WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Saturday, 4 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (14-5, 3-3), Rhode Island (9-10, 3-3)
SERIES: Rams lead, 7-6
TELEVISION: MASN
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

PROMOTIONS: Homecoming Festival and Tailgate from 12-3 p.m. in Lot A. Visit homecoming.gmu.edu for more details.

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (14-5, 3-3) hosts Rhode Island (9-10, 3-3) for Homecoming Saturday inside EagleBank Arena.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 4 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on MASN and streamed on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland and John Feinstein. In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 3:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots check in at 82nd in Friday's NET rankings. That's the highest Mason has been at this point of the season in program history. The team also is No. 99 in the KenPom rankings.

• Mason is 10-1 at home this season and has won 24 of its past 27 games played inside EagleBank Arena.

• The Patriots broke a 3-game skid on Jan. 20 with a 69-60 home win over St. Bonaventure. Mason held the Bonnies to just three field goals over the final 11:51 and a season-low 35.6 percent clip for the game.

• George Mason has yet to allow an opponent to shoot 50 percent from the floor over 19 games. That's the longest stretch for a Mason team to begin a season since 2011-12.

• Mason ranks fifth nationally in 2pt FG defense (.427), 11th in overall FG defense (.388) and 46th in scoring defense (65.7 ppg). The Patriots allow 1.021 points/possession (76th).

• Sophomore Keyshawn Hall tallied 13 points and eight rebounds in the win over the Bonnies, while graduate forward Amari Kelly added 13 points and seven rebounds. Kelly has now tallied 10+ points in eight straight games, while Hall ranks seventh in the A-10 in scoring (17.2 ppg) in league play.

• The Patriots are averaging 77.8 points and shooting 49.2 percent (.374 3pt FG) in wins, but just 59.4 points and 38.2 percent in losses (.282 3pt FG).

• Freshman point guard Baraka Okojie is averaging 8.5 points, 3.0 steals, 3.0 assists and 27.0 minutes over the past two games. He ranks fifth in the A-10 in steals (1.8/game) in league play.

• Hall ranks fifth nationally in defensive rebounds/game (8.0), 24th in double-doubles (8) and 42nd in overall rebounding (9.2 rpg). He leads the A-10 in all three of those categories.

• In league games, George Mason leads the A-10 in free throw percentage (.789). Mason's 74.9 overall FT percentage ranks 56th in the country. In conference play, 22.1 percent of the team's points come from the free throw line (3rd in A-10).

• The Patriots are 6-1 in Saturday games this season and sport a 5-1 record in afternoon contests.

• Mason's offense proved highly efficient during its 11-2 non-conference slate, but the Patriots have struggled in A-10 play. The team is 12th in the league in effective field goal percentage in conference games and 13th in 3pt FG percentage (.302). Mason shot 37 percent from 3 in non-conference play.

• Senior Darius Maddox is averaging 36.7 minutes in league play (3rd in A-10), while Keyshawn Hall is at 34.7 (10th).

HISTORY vs. RHODE ISLAND
Saturday's matchup marks the 14th all-time meeting between Mason and Rhode Island. The Rams hold a 7-6 advantage in the series, although the Patriots have won three of the past five meetings. The series is tied 3-3 in games played in Fairfax. George Mason swept the two-game series last season, winning 79-72 in Kingston on Jan. 23 and 75-67 in Fairfax on Feb. 11. Ronald Polite III averaged 8.5 assists in the two contests against the Rams last season, including a 15-point, 9-assist performance in the most recent matchup on Feb. 11, 2023.

A LOOK AT THE RAMS (9-10, 3-3 A-10; NET #205, KenPom #201)
Rhode Island was picked to finish 14th in the A-10 Preseason Poll. The Rams began league play 3-0, but have dropped their last three, including a narrow 71-68 defeat at Fordham Wednesday night in the Bronx. The Rams give up 1.109 points/possession (263rd nationally) and allow 75.3 points/contest (13th in A-10). Jaden House leads the team with 14.9 points/game and shoots 47.3 percent from the floor. David Green adds 12.4 points and 5.0 rebounds/contest, while Louis Kortright chips in 10.6 points and dishes out a team-best 3.5 assists/game. Zek Montgomery also averages double figures (10.3 points/game).

UP NEXT
George Mason hits the road for a two-game swing, beginning with a Wednesday contest at Saint Joseph's. Tip-off in Philly between the Patriots and Hawks is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.