WHERE: Neville Arena - Auburn Ala.
RECORDS: George Mason (0-0, 0-0), #15/15 Auburn (0-0, 0-0)
SERIES: Auburn leads, 1-0
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GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team opens the 2022-23 campaign Monday night with a trip to the Plains to battle 15th-ranked Auburn.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Tigers is set for 8 p.m. (ET).

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are opening the season on the road for the first time since 2008-09.

• Mason has won two of its past three road contests against Power 5 foes. Under first year head coach Kim English in 2021-22, the Patriots won at No. 21/22 Maryland and at Georgia. The victory over the Terps marked Mason's first ever road win over a ranked foe.

• The Patriots are picked fifth out of 15 teams in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. That is tied for Mason's top preseason prognostication since joining the league in 2013-14.

• Senior Josh Oduro was named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team after garnering postseason first team accolades in 2021-22. He led the A-10 in scoring (17.7 ppg) and ranked third in field goal percentage (.529).

• Oduro became Mason's first individual conference scoring leader since George Evans in 1998-99 (17.2 ppg). His season average was the highest by a Patriot since Evans in 2000-01 (18.4 ppg).

• Oduro is one of three starters to return for the Patriots this season. Graduate sharpshooter DeVon Cooper also is back. He ranked 22nd in the nation in 3pt percentage (.409) last season. His 79 triples ranked fifth most in Mason single season history.

• Do it all guard Davonte Gaines also returns after ranking third in the A-10 in rebounding (8.1 rpg) a season ago. He also tallied 10.2 points per contest on efficient shooting numbers (.457/.402/.761).

• Mason welcomes a trio of impact graduate transfers, including projected starter Victor Bailey Jr. (Oregon/Tennessee), as well as point guard Saquan Singleton (New Mexico) and forward Ginika Ojiako (Virginia Tech).

• The Patriots made a school record 280 3-pointers in 2021-22 and ranked 23rd nationally in 3pt FG made/game (9.3).

• Taking care of the ball has been a point of emphasis for Kim English during the offseason. In 2021-22, Mason was a perfect 9-0 when winning the turnover battle, but just 5-12 when its opponent held the turnover edge.

• The 2021-22 Patriots posted their best KenPom (113) and NET/RPI (114) final rankings in a decade while putting together the program's most efficient offense (1.141 points/possession) since 2010-11.

• Heading into the 2022-23 slate, SI.com's Kevin Sweeney has the Patriots at No. 80 nationally, while CBS's Matt Norlander has Mason at No. 98.

• Mason will play at least four KenPom top-100 teams during its non-conference slate. That includes the opener at Auburn (13), neutral contests against Tulane (63) and Boston College (74) and a home tilt vs. MAC favorite Toledo (86).

MEDIA COVERAGE
Monday's contest will be broadcast on SEC Network+, featuring commentary from JJ Jackson and Joe Ciampi. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage commencing at 7:45 p.m. (ET).

HISTORY IN SEASON OPENERS
George Mason is 33-23 (.589) all time in season openers. The Patriots are 21-8 at home, 7-13 on the road and 5-2 in neutral site debuts. Mason has not opened the season with a true road game since an 80-79 win at Vermont on Nov. 15, 2008. The Patriots have won three-straight season openers and four of their past five.

HISTORY vs. THE SEC
Mason is 6-6 (.500) 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 won at Georgia last season, 80-67. In the Dec. 21 matchup in Athens, then-junior Josh Oduro led the Patriots with 20 points, 11 rebounds and a career-best six blocks.

HISTORY vs. AUBURN
George Mason and Auburn will meet for just the second time on Monday. In the only other matchup, the Tigers claimed a 79-63 victory on the Plains during the 2017-18 campaign. Mason trailed 25-3 after the game's first eight minutes, but the Patriots used a 14-2 first half run and an 11-0 spurt in the second to lead briefly in the final half (62-59) and stay within four (67-63) with four minutes left. The key to Mason's comeback centered around 3-point shooting. The Patriots made 7-of-13 triples in the second half and made 12 in the game overall.

A LOOK AT THE #15/15 TIGERS (0-0, 0-0 SEC; KenPom #13)
Auburn was picked to finish fourth in the SEC preseason poll. The Tigers are coming off an impressive 2021-22 season which featured a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, a top-10 national ranking and an SEC regular season title to go along with a 28-6 overall mark and 15-3 record in SEC play. The Tigers were a perfect 16-0 at home last season. That team featured the No. 3 pick (Jabari Smith) and the No. 22 pick (Walker Kessler) in this summer's NBA Draft.

A number of key pieces return to Auburn in 2022-23, led by junior Wendell Green, who averaged 12.0 points in 2021-22 and ranked third in the SEC with 5.1 assists per contest. He is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List. Fellow junior K.J. Johnson averaged 12.3 points and 1.9 steals. In addition, Bruce Pearl welcomes in Morehead State transfer forward Johni Broome, the 2021-22 OVC Defensive Player of the Year at Morehead State and former teammate of Mason guard DeVon Cooper. Broome is on the Karl Malone Award Watch List. Pearl's 2022 recruiting class also was ranked No. 19 in the nation, led by 5-star freshman Yohan Traore.

UP NEXT
The Patriots host 2022 Big South Champion Longwood Friday for the Patriots' home opener inside EagleBank Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Lancers are picked first in the 2022-23 Big South preseason poll.