WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. 
RECORDS: George Mason (2-0), Cornell
SERIES: Cornell leads, 1-0
LAST MEETING: Cornell def. Mason, 68-60, on Nov. 14, 2014
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (2-0) wraps up a three-game homestand Wednesday night with a contest against undefeated Cornell (3-0).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Big Red is set for 7:30 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 streaming coverage beginning at 7:15 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason is 2-0 to begin the campaign and is coming off a 67-45 triumph over Austin Peay Friday. The Patriots led 42-15 at the break and limited the Governors to just 28.8 percent shooting.

• Graduate forward Amari Kelly tallied 14 points in the win, while sophomore forward Keyshawn Hall notched the first double-double of his career (14 pts, 10 reb).

• Hall ranks 12th nationally in defensive rebounds/game (9.0) and 46th in overall rebounding (10.0/game).

• The team will play a brand of basketball dubbed "Patriot Pressure" this season, which emphasizes creating discomfort for opposing offenses. Through two games, Patriot Pressure has been on display, as the Patriots rank third nationally in 2pt FG defense (.338), eighth in FG defense (.315) and 15th in scoring defense (53.0 ppg allowed).

• Mason also has controlled the glass over its first two contests. The Patriots led the A-10 in rebounding margin (+10.5) and have enjoyed a 32-13 edge in second chance points on the strength of 10.5 offensive rebounds/contest.

• The Patriots also pace the A-10 in scoring defense (53.0 ppg) and are second in FG defense (.315) and 3pt FG defense (.273).

• George Mason will play at least five KenPom top-150 opponents in the non-conference slate, starting with Cornell (118) on Wednesday. The Patriots also will potentially draw UCF (73) in the Jacksonville Classic. Then, they'll play contests vs. East Carolina (131) and at Tennessee (7), Toledo (114) and Tulane (104) in December.

• Mason will look to start the season 3-0 for the third time in the past five seasons.

HISTORY vs. THE IVY LEAGUE
Mason has tallied a 9-3 all time record against opponents from the Ivy League. The Patriots' most common foes are Penn (4-1) and Brown (2-0). In the most famous matchup with an Ivy opponent, Mason took down Penn at the Palestra, 79-60, on Dec. 10, 2016. Marquise Moore led Mason with the only triple-double recorded in the program's history (17 pts, 16 reb, 10 ast). In the most recent matchup with an Ivy opponent, the Patriots defeated the Quakers 87-66 on Nov. 12, 2021 inside EagleBank Arena.

HISTORY vs. CORNELL
Wednesday's game is just the second ever between George Mason and Cornell in men's basketball. In the only previous meeting, the Big Red defeated the Patriots, 68-60, in the 2014-15 season opener on November 14, 2014. Patrick Holloway led the Patriots with a game-high 22 points.

A LOOK AT THE BIG RED (3-0, 0-0 Ivy; KenPom #118)
Cornell was picked to finish third in the 2023-24 Ivy League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, with only Princeton and Yale ahead of the hoopers from Ithaca. Last season, the Big Red posted a 17-11 overall record and a 7-7 conference record. It marked the team's best record under head coach Brian Earle (started 2016-17), as well as the program's best regular season finish since the 2009-10 campaign. Cornell also appeared in the Ivy League Men's Basketball Tournament for the third time in program history.

The Big Red has opened the 2023-24 season 3-0 after beating Lehigh, Morrisville and Atlantic 10 foe Fordham, and the team is searching for a 4-0 start for just the second time in 62 years. Of their roster of 20 this season, 16 are returners, including key players Nazir Williams, Cooper Noard and Isaiah Gray. Junior guard Nazir Williams (2022-23: 12.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 48.2 FG%) was an All-Ivy League honorable mention last year, leading the Big Red in scoring in conference games (13.6 ppg). Currently, sophomore guard Cooper Noard (13.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 50.0% FG%) has scored the most points through the first three games of the season with 41, as well as rebounds with 19. Senior guard Isaiah Gray (7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 57.1 FG%) leads the team in assists with 10.

UP NEXT
Mason heads to Florida for two games in the Jacksonville Classic. The Patriots open the event on Sunday vs. Charlotte. Tip-off in St. Augustine between the Patriots and 49ers is set for 5:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on PassDaBallLive.com.