WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m. 
RECORDS: George Mason (12-10, 4-5), Massachusetts (13-8, 4-5)
SERIES: George Mason leads, 11-5
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team hosts Massachusetts Wednesday night as part of the program's annual Black/African Heritage Month game.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Minutemen inside EagleBank Arena is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Bill Rohland. In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

As part of the Black/African Heritage Month game celebration, Mason Athletics and the Green Machine wil honor Dr. Michael Nickens, aka Doc Nix, for his outstanding contributions to George Mason University and the athletics department.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are coming off a 79-76 setback to Saint Joseph's on Sunday in Fairfax. Mason had multiple chances to take the lead in the final minute but could not capitalize on the offensive end.

• Senior Josh Oduro dished out a career-best seven assists to go along with team highs in points (17) and rebounds (12). His nine double-doubles lead the A-10 and rank him 23rd nationally.

• Graduate guard DeVon Cooper tallied 12 points (4-8 3pt FG) and four assists. He is now just two assists away from 300 for his career. Meanwhile, point guard Ronald Polite III returned from a one-game injury absence to notch 12 points.

• Mason has been outrebounded just six times over 22 games this season. However, the Patriots have lost the boards battle in their two most recent matchups (SJU held a +7 edge). Mason is 1-5 in those six contests.

• SJU shot 50 percent (28-56) from the floor on Sunday. After locking down opponents for much of the season, the Patriots have struggled defensively over the past four games. During that stretch, opponents are averaging 75.3 points/game and shooting 47.5 percent from the floor (.382 3pt FG).

• Oduro leads the A-10 with 10.0 rebounds/contest in league play, is fifth in scoring (18.4 ppg) and 12th in assists (3.3 apg). Oduro also leads the league in offensive boards/contest in A-10 play (3.89).

• Oduro is 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 sixth in assists (68).

• Freshman Justyn Fernandez has performed well over the past five games. He is averaging 7.2 points, 19.8 minutes and made four starts during that stretch.

• Junior Malik Henry made his first start of the season on Sunday and tallied six points (3-4 FG) in 19 minutes. He is averaging seven points and shooting 65.6 percent over the past seven games.

• Mason leads the A-10 and ranks 52nd nationally in 3pt FG percentage (.367).

HISTORY vs. MASSACHUSETTS
Wednesday's matchup marks the 17th all-time meeting between Mason and UMass. The Patriots hold a 11-5 advantage in the series and have won 10 of the past 12 meetings. The Patriots are 4-3 all time against UMass in Fairfax. It's a popcorn worthy A-10 series, as 11 of the past 14 meetings have been decided by six points or less and five of the past 10 contests have gone to overtime.

The two teams split a pair of matchups last season. Mason won in Amherst, 72-62 on January 30, then dropped an 83-80 overtime contest in Fairfax on March 5. Over the two games last season, DeVon Cooper averaged 15.5 points, made 66.7 percent of his 3pt attempts (8-12) and shot 62.5 percent overall (10-16) from the floor.

A LOOK AT THE MINUTEMEN (13-8, 4-5 A-10; NET #154, KenPom #152)
UMass was picked to finish eighth in the 2022-23 A-10 preseason poll. The Minutemen put together a stellar 9-3 non-conference season which included wins over top-75 foe Colorado and a Myrtle Beach Invitational tournament title. Their 4-5 A-10 mark includes a 90-81 home win over Saint Louis. The Minutemen play fast and rank top-25 in the nation in tempo. They also shoot 35.1 percent as a team from 3pt range, which ranks fourth-best in the Atlantic 10. Noah Fernandes leads the team with 13.4 points and 4.1 assists per game but has seen action in just 11 games due to injury. Matt Cross adds 12.1 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game, while reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week RJ Luis tallies 11.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest.

UP NEXT
George Mason hits the road for its first ever trip to Loyola Chicago. The Patriots and Ramblers will match up on Saturday (Feb. 4) at 2:30 p.m. (ET). The game will be broadcast nationally on USA Network.