WHERE: Siegel Center - Richmond, Va.
WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (12-8, 4-3), VCU (15-5, 6-1)
SERIES: VCU leads, 45-22
TELEVISION: MASN
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (12-8, 4-3) heads down I-95 for a Wednesday night affair vs. VCU (15-5, 6-1) inside the Siegel Center.
Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on MASN and streamed on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Sean Robertson and John Feinstein. In addition, Bill Rohland will handle play-by-play duties on the GoMason Digital Network, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. (ET).
PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are coming off a 79-72 win at Rhode Island Saturday. Mason shot an A-10 season-best 54.5 percent against URI's top-75 effective field goal defensive unit and knocked down 9-of-20 3-pointers (.450).
• Senior
Josh Oduro led Mason with 24 points (10-15 FG), 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks at URI. He is averaging 21.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists over Mason's past five games.
• Graduate guard
DeVon Cooper added a season-best 20 points and tied his career high with five 3-pointers on just eight attempts. It marked his 11th game with 10+ points this season.
• Junior
Ronald Polite III dished out a game-high eight assists and added seven points and five rebounds. He's averaging 13.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists in A-10 play.
• With the victory over URI, Mason improved to 7-1 when it shoots 50 percent or better from the floor and 8-3 when the team scores 70+ points.
• Mason ranks second in the A-10 and 54th nationally in 3pt FG percentage (.368). The Patriots are shooting 43.6 percent (17-39) from deep over the past two games.
• Oduro paces the A-10 and ranks 23rd nationally with eight double-doubles this season. He leads the A-10 with 10.9 rebounds/contest in league play and is fourth in scoring (18.6 ppg). He's also averaging 5.2 offensive rebounds/game over the past five contests. Oduro leads the league in offensive boards/contest in A-10 play (4.14).
• With his second rebound vs. GW on Jan. 16, Oduro became just the fourth player in school history with 1,000 career points, 600 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 assists.
• Amongst players nationally 6-foot-9 and above, Oduro ranks seventh in assists (60).
• Graduate guard
Victor Bailey Jr. is shooting a sizzling 56.4 percent (31-55) from 3pt range over the past 11 games.
• The Patriots rank 26th nationally in effective field goal percentage (.543), marking Mason's most efficient shooting mark in the KenPom era (2001-23).
• George Mason is 10-1 at home this season and 20-5 inside EagleBank Arena under head coach
Kim English. Mason's 10-0 home start was the program's best since 2010-11.
• The Patriots are 10-2 in weekend games this season (Friday-Sunday) and 2-6 in games played Monday-Wednesday.
HISTORY vs. VCU
Wednesday's game marks the 68th all-time meeting between old CAA and current A-10 foes George Mason and VCU. Mason is 13-15 at home, 8-23 on the road and 1-7 on neutral courts vs. VCU (22-45 overall). The Patriots have won three of the past five matchups at the Siegel Center. VCU won both meetings last season, including an 85-70 victory in Fairfax on Feb. 12 and a 72-66 win in Richmond on Feb. 23. Senior
Josh Oduro is averaging 19.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and shooting 61.8 percent over his last three contests vs. the Rams.
A LOOK AT THE RAMS (15-5, 6-1 A-10; NET #78, KenPom #79)
VCU was picked to finish third in the A-10 Preseason Poll. The Rams went 9-4 in the non-conference with top-100 wins over Pittsburgh (71-67) and Vanderbilt (70-65). VCU has won six of its first seven league games, including a victory over archrival Richmond (74-62) on Friday night at the Robins Center. VCU sports its usual brand of defensive-minded ball this season. The Rams give up just 0.946 points/possession (29th nationally) and force 17.7 turnovers/game (12th nationally). VCU also leads the A-10 and ranks 18th in the country with 9.4 steals/contest. Brandon Johns Jr. leads the team with 12.5 points per game, while Ace Baldwin ranks 11th nationally with 5.9 assists/game and is 12th in steals/contest (2.4). He also chips in 12.1 points/game and shoots 42.9 percent from 3pt range. Jamir Watkins adds 10.5 points/game.
UP NEXT
George Mason returns home for a nationally-televised Sunday matinee vs. Saint Joseph's. Tip-off between the Patriots and Hawks inside EagleBank Arena is set for 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on USA Network.