WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (6-5), American (4-7)
SERIES: Mason leads, 32-11
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team hosts American in a DMV showdown Tuesday night in Fairfax.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Eagles is set for 7 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena. Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Bill Rohland. In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason is riding a two-game win streak, which includes an 80-67 victory at SEC foe Georgia Saturday in Athens. Mason shot 51.9 percent in the game and limited the Bulldogs to 33.9 percent.

• Junior Josh Oduro led the Patriots with his second double-double in the past three games. He notched 20 points, 11 rebounds and a career-best six blocks. It marked his sixth 20+ point effort of the season.

• Oduro is one of just two players in the country this season to average 18 or more points, shoot 58 percent or better from the floor and tally at least 1.5 blocks per game.

• Graduate student D'Shawn Schwartz added a game-high 21 points, made 5-of-10 3pt attempts and chipped in five rebounds, three assists and two steals. It marked his fourth 20+ point game of the season and fourth game with 4+ 3pt FG . 

• Graduate student DeVon Cooper tallied 10 points (2-5 3pt FG), tied his career best with six assists, and scored the 1,000th point of his career in the win over the Bulldogs.

• Junior point guard Xavier Johnson returned from a two-game absence to notch a career-best nine assists while adding seven rebounds and six points, including a number of important late free throws down the stretch against the Bulldogs.

• The Patriots rank 37th nationally in effective FG% (.545), 42nd in 2pt FG% (.549) and 67th in 3pt FG% (.360) this season.

• Mason shot 42.3 percent (11-26) from deep at UGA and made 10+ 3-pointers for the first time since Nov. 19. The Patriots rank 34th nationally with 9.7 3pt FG made/game, the most in school history by a sizable margin.

• Mason dished out a season-best 23 assists on 28 field goals made at Georgia. It marked the highest assist total by a Patriot team since a Feb. 22, 2012 game at Northeastern (24).

• Mason dropped 80 points in Saturday's road win. The Patriots are 6-2 this season when scoring 70+ points, but 0-3 when failing to reach the 70-point plateau.

HISTORY vs. AMERICAN
Tuesday's game marks the 44th all-time meeting between Mason and American in men's basketball. The Patriots lead the series, 32-11, and are 18-4 at home, 11-7 at AU and 3-0 on neutral courts against the Eagles. Mason has won 14 of the last 15 in the series. The two foes battled as members of the CAA from 1985-2000. The Patriots swept the Eagles during Mason's 1998-99 NCAA Tournament season, including a 73-48 win in the CAA Tournament. The two teams have played six times in non-conference play since 2000, including a 75-35 win at the BB&T Classic during the 2006 Final Four season (12/5/05). Mason and American last met on Dec. 7, 2019, with the Patriots picking up a 68-53 victory inside EagleBank Arena. Then-freshman Xavier Johnson tallied 12 points and a career-high nine rebounds in that victory.

HISTORY vs. PATRIOT LEAGUE OPPONENTS
Mason is 71-33 (.683) all time against teams currently in the Patriot League. The Patriots' most common opponents are American (32-11), Navy (17-9) and Loyola (8-6). The Green & Gold are 7-4 against Bucknell. Mason last played a Patriot League foe on Dec. 7, when the Patriots defeated Navy 71-65 in EagleBank Arena.

HISTORY vs. TEAMS IN OUR NATION'S CAPITAL
Tuesday's game will be Mason's 126th against a Washington, D.C. college. The Patriots are 69-56 (.552) overall and 47-37 (.560) against Div. I, D.C. schools. The Patriots' most common opponents are American (32-11), GW (8-21), Gallaudet (11-4), UDC (6-12) and Howard (7-4). Mason has played Georgetown just once, with the Hoyas earning a 75-63 victory in EagleBank Arena on Dec. 3, 1985.

A LOOK AT THE EAGLES (4-7, 0-0 Patriot; KenPom 319, NET 329)
American was picked to finish fifth out of 10 teams in the 2021-22 Patriot League preseason poll. The Eagles are 4-7 to begin the year and have won two-straight contests over St. Francis (Pa.) (83-73) and at Mt. St. Mary's (72-66 OT). AU opponents shoot 50.3 percent from the floor on the year (349th nationally in FG defense) and the Eagles allow 79.2 points/game (335th nationally). Senior Stacy Beckton Jr. leads American in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (4.8 rpg) and shoots 37 percent from 3pt range. Sophomore Colin Smalls adds 10.3 points and a team-best 3.2 assists per contest, while sophomore Matt Rogers adds 10.0 points/game and shoots 65.8 percent from the floor.

UP NEXT
Mason's game vs. Coppin State scheduled for Thursday (Dec. 23) has been cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Eagles' program. The Patriots are actively looking for an opponent to replace the game on the schedule. If an opponent is not found, the Patriots will open A-10 play on Dec. 30 at VCU.