WHEN: Monday, 9:30 p.m. (ET)
WHERE: Sanford Pentagon - Sioux Falls, S.D.
RECORDS: George Mason (4-1), Washington (2-2)
SERIES: First meeting
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (4-1) opens the Crossover Classic Monday night vs. Pac-12 foe Washington (2-2) in Sioux Falls.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Huskies is set for 9:30 p.m. (ET). Monday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from JJ Hartigan and Freddy Coleman. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 9:15 p.m. (ET).

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason is 4-1 to begin the season, highlighted by a win at #20/21 Maryland on November 17.

• Last time out, Mason narrowly fell at James Madison, 67-64. The Patriots shot an uncharacteristic 37.9 percent from the floor and committed 21 turnovers in the setback.

• Junior Davonte "Ticket" Gaines tallied his second-straight double-double while registering career highs in points (19) and rebounds (11). He also made a career-best four 3s on six attempts (.667). He's averaging 16.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and shootiing 61.5 percent from 3 over the past three games.

• Junior Xavier Johnson added 14 points and three assists while making a career-best four 3pt FG on seven attempts (.571). He  ranks fifth in the A-10 in assists/game (4.6) in 2020-21.

• Mason made at least 10 3-pointers for the fourth-straight game at JMU (12-33, .364). The Patriots are 12th nationally in 3pt FG/game (11.6), 29th in 3pt FG% (.411) and 14th in percentage of points which come from beyond the arc (45.1).

• Junior Josh Oduro ranks second in the A-10 in field goal percentage (.603) and is ninth in scoring (15.8 ppg). The Preseason All-A-10 Third Team selection also averages 1.6 blocks.

• Something's gotta give Monday. Washington ranks 11th nationally in offensive rebounds/game (16.5), while Mason limits opponents to offensive boards on 20.8 percent of possessions (33rd nationally).

• Mason's defensive emphasis has been apparent through five games, with all five Patriot opponents scoring less than 70 points. The Patriots rank 67th nationally in scoring defense (60.8 ppg) and 79th in FG percentage defense (.384). Mason also is eighth in the country in opponent free throw rate.

• Graduate student D'Shawn Schwartz has posted 11+ points in four of five games and is fourth in the A-10 in both 3pt FG made/game (3.2) and 3pt FG percentage (.471).

• The Patriots will look to clean up their turnover trend in Sioux Falls. Mason has committed at least 14 turnovers in four of five games.

• Mason is in the midst of a five-game stretch away from EagleBank Arena which features two away contests and three neutral site affairs.

• The Patriots also play Nevada Tuesday and South Dakota State Wednesday in the Crossover Classic. Mason has won five of its past six November tournament games, including a 3-0 mark en route to the 2019 Cayman Islands Classic title.

• The Patriots are receiving one vote in this week's AP Top 25 poll.

CRUISIN' USA WITH MASON BASKETBALL
Mason's trip to Sioux Falls for the Mammoth Sports Construction Crossover Classic marks the first time the Patriots have played games in the state of South Dakota. With the addition of the Mount Rushmore State, the Patriots will have now played in 39 of the 50 states, as well as two U.S. territories (Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia. Mason has yet to play games in Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Outside of the U.S., the Patriots have played regular season contests in the Cayman Islands, Mexico and Canada.

HISTORY vs. WASHINGTON
Monday's contest marks the first ever matchup between George Mason and Washington in men's basketball.

HISTORY vs. PAC-12 PROGRAMS
The Patriots will play their seventh all time game against a program from the Pac-12 Conference on Monday. Mason is 1-5 all time against schools which currently are members of the league. The Patriots have suited up against Colorado (1-1), Oregon (0-1), Oregon State (0-1), UCLA (0-1) and USC (0-1). Mason's matchup against the Ducks came on March 23, 2004 in the NIT Round of 16 in Eugene. The Patriots' win over Colorado came against the Chauncey Billups-led Buffaloes on December 7, 1996. Mason claimed an 85-81 victory inside EagleBank Arena when CU still competed in the Big 12.

A LOOK AT THE HUSKIES (2-2, 0-0 PAC-12; KenPom 139)
Washington was picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams in the 2021-22 Pac-12 Preseason Poll. The Huskies are 2-2 to begin the year, with wins over Northern Arizona (73-62) and Texas Southern (72-65) and losses to Northern Illinois (71-64) and Wyoming (77-72, OT). Washington ranks 81st nationally in defensive efficiency (0.949 points/possesssion) but is struggling on the offensive end while shooting 33.3 percent as a team and 24.1 percent from 3-point range. Grad student Terrell Brown Jr. leads the team and ranks second in the Pac-12 in scoring (20.8 ppg), while senior Jamal Bey is at 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Senior Emmitt Matthews Jr. chips in 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Brown Jr. also dishes out  a team-best 4.0 assists per contest.

UP NEXT
Mason plays the second of two games in the Crossover Classic. The Patriots will take on Nevada on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT in the Sanford Pentagon. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.