WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Kohl Center - Madison, Wis.
RECORDS: George Mason (7-5), #24/24 Wisconsin (9-2)
SERIES: First meeting
TELEVISION: Big Ten Network
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

MADISON, Wis. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (7-5) wraps up non-conference play with a Thursday night contest at #24/24 Wisconsin.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Badgers is set for 7 p.m. (ET). Thursday's game will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network, featuring commentary from Telly Hughes and Brian Butch. 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
• Mason is riding a three-game win streak, which includes a 67-44 triumph over American Tuesday in Fairfax. The Patriots held AU to 44 points, the lowest output by a Mason foe this season.

• The Patriots forced 17 AU turnovers and held a sizable 31-8 edge in points off turnovers for the game. Mason is now 5-0 when winning the turnover battle this season. The Patriots have posted a +6.7 average turnover margin during the 3-game win streak.

• Graduate student DeVon Cooper led the Patriots with a game-high 18 points and tied his career high with five triples on just seven attempts (.714). Cooper has scored 10+ points in 10 of 12 games this season and ranks sixth in the A-10 in 3pt FG% (.390).

• Graduate student D'Shawn Schwartz added 15 points vs. the Eagles. He's averaging a team-best 18 points and shooting 42.1 percent from beyond the arc over the past two contests.

• Junior point guard Xavier Johnson dished out a game-high six assists vs. American. He's averaging 7.5 assists and a 5.0 A/TO ratio (15a, 3 to) over the past two games.

• The Patriots rank 38th nationally in effective FG% (.545), 39th in 2pt FG% (.550) and 66th in 3pt FG% (.360) this season.

• Junior Josh Oduro ranks second in the A-10 and 33rd nationally in field goal percentage (.596). He is one of just two players in the country this season to average 17 or more points, shoot 58 percent or better from the floor and tally at least 1.5 blocks per game.

• The Patriots rank 34th nationally with 9.8 3pt FG made/game, the most in school history by a sizable margin. Mason has made 10.5 3-pointers per game and shot 38.9 percent from 3pt range over the past two contests.

• Mason gets 40.2 percent of its points from 3pt range this season (28th nationally) and 44.2 percent from 2pt range (315th nationally).

• Mason is averaging 20 assists over the past two games, highlighted by a 23-assist performance on just 28 made field goals at Georgia. That marked the most in a game by a Mason team since Feb. 2012.

• Mason shoots an average of 50 percent from the floor and 40.7 from 3 in wins this season, and 40 percent overall/30.1 percent from 3 in losses.

• The Patriots' original Dec. 23 home game vs. Coppin State was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Eagles' program on Sunday, Dec. 19. Mason then shuffled to schedule the game with the Badgers.

FLOOR GENERALS RETURN
Starting point guard Xavier Johnson battled through illness for three games in South Dakota and missed the following two contests at home vs. ODU and Navy. During that stretch, Mason averaged 12.0 assists and a 1.05 assist/turnover ratio while tallying a 1-4 record. Since X's return, along with fellow point guard Ronald Polite III from injury, Mason has tallied 20.0 assists, a 2.5 A/TO ratio and a 2-0 record.

PRODUCING AGAINST THE POWER 5
Mason has picked up two Power 5 road wins (Maryland, Georgia) this season for the first time in school history. The win against the Terps marked the program's first ever road win over a top-25 foe. With a victory Thursday, it would mark the first time in program annals the Patriots would claim three Power 5 wins in a season. Mason has won two games vs. Power 5 foes four times in school history (2005-06 Final Four season, 2007-08 NCAA Tournament season, 2015-16, 2021-22).

HISTORY vs. WISCONSIN
Thursday's matchup marks the first ever meeting between George Mason and Wisconsin on the hardwood.

HISTORY vs. BIG TEN OPPONENTS
Mason will play a Big Ten foe for the 31st time in school history Thursday. Mason is 6-24 all time against current members of the
conference. The Patriots' most common opponents are Maryland (1-9), Penn State (1-7) and Michigan State (1-2). The win over the
Spartans came in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament (75-65), sparking the Patriots'run to the Final Four. In the most recent
matchup with a member of the conference, Mason picked up its first ever win over Maryland, defeating the nationally-ranked Terps 71-66 on November 17 in College Park.

CRUISIN' USA WITH MASON BASKETBALL
Mason's trip to Madison marks the first time the Patriots have played a game in the Badger State. With the addition of America's Dairyland, the Patriots will have now played in 40 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 and Wyoming. Outside of the U.S., the Patriots have played regular season contests in the Cayman Islands, Mexico and Canada. Earlier this season, Mason checked another state off the list during a 3-game MTE at the Crossover Classic in South Dakota.

A LOOK AT THE #24/24 BADGERS (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten; KenPom 32, NET 32)
Wisconsin was picked to finish 10th in the Big Ten preseason poll, but the Badgers have exceeded expectations and are now ranked 24th in both the AP and Coaches polls. The Badgers won the Maui Invitational in November, which included a victory over KenPom #5 Houston (65-63). Wisconsin also opened Big Ten play with a 64-59 home victory over Indiana on Dec. 8. The Badgers feature a top-25 defense, allowing just 0.908 points per possession. Offensively, the Badgers are elite with ball security while turning the ball over on just 12.7 percent of possessions (3rd nationally). Sophomore Johnny Davis leads Wisconsin with 20.9 points/game (13th nationally) and is fourth in the Big Ten with 1.6 steals/contest. Senior Brad Davison adds 15.2 points/game and shoots 35.8 percent from 3pt territory.

UP NEXT
The Patriots open Atlantic 10 play with two road games. First up, Mason heads to VCU for a matchup at the Siegel Center on December 30. The 7 p.m. contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ and televised on MASN.