WHERE: Barclays Center - Brooklyn, N.Y.
WHEN: Thursday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: #5 George Mason (20-12, 11-7), #4 Saint Louis (20-11, 12-6)
SERIES: Saint Louis leads, 10-4
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

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The fifth-seeded George Mason University men's basketball team (20-12, 11-7) battles No. 4 Saint Louis (20-11, 12-6) on Thursday afternoon in A-10 Quarterfinal action in Brooklyn.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Billikens is set for 2 p.m. Thursday'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
• A win Thursday would send the Patriots to the A-10 Semifinals for the first time in program history. Mason would play the winner of No. 8 Davidson/No. 1 VCU on Saturday at 1 p.m.

• George Mason has won seven straight games for the first time since 2016-17. That includes a 62-57 victory over Richmond in Wednesday's A-10 Second Round.

• With the victory over the Spiders, Mason has reached the 20-win milestone for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.

• The Patriots got three key stops down the stretch to earn the win after Richmond led 55-51 with 2:08 to go.

• Two-time First Team All-A-10 selection Josh Oduro led the Patriots with his league-leading 13th double-double (16 pts, 10 reb) of the season against the Spiders.

• In his past two games vs. Saint Louis, Oduro is averaging 29.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 2.0 assists and shooting 53.8 percent (21-39).

• Junior guard Ronald Polite III scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half vs. the Spiders and dished out a game-high three assists. He hit the go-ahead 3-pointer (56-55) with 47 seconds left in the contest.

• Davonte Gaines added nine points (3-5 3pt FG) vs. Richmond. Over his past two games, he's shooting 50 percent from 3pt range (7-14).

• Gaines has proven invaluable to the Mason defensive effort. With him in the lineup, Mason is 16-6 and opponents muster just 65.1 points/game while shooting 40.8 percent overall and 27.8 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).

• The Patriots rank in the top-25 nationally in 3pt FG percentage defense (.300). That's the best defensive 3pt mark in school history. Richmond went just 1-of-12 from beyond the arc on Wednesday.

• During the Patriots' seven-game win streak, Mason is averaging 67.6 points while limiting opponents to just 61.4 points per contest and a 40.1 percent clip. That includes a paltry 25.5 percent mark (28-110) for Patriot foes during the seven-game stretch.

• Polite III  is averaging 14.9 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and shooting 41.6 percent from 3-point range during the win.

• George Mason has ranked in the bottom-50 nationally all season in free throw percentage (.652). However, over the past two games, the Patriots are shooting a much-improved 28-of-34 (.824) from the line.

HISTORY vs. SAINT LOUIS
Thursday's game marks the 15th all-time meeting between George Mason and Saint Louis. The Billikens hold a 10-4 advantage in the all-time series and have won eight of the past nine contests. The past two meetings have been decided by three total points. In the only other matchup in the A-10 Championship, SLU claimed an 83-78 first round victory in Brooklyn on March 9, 2016.

Earlier this season, SLU edged the Patriots, 63-62, on January 11 in Saint Louis. The Patriots were up 62-54 with 2:21 to play, but could not score for the remainder of the contest, as SLU tallied the final 10 points of the game to earn the victory. Josh Oduro led the Patriots with a monster effort, tallying 26 points (10-17 FG) to go along with a career-best 15 rebounds in 36 minutes of work. The Gainesville, Va., product also blocked two shots and made two steals. Ronald Polite III added 12 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Victor Bailey Jr. tallied 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes.

The Patriots held a significant advantage in points in the paint (32-22) for the game but were victimized by a poor performance at the free throw line, where Mason made 12-of-23 attempts (.522).

A LOOK AT THE BILLIKENS (20-11, 12-6 A-10; NET #102, KenPom #103)
Saint Louis was picked second in the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 preseason poll and ultimately finished fourth with a 12-6 league mark. The Billikens went 8-5 in non-conference play, highlighted by top-50 wins over Memphis (90-84) and Providence (76-73). Saint Louis features the nation's No. 77 offense (1.112 points/possession) and ranks 34th nationally in fast break points/game (12.87). The Billikens also rank ninth nationally in defensive rebounds/game (28.2). SLU's high-powered offense is fueled by Preseason All-A-10 First Team selection Yuri Collins, who leads the nation in assists per game (10.1) and is 20th in assists/turnover ratio (2.81). He also notches 11.3 points/contest. Gibson Jimerson leads the team in scoring (14.0 ppg), while Javonte Perkins chips in 11.1 points/contest. Francis Okoro paces the A-10 in offensive rebounds/game (3.33) and overall rebounding (8.8 rpg) and is fourth in blocks/contest (1.4).

UP NEXT
With a victory Thursday, George Mason would advance to the A-10 Semifinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Patriots would take on the winner of Thursday's game between No. 1 VCU and No. 8 Davidson. That game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.