WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: UD Arena - Dayton, Ohio
RECORDS: George Mason (8-7, 4-5), Dayton (10-5, 6-4)
SERIES RECORD: Mason trails, 3-9
LAST MEETING: Dayton def. Mason, 74-65, on Jan 2, 2021 in Dayton, Ohio
TELEVISION: ESPN2
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
GAME PROGRAM: Click here

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team returns to Dayton for the second time this season to take on the Flyers as part of the A-10's ESPN Friday Night Showcase.

Tip-off between the programs is set for 7 p.m. inside UD Arena. Friday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2, featuring commentary from Mike Corey and Seth Greenberg. It will mark Mason's first appearance on ESPN2 since the Charleston Classic Championship game in November 2015. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• George Mason returns to Dayton for the second time this season to take on the Flyers as part of the A-10's ESPN Friday Night Showcase. 
 
• Mason last suited up on Jan. 30, when the Patriots dropped an 84-67 contest at St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies shot 61 percent in the game and held the Patriots to 39.7 percent. Mason's 67 points against SBU's 12th-ranked scoring defense marked the highest output by a Bonnies opponent in A-10 play this season. 
 
• Mason made 7 of 13 3-pointers in the second half vs. SBU and shot 41.7 percent (10-24) from deep for the game. The Patriots are shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc over the past two games (18-44). Mason shoots 39.3 percent from 3 in road games this season, but just 28.1 percent in home games. 
 
• The Patriots are second in the A-10 in 3pt FG percentage in league play (.349).
 
• Junior Jordan Miller led Mason with 19 points (3-4 3pt FG) against the Bonnies. He's averaging 19.0 ppg over the last four games. Miller averages 20.0 points and shoots 52.8 percent from 3 (19-36) in road/neutral site games this season.  
 
• Tyler Kolek notched 17 points (4-10 3pt FG) at SBU and dished out four assists. Kolek leads the A-10 in scoring amongst freshmen (11.0 ppg) and is fourth in the conference overall in 3pt FG made/game (2.5).  He leads Mason in assists (2.3/game) and is shooting 36.1 percent from 3-point range in A-10 play. 
 
• On Jan. 30, AJ Wilson became the second Mason player to record 200 blocks in a career. He is 11 away from tying George Evans for first on the school's all-time blocks list. Wilson is fifth in the nation in career blocks and 16th in the country in blocks/game this season (2.6). He leads the A-10 in blocks/game in 2020-21.
 
• Javon Greene ranks sixth on Mason's all-time steals list (150) and is just three away from leapfrogging Myron Contee and John Niehoff to claim solo fourth on the all-time Patriot ledger. Nationally, he is 34th in career thefts. 

• The Patriots rank 333rd nationally in free throw percentage (.611). On the other end, Mason opponents shoot 71.9 percent from the line. Amongst Patriot starters, Jordan Miller, Javon Greene and Tyler Kolek combine to shoot 77.7 percent from the charity stripe (94-121), but AJ Wilson and Josh Oduro make a combined 47.7 percent (32-67) of their attempts. 
 
• The Patriots are 6-0 when scoring 70+ points this season but just 2-7 when failing to hit the 70-point plateau. Mason is 5-0 when holding its opponent under 40 percent shooting.
 
• After relying on the 3-ball during the non-conference slate, Mason now ranks third in the A-10 in percentage of points coming from inside the arc (.557) in league play.
 
• In Mason's last three losses, the Patriots are giving up 80.3 points/game and allowing opponents to shoot 52.6 percent from the floor. The Patriots are shooting 38.8 percent in those contests.

HISTORY vs. DAYTON
Friday's matchup marks the 13th all-time meeting between Mason and Dayton. Dayton holds a 9-3 advantage in the series, although the teams have split the past four matchups. The Flyers have won six of eight meetings in A-10 play and are 5-1 against the Patriots at UD Arena. The programs also played a four year home-and-home series from 2007-2010, before the Patriots joined the A-10 in 2013-14. 
 
Earlier this season, Mason fell to the Flyers, 74-65, on Jan. 2 in UD Arena. Mason trailed by 18 (32-14) in the first half, but used a 30-9 run to take a five-point lead in the second half. The game was tied (63-63) with 2:41 left, but Mason could muster just one basket over the final stretch as the Flyers held on for the win. Four Patriots scored in double figures, led by freshman Tyler Kolek, who scored a team-high 16 points (6-11 FG, 4-9 3pt FG) and dished out three assists. Jordan Miller added 15 points, five rebounds and two assists, while AJ Wilson tallied 13 points (6-12 FG) and two blocks. Javon Greene also chipped in 13 points (3-6 3pt FG) to go along with six rebounds.
 
Select Career Averages vs. Dayton (Min. 3 games played)
Jordan Miller (3 games): 11.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 40.0 FG% (12-30), 36.4 3pt FG% (4-11)
AJ Wilson (3 games): 11.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 48.3 FG% (14-29), 40.0 3pt FG% (2-5)
Javon Greene (4 games): 8.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 40.7 FG% (11-27), 35.3 3pt FG% (6-17)
Jamal Hartwell II (3 games): 4.7 ppg, 38.5 FG% (5-13), 16.7 3pt FG% (1-6)
 
A LOOK AT THE FLYERS (10-5, 6-4 A-10, NET #90, KenPom #82)
Dayton was picked to finish third in the A-10 preseason poll and received a pair of first place votes. The Flyers went 4-1 in non-conference play, including KenPom top-75 wins over Ole Miss (65-62) and Mississippi State (85-82). The lone loss came by two at home to KenPom #59 SMU (66-64). Dayton is 6-4 to begin A-10 play, highlighted by top-100 wins over Saint Louis, Davidson, Rhode Island and Duquesne. The Flyers also have lost to La Salle and Fordham. The Flyers rank third in the A-10 in field goal percentage (.502), but are second to last in turnover margin (-2.5). Dayton ranks 17th nationally in 2pt FG percentage (.563).
 
Preseason All-A-10 First Team selection Jalen Crutcher leads the team and ranks third in the A-10 in scoring (19.3 ppg), dishes out a team-best 4.5 assists per game (8th in A-10) and shoots 40.9 percent from 3-point range. Ibi Watson adds 15.2 points per contest and shoots 40 percent (36-90) from deep. Freshman Mustapha Amzil chips in 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. 
 
UP NEXT
Mason returns to EagleBank Arena for the first time since January 20 when the Patriots take on Fordham on Wednesday (Feb.10). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.