WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Saturday, 12 p.m. 
RECORDS: George Mason (10-7, 2-2), Davidson (9-8, 2-3)
SERIES: Davidson leads, 8-2
TELEVISION: ESPNU
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
TICKETS: Click here

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team returns to Fairfax for a two-game homestand, beginning with Saturday's matinee vs. Davidson.

TIp-off between the Patriots and Wildcats is set for 12 p.m. Saturday's game will be televised nationally on ESPNU and feature commentary from Joel Godett and Sean Harrington. In addition, Bill Rohland will handle play-by-play duties on the GoMason Digital Network, with pregame coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m. (ET).

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are coming off a 63-62 heartbreaker at Saint Louis on Wednesday night. Mason led 62-54 with 2:21 to go, but SLU closed the game on a 10-0 run to escape with the win.

• Mason limited SLU's potent offense well below its season average (77.1 ppg entering Wednesday) and held significant advantages in points in the paint (32-22) and rebounding (39-30) against one of the league's most dominating front lines.

• Josh Oduro proved vital in that effort, as the senior exploded for a season-high 26 points (7-11 FG), a career-best 15 rebounds, as well as two blocks and two steals.

• Oduro paces the A-10 and ranks 16th nationally with seven double-doubles this season. He has tallied a double-double in four of the past five games and leads the A-10 with 11.0 rebounds/contest in league play.

• Ronald Polite III added 12 points, five assists and four rebounds at SLU. He is averaging 14.5 points and a team-best 3.5 assists in A-10 play.

• Victor Bailey Jr. chipped in 11 points (4-6 3pt FG) Wednesday. He leads the A-10 and ranks eighth nationally in 3pt FG percentage (.483).

• George Mason is averaging 11.8 turnovers/game in conference play, compared to 14.5 in non-conference games. The Patriots are 6-2 this season when committing less than 15 turnovers in a game.

• Josh Oduro is averaging 6.5 offensive rebounds/game over the past two contests. He is second in the league in offensive boards/contest in A-10 play (4.00).   

• The Patriots are allowing 0.985 points/possession (94th nationally) and holding opponents to a 47.1 effective field goal percentage (67th).

• The Patriots are 9-0 at home this season and 19-4 inside EagleBank Arena under head coach Kim English. The 9-0 home start is Mason's best since its perfect 14-0 mark in 2010-11.

HISTORY vs. DAVIDSON
Saturday's matchup marks the 11th all-time meeting between Mason and Davidson. The Wildcats hold an 8-2 advantage in the series, including a 3-1 edge in Fairfax. In the most recent matchup between the teams, Davidson claimed a 73-62 last season in Belk Arena on March 2, 2022. Mason trailed by four at halftime (32-28), but Davidson used an extended 17-2 run across halves to go up 41-30 early in the second half. The Patriots could not move closer than nine for the remainder of the contest. Four Patriots scored 11 points to lead the offensive charge, including DeVon Cooper, who made 3-of-7 3-pointers. The group also included Josh Oduro (11 pts, 9 reb), and Davonte Gaines (11 pts, 7 reb).

A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS (9-8, 2-3 A-10; NET #167, KenPom #143)
Davidson was picked to finish sixth in the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. The Wildcats went 7-5 during their non-conference slate, including wins over South Carolina (69-60) and San Francisco (89-80). Davidson has won A-10 contests vs. Fordham (57-43) and Loyola Chicago (80-57). The Wildcats rank sixth in the A-10 in scoring (71.2 ppg) and give up 69.6 points/contest (ninth). Preseason All-A-10 First Team selection Foster Loyer leads the Wildcats with 16.1 points/game and is third in the A-10 with 4.9 assists/contest. Sam Mennenga adds 15.6 points/game and is seventh in the conference with 7.3 boards/contest.

UP NEXT
George Mason remains in Fairfax for a second nationally-televised contest in as many games. The Patriots will host George Washington for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day contest Monday afternoon. The 4 p.m. game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.