WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: XFINITY Center - College Park, Md.
RECORDS: George Mason (3-0), #20/21 Maryland (3-0)
SERIES: Maryland leads, 9-0
TELEVISION: Big Ten 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 hits the road for the first time Wednesday to take on #20/21 Maryland in College Park.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Terrapins is set for 7 p.m inside the XFINITY Center. Wednesday's game will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network, featuring commentary from Jason Ross Jr. and Andy Katz. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:50 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots improved to 3-0 with a dominant 90-53 triumph over Morgan State Sunday  in EagleBank Arena.

• Mason has now opened the season with three 20+ point wins for the first time in school history.  The 37-point win over the Bears marked Mason's largest margin of victory since a 97-60 triumph over Longwood on Dec. 12, 2016.

• Josh Oduro tallied a game-high 22 points (8-9 FG), including a career-best three 3-pointers on three attempts. The junior garnered A-10 Co-Player of the Week accolades after an extraordinary start for Mason. He leads the league in field goal percentage (.714) and ranks third in scoring (19.3 ppg) through three games this season.

• Graduate student D'Shawn Schwartz tallied 17 points vs. Morgan State (4-9 3pt FG). He's averaging 17.5 points,  shooting 50 percent from 3 and making 4.0 triples per contest over the past two games.

• Junior Davonte "Ticket" Gaines filled the stat sheet Sunday with a career-best 15 points to go along with eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists. He leads the team and ranks eighth in the A-10 in rebounding this season (7.7 rpg).

• Junior point guard Xavier Johnson leads Mason in assists per game (7.0) and steals per game (3.0) this season. He ranks 33rd nationally in steals/game.

• Mason hit 15 3-pointers on 33 attempts (.455) against Morgan State. It marked the most triples made by the Green & Gold in EagleBank Arena in more than 20 years. Over the past two games, the Patriots are averaging 13.5 3pt FGM/game and shooting 45.8 percent from long distance.

• The Patriots rank 11th in the country in 2-point field goal percentage (.656) and 13th in  effective field goal percentage (.632), which accounts for the increased value of a 3-pointer. Mason is 18th nationally and second in the A-10 in overall FG percentage (.534).

• Mason's defensive emphasis has been apparent through three games, with all three Patriot opponents shooting below 40 percent and scoring less than 70 points. The Patriots rank in the top-75 nationally in scoring defense (57.0 ppg, 48th) and FG% defense (.358, 51st). Mason also is 33rd nationally in blocks per game (6.0).

• Mason will play its next five contests either on the road or at a neutral site.

PATRIOT TRANSFERS PERFORMING AT HIGH LEVEL
Mason's transfer class of 2022 is putting together impressive numbers so far this season. Graduate students D'Shawn Schwartz (Colorado) and DeVon Cooper (Morehead State), and junior Davonte "Ticket" Gaines (Tennessee), have combined to average 39 points per game while shooting a blistering combined 50.6 percent from the floor (41-81) and 45.5 percent (20-44) from 3-point territory.

"WE'RE GOING TO PLAY HARD AND WE'RE GOING TO PLAY FAST."
Kim English promised Mason Nation an up tempo style during the preseason and so far the Patriots are dictating the pace of games. Mason ranks 27th nationally in average possession length (14.7 seconds). By contrast, the Patriots ranked 124th in the category in 2020-21, 238th in 2019-20 and 158th in 2018-19.

HISTORY vs. MARYLAND
The Patriots and Terrapins will match up for the 10th time Friday. Maryland has won the previous nine matchups, although a number of them have been tight affairs. Mason hosted Maryland in its first ever season at EagleBank Arena, narrowly falling to the Terps 81-80 on Nov. 27, 1985. In the most notable meeting between the programs, Mason, a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament, nearly knocked off the third-seeded Terps on March 15, 2001, in Boise, Idaho. George Evans set the school record for points in an NCAA Tournament game, dropping 26 while nearly leading Mason to the upset. Maryland won the game, 83-80. The next season, Mason fell 69-66 in College Park on Dec. 27, 1999. The two teams have played three times on neutral floors - twice in the BB&T Classic in Washington D.C. (2004 & 2012) and once at the Chaminade Classic in Honolulu (1989). In the most recent matchup, the sixth-ranked Terps knocked off Mason, 86-63, on Nov. 22, 2019, in College Park. Then-sophomore Jamal Hartwell II tallied 13 points and three assists in the contest.

A LOOK AT THE #20/21 TERRAPINS (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten; KenPom 25)
#20 Maryland was picked to finish fifth in the 2021-22 Big Ten preseason poll. The Terrapins are 3-0 to begin the year, with home victories over Quinnipiac (83-69), George Washington (71-64) and Vermont (68-57). Maryland is outrebounding opponents by an average of 14.3 boards/game and the Terrapins rank 43rd nationally in offensive rebounds per contest. The team is holding foes to 39 percent shooting through three games. Former Rhode Island star Fatts Russell leads the Terps in scoring (16.3 ppg) this season, while senior Eric Ayala adds 15.3 points per contest. Junior and former Georgetown standout Qudus Wahab chips in 13.7 points/contest, shoots 70.8 percent from the floor and ranks eighth in the Big Ten in rebounding (9.7 rpg).

UP NEXT
Mason wraps up a two-game road swing with its 100th all-time matchup against James Madison. The Patriots and Dukes will square off in the new Atlantic Union Bank Center on Friday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington+ and FloHoops.