FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University men's basketball team will take part in the 2021 Sanford Pentagon Crossover Classic this upcoming season in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
 
The Patriots will play three contests in the round robin event, scheduled for November 22-24. Mason will battle Pac-12 foe Washington, Mountain West power Nevada and mid-major stalwart South Dakota State.
 
"We're thrilled to bring our program to compete in the Sanford Pentagon Crossover Classic," head coach Kim English said. "I have always admired the work of Complete Sports Management. They annually run some of the best and most well-respected events in the nation. Our guys also are looking forward to playing at the Sanford Pentagon, one of the country's best and most unique basketball venues."
 
Nevada (68) and Washington (77) have averaged top-80 KenPom rankings over the past three seasons, while South Dakota State (108) has been a force in the Summit League.
 
The Wolfpack will look to win the Mountain West in 2021-22 while bringing back all five starters, including their top-3 scorers in Grant Sherfield (18.6 ppg), Desmond Cambridge Jr. (16.3 ppg) and Warren Washington (10.0 ppg). Nevada also will welcome two 5-star transfers in Will Baker (Texas) and Addison Patterson (Oregon) to a program which has averaged 24 wins over the past six campaigns.
 
The Huskies will be a roster in transition but filled with talent in 2021-22. In addition to returning senior Jamal Bey (10.3 ppg), Washington will welcome in four high-major transfers in P.J. Fuller (TCU), Daejon Davis (Stanford), Terrell Brown Jr. (Arizona) and Emmitt Matthews Jr. (West Virginia). Mike Hopkins also brings in a top-50 national recruiting class to Seattle.
 
The Jackrabbits return the bulk of their roster from a 2021 season in which the team tallied a 16-7 mark and 9-3 record in Summit action. That returning group includes Noah Freidel (16.0 ppg) and Baylor Scheierman (15.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg). SDSU has earned three NCAA bids over the last six seasons and won at least 22 games in four of those campaigns.

"This tournament presents an exciting challenge to compete against three outstanding programs. During my career as an assistant, I gained a ton of respect competing against these participants - Mike Hopkins, Steve Alford [at UCLA], and the South Dakota State program. The event will be a formidable early season test for our team."
 
In addition to the Sanford Pentagon Crossover Classic, Mason will announce the remainder of its non-conference schedule in the coming weeks.