WHERE: Flagler Gymnasium - St. Augustine, Fla.
WHEN: Sunday, 5:30 p.m. 
RECORDS: George Mason (3-0), Charlotte (2-1)
SERIES: Mason leads, 3-0
LAST MEETING: Mason def. Charlotte, 78-56, on Nov. 18, 2010 in Charleston Classic
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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (3-0) opens the Jacksonville Classic Sunday night vs. Charlotte (2-1) on the campus of Flagler College in St. Augustine.

Tip-off between the Patriots and 49ers is set for 5:30 p.m. Sunday's game will be broadcast on PassThaBallLive.com, featuring commentary from William Anderson. Fans can purchase a tournament pass for $25.99 and watch all games in the event. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 5:15 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots will play either UCF or South Dakota State on Monday night depending on the results of Sunday's games.

• Mason is 3-0 to begin the campaign for the third time in five seasons. Most recently, the Green & Gold knocked off Cornell, 90-83, on Wednesday in a Jacksonville Classic campus game in Fairfax.

• Cornell hit 14 3-pointers, but Mason was able to neutralize their attack with key advantages in points in the paint (44-28), second chance points (20-10) and points off turnovers (22-13).

• Sophomore Keyshawn Hall led the Patriots with career bests in points (29), rebounds (12) and assists (3). He made 11-of-18 field goal attempts to shatter his previous career high of 19.

• Hall ranks sixth nationally in defensive rebounds/game (9.3) and 21st in overall rebounding (10.7/game).

• The team will play a brand of basketball dubbed "Patriot Pressure" this season, which emphasizes creating discomfort for opposing offenses. Through three games, Patriot Pressure has been on display, as the Patriots rank fifth nationally in 2pt FG defense (.369), 44th in FG defense (.315) and 61st in scoring defense (63.0 ppg allowed).

• The Patriots also rank second the A-10 in scoring defense (63.0 ppg) and third in FG percentage defense (.364).

• The Patriots have excelled at drawing fouls and getting to the line through three games. Mason is 37th nationally in free throw rate (.457) and 46th in free throws made/game (18.0). Jared Billups ranks fourth in the country in free throw rate (1.56).

• Mason also has controlled the glass over its first three contests. The Patriots are second in the A-10 in rebounding margin (+9.0) and have enjoyed a 52-23 edge in second chance points on the strength of 12.7 offensive rebounds/contest.

• Hall leads the Atlantic 10 in overall rebounding, defensive rebounding and double-doubles (2).

• Graduate forward Amari Kelly has scored 14+ points in all three games this season. The UNCW transfer and Nov. 13 A-10 Weekly Honor Roll pick leads the team in blocks (1.7 bpg) and is second in scoring (16.0 ppg), rebounding (6.7 rpg) and FG percentage (.607).

HISTORY vs. THE AAC
Mason has tallied a 43-22 all time record against opponents from the American Athletic Conference. The bulk of those contests came against East Carolina (33-15) when both programs were a part of the CAA. The Patriots' other most common AAC foes are Wichita State (3-2), Charlotte (3-0) and Tulane (2-1). In the team's most recent meeting with an AAC foe, the Patriots knocked off Tulane 62-56, last season in Chicago on Dec. 17, 2022. This season, the Patriots will once again battle the Green Wave, but this time in New Orleans on Dec. 22. The Patriots also will host East Carolina on Nov. 25 inside EagleBank Arena.

HISTORY vs. CHARLOTTE
George Mason has posted a 3-0 all-time record against the Charlotte 49ers. In the most recent meeting, the two teams also matched up at a multi-team event. The Patriots claimed a 78-56 victory on Nov. 18, 2010 in the Charleston Classic. In the Patriots' 71-60 win on Dec. 4, 1982, Mason all-time leading scorer Carlos Yates made 12-of-13 field goal attempts to set the school single-game field goal percentage record (.923). The Patriots shot 68.3 percent (28-41) as a team in the victory, which is the third-best mark in program annals.

HISTORY IN FLORIDA MTEs
George Mason has posted a 4-4 all-time record in multi-team events played in Florida. Mason previously competed in the 2007 Old Spice Classic in Orlando (2-1), 2016 Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero (2-1) and 2018 Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville (0-2). In the Old Spice Classic, the Patriots defeated Michael Beasley-led #18 Kansas State (87-77) and South Carolina (69-68).

A LOOK AT THE 49ERS (2-1, 0-0 American; KenPom #136)
In their first season in the American Athletic Conference, Charlotte was picked to finish 13th in the 2023-24 preseason poll. Last season, the 49ers posted a 22-14 overall record and a 9-11 Conference USA record. Their 22 wins marked the most victories as a program since the 2012-13 season. The Niners won their first-ever postseason tournament title last season, as they won the College Basketball Invitational, beating Eastern Kentucky 71-68, in the championship game.

This season, the 49ers opened the 2023-24 season 2-1, beating Maine 69-52 to start the campaign. The team then played in the "He Gets Us" Hall of Fame Series, where they lost to Liberty 71-59 and beat Utah Valley 62-45. Redshirt sophomore Ly'Cye Patterson returns to the 49ers squad as a key starter. The Minneapolis, Minn., native earned All-C-USA Honorable mention last season after averaging 10.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists while leading the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.0, 90 assists and 45 turnovers). Currently, sophomore guard Nik Graves leads the team in scoring and assists, averaging 12.7 points and 2.7 assists. Junior forward Igor Milicic Jr. leads the team in rebounding, averaging 10 boards a game.

Charlotte features a top-100 KenPom defense (0.989 points/possession, 93rd) and is the 20th largest team in the nation (78.4"/player average).

UP NEXT
The Patriots will play either Big 12 foe UCF or Summit League power South Dakota State on Monday in the team's final game in the Jacksonville Classic. With a win over Charlotte, Mason would play at 8:30 p.m. The consolation game is at 6 p.m. Monday.