. Prior to Thursday, Mason had not opened the season at a neutral site since 2005-06, when the Green & Gold defeated UC Irvine in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Winston-Salem, N.C.

UP NEXT
Mason plays its final contest in the DC Paradise Jam on Saturday (Nov. 28). The Patriots will battle Howard at 3 p.m. inside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.