WHERE: Barclays Center - Brooklyn, N.Y.
WHEN: Wednesday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: #5 George Mason (19-12, 11-7), #12 Richmond (15-17, 7-11)
SERIES: Richmond leads, 41-28
TELEVISION: USA Network
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Click here
TICKETS: Click here 

FAIRFAX, Va. -  The fifth-seeded George Mason University men's basketball team (19-12, 11-7) opens the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship with a second round matchup against No. 12 Richmond (15-17, 7-11) on Wednesday at 2 p.m. inside the Barclays Center.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Wednesday's game will be televised nationally on USA Network, featuring commentary from Paul Burmeister, Tim McCormick and Corey Robinson. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m. 

PATRIOT POINTS
• With a victory Wednesday, Mason would move on to quarterfinal action on Thursday at 2 p.m. vs. No. 4 seed Saint Louis.

• The Patriots have matched program bests for A-10 seed (No. 5) and A-10 league victories (11). George Mason previously tallied an 11-7 conference mark during the 2018-19 campaign.

• George Mason is 2-3 all-time as the No. 5 seed in its conference tournament history. That includes 1-1 records in both the 2018 and 2019 A-10 Championships and an 0-1 mark in the 1987 CAA Championship.

• Senior Josh Oduro earned First Team All-A-10 honors for the second-consecutive season. He's the first two-time All-A-10 pick in school history and the first two-time, first-team all-conference selection since Jai Lewis (2004, 2006). 

• The Patriots have won a school-record six-straight A-10 games heading into Wednesday's contest in Brooklyn. 

• Most recently, the Green & Gold won a thrilling 62-60 contest at Richmond Saturday, with Davonte Gaines registering the game-winning steal and bucket in the final 10 seconds of play.

• Gaines posted a career-best 23 points (8-13 FG) in the contest and grabbed eight rebounds. Oduro added his A-10 leading 12th double-double wirh 12 points and 10 rebounds.

• Oduro led the league with 9.1 rebounds/contest in conference play and was sixth in scoring (17.6 ppg) and eighth in field goal percentage (.580). Oduro also paced the league in offensive boards/contest in A-10 play (3.11).

• Gaines has proven invaluable to the Mason defensive effort. With him in the lineup, Mason is 15-6 and opponents muster just 65.5 points/game while shooting 40.7 percent overall and 28.3 percent from 3. With Gaines out from Jan. 4-Feb. 4, Mason went 4-6, and opponents averaged 70.5 points and shot 45.3 percent (.346 3pt FG).

• Junior point guard Ronald Polite III  is averaging 14.7 points, 5.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds and shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range over the past six games.  

• The Patriots rank 25th nationally in 3pt FG percentage defense (.304). That's the best defensive 3pt mark in school history. 

• During the Patriots' six-game win streak, Mason is averaging 68.5 points while limiting opponents to just 62.2 points per contest and a 39.7 percent clip (.276 3pt FG). 

• Victor Bailey Jr. has been named to the A-10 All-Academic Team for his outstanding efforts on the court and in the classroom. The A-10 3pt FG percentage leader holds a 3.58 GPA in his sport coaching grad program. 

MASON CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Patriots have posted a 40-45 (.471) all-time record in conference postseason events, including a 34-35 record (.493) in the Div. I era. Mason was 4-8 in NAIA District 19 events and 1-2 in the Mason-Dixon Conference (Div. II), before joining the Div. I ranks (1978-79). In its Div. I history, Mason was 1-4 in ECAC South postseason contests and 29-23 all-time in CAA Tournament games. The Patriots are 5-9 all time in Atlantic 10 postseason contests. Mason has won A-10 second round games vs. Fordham in 2017, UMass in 2018 and George Washington in 2019 and 2021. Mason is 1-4 in the A-10 first round, 4-1 in the second round and 0-4 in the quarterfinals. The Patriots have won four postseason conference tournament championships in program history, all during the CAA era (1989, 1999, 2001, 2008).

HISTORY vs. RICHMOND
Wednesday's game will mark the 70th all-time meeting between George Mason and Richmond in men's basketball (Mason trails 28-41). The Patriots are 17-13 vs. the Spiders in Fairfax and 9-21 in games played in Richmond (2-7 on neutral courts). Mason has won three-straight in the series. That includes a regular sweep in 2022-23, featuring a 62-58 win in Fairfax on Dec. 31 and a 62-60 win inside the Robins Center. The two programs hve not met on a neutral floor since the Spiders claimed an 85-57 victory over the Patriots in the 1997 CAA Tournament. 

Career Averages vs. Richmond (Select players)
Davonte Gaines (4 games): 11.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 36.1 FG%, 23.5 3pt FG%, 88.9 FT% (16-18)
Josh Oduro (5 games): 10.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 46.8 FG%
Ronald Polite III (3 games): 11.7 ppg, 2.3 apg, 60.0 FG%

A LOOK AT THE SPIDERS (14-17, 7-11 A-10; NET #168, KenPom #166)
2022 A-10 Tournament champion Richmond finished 12th in the A-10 with a 7-11 league mark. The Spiders went 7-6 during their non-conference slate, highlighted by wins over top-100 Drake (82-52), as well as Northern Iowa (68-55) and Temple (61-49). The Spiders rank in the top-100 nationally in 2pt FG percentage (.524, 84th) and turnover percentage (.171, 86th). Richmond ranks third in the league with 8.1 3pt FG made/game. Preseason All-A-10 First Team selection Tyler Burton leads Richmond and is third in the A-10 in scoring with 18.6 points/game. He also is sixth in rebounds/game (7.5).

UP NEXT
With a victory Wednesday, George Mason would advance to the A-10 Quarterfinals on Thursday. The Patriots would take on fourth-seeded Saint Louis at 2 p.m. The game will be televised on USA Network.