WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum - Athens, Ga.
RECORDS: George Mason (5-5), Georgia (4-5)
SERIES: First meeting
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team heads to SEC Country for a Saturday night matchup vs. Georgia in Athens.
Tip-off inside Stegeman Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on SECN+ and ESPN+, featuring commentary from Jeff Dantzler and Mark Slonaker. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.
PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots last played on Dec. 7, when Mason picked up a 71-65 win over top-125 foe Navy.
• Junior
Josh Oduro led Mason with his first-ever 30+ point game. The Preseason All-A-10 Third Team selection poured in 32 points (11-16 FG) to go along with seven rebounds, a season-best three assists and two steals.
• It marked Oduro's fifth game with at least 20 points this season. He ranks second in the A-10 in FG% (.609) and is third in scoring (18.1 ppg).
• Junior Davonte "Ticket" Gaines chipped in 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds vs. the Midshipmen. It marked his seventh game with at least nine rebounds this season. He ranks second in the A-10 in both rebounding (8.5/gm) and double-doubles (3).
• Graduate student
DeVon Cooper has scored 12+ points in eight of 10 games this season. He is just nine points away from 1,000 for his career.
• Mason is 40th nationaly with 9.6 3-pointers made per game this season. That's the most in school history by a substantial margin. Rick Barnes' 1987-88 squad ranks second in Patriot annals with 7.38 3pt FGM/game.
• The Patriots rank 50th nationally in effective FG% (.538), 53rd in 2pt FG% (.544) and 92nd in 3pt FG% (.354) this season.
• The Patriots are 5-2 this season when scoring 70+ points, but 0-3 when failing to reach the 70-point plateau.
• The turnover battle has been key in a number of Patriot affairs this season. Mason averages 13.4 turnovers/game (186th nationally), but has posted a 5-2 record when tallying more points off turnovers than its opponent. The Patriots have improved on their miscues in recent games, averaging just 9.7 over the past three contests.
• Saturday's contest marks just the third for Mason in 24 days after the Patriots opened the season with eight games in 16 days.
SCHWARTZ NAMED CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Graduate student
D'Shawn Schwartz has been named one of 30 national candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes excellence in four categories: character, community, classroom and competition. The list will be narrowed to 10 later this season. Other candidates for the honor include Buddy Boeheim (Syracuse), Eli Brooks (Michigan) and Myles Johnson (UCLA).
POINT GUARD BY COMMITTEE DURING RECENT HOMESTAND
Mason shooting guards
Jamal Hartwell II and
DeVon Cooper have juggled point guard duties over the past two games as
Xavier Johnson has missed time due to COVID-19 protocols and Ronald Polite continues to work his way back from injury.
HISTORY vs. GEORGIA
Saturday's game will mark the first ever between George Mason and Georgia in men's basketball.
HISTORY vs. SEC OPPONENTS
Mason is 5-6 (.455) all time against teams currently in the Southeastern Conference. The Patriots' most common opponents are Ole Miss (2-1), Mississippi State (1-1) and South Carolina (1-1). Mason's most famous SEC showdown came in the 2006 NCAA National Semifinal against eventual national champion Florida. In the most recent matchup with an SEC school, the Patriots fell at Auburn, 79-63, on December 3, 2017. Mason last defeated an SEC team in the Charleston Classic when the Patriots knocked off Ole Miss, 68-62, on Nov. 19, 2016.
A LOOK AT THE BULLDOGS (4-5, 0-0 SEC; KenPom 160, NET 178)
Georgia was picked to finish 14th in the 2021-22 SEC preseason poll. The Bulldogs are 4-5 to begin the season, highlighted by a 82-79 home win over KenPom top-40 foe Memphis on December 1. Offensively, the Bulldogs rank 81st nationally in 2pt FG percentage (.531) but just 272nd in 3pt FG percentage (.273). Georgia allows 1.014 points/possession on defense (184th nationally). Senior Braelen Bridges leads the Bulldogs with 12.7 points per game and ranks eighth in the nation in field goal percentage (.652). Point guard Aaron Cook adds 11.0 points per game and dishes out 6.8 assists per contest (8th nationally).
UP NEXT
Mason returns to Fairfax for a pair of home games to wrap up non-conference play. The Patriots play American on Tuesday (Dec. 21) at 7 p.m., then battle Coppin State on Thursday (Dec. 23) at 4 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena.
