WHERE: Capital One Arena - Washington, D.C.
RECORDS: #9 George Mason (14-15, 7-9), #8 Fordham (15-15, 8-10)
SERIES: Fordham leads, 8-5
TELEVISION: USA Network
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The ninth-seeded George Mason University men's basketball team opens the 2022 A-10 Championship Thursday afternoon against No. 8 Fordham in Washington, D.C.

Tip-off inside Capital One Arena between the Patriots and Rams is set for 12 p.m. Thursday's contest will be broadcast on USA Network, featuring commentary from Paul Burmeister and Tim McCormick. Leila Rahimi will handle sideline duties. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the A-10 Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are 4-0 all-time in the A-10 second round.

• Mason is led by Josh Oduro, who is the first player in program history to earn First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors. He led the league in scoring in overall (18.0 ppg) and league (19.0 ppg) games while ranking third in the conference in field goal percentage (.528).

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

• D'Shawn Schwartz earned All-Academic Team honors for Mason after putting together an exceptional season in the classroom and on the court. He ranked sixth in the A-10 in scoring in league games (16.8 ppg). In overall contests, he was third in the conference in 3pt FG percentage (.381) and fifth in 3pt FG made/game (2.59).

• DeVon Cooper ranks 25th nationally and second in the A-10 in 3pt FG percentage (.412). He's made at least three triples in 17 games and is shooting 53.3 percent (8-15) from deep over the past two games.

• After struggling from the 3-point line over the previous three games (.247, 20-81), Mason has returned to form from beyond the arc over the past two. The Patriots are shooting 38.9 percent (21-54) over those two contests.

• The Patriots rank 24th nationally and second in the A-10 with 9.4 3pt FG made/game. That's a school record by a sizable margin (7.3/game, 1987-88). Mason's 274 total 3-pointers this season is 44 better than the previous school record of 230, set in 2017-18. Mason gets 39.7 percent of its scoring from beyond the arc (16th nationally).

• Mason ranks fifth in the A-10 in assists/game this season (14.2/game). That's the highest average by a Patriot team since 2010-11.

• One of the A-10's best rebounding teams all season, the Patriots have struggled of late while winning the boards battle just once over the past eight games.

• With a victory Thursday, Mason would move on to play No. 1 seed Davidson on Friday at 12 p.m.

MASON CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Patriots have posted a 40-44 (.476) all-time record in conference postseason events, including a 34-34 record (.500) in the Div. I era. Mason was 4-8 in NAIA District 19 events and 1-2 in the Mason-Dixon Conference (Div. II), before joining the Div. I ranks (1978-79). In its Div. I history, Mason was 1-4 in ECAC South postseason contests and 29-23 all-time in CAA Tournament games. The Patriots are 5-7 all time in Atlantic 10 postseason contests. Mason has won A-10 second round games vs. Fordham in 2017, UMass in 2018 and George Washington in 2019 and 2021. Mason is 1-3 in the A-10 first round, 4-0 in the second round and 0-4 in the quarterfinals. The Patriots have won four postseason conference tournament championships in program history, all during the CAA era (1989, 1999, 2001, 2008).

HISTORY AS THE #9 SEED
The Patriots will enter the conference tournament as the No. 9 seed for just the second time program history. In the only other season as the No. 9, Mason fell to Richmond, 85-57, in the first round of the CAA Tournament in 1997.

HISTORY vs. FORDHAM
Thursday's matchup marks the 14th all-time meeting between Mason and Fordham. The Rams hold a 8-5 advantage in the series, although the Patriots have won five of the past seven matchups. The teams have met three times in the A-10 Tournament, with the Patriots winning the most recent matchup in Pittsburgh, 82-71 (OT), in 2017 in second round action.

In the most recent matchup between the programs, Fordham won 50-47 in the Bronx earlier this season on February 20. Mason led 45-41 with 7:31 to play, but the Patriots could convert only one field goal for the remainder of the contest, as Fordham closed the game on a 9-2 run to claim victory. Junior point guard Xavier Johnson led the Patriots with career bests in points (19) and 3-pointers made (5) while also grabbing three steals in 37 minutes.

A LOOK AT THE RAMS (15-15, 8-10 A-10; KenPom 184, NET 183)
Fordham was picked 14th in the A-10 preseason poll but finished eighth in the final standings on the strength of a strong league campaign. The Rams feature a top-50 KenPom defense (0.967 points/possession) but average just 0.957 points/possession on the offensive end (315th nationally). Fordham ranks third in the A-10 in steals/game (7.5) and forces 13.9 opponent turnovers per contest. (2nd in A-10). Darius Quisenberry leads the team and is third in the A-10 in scoring (16.8 ppg) and grabs 3.9 rebounds per game. Chuba Ohams adds 14.6 points per contest and ranks fifth nationally in rebounds/game (11.5) and double-doubles (20).

UP NEXT
With a victory, Mason would move on to battle the tournament's No. 1 seed, Davidson, on Friday at 12 p.m. The contest would be televised nationally on USA Network.