WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Tuesday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (9-4), Davidson (10-3)
SERIES: George Mason trails, 4-8
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

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FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason (9-4) kicks off Atlantic 10 play Tuesday with a New Year's Eve matinee vs. Davidson (10-3).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Wildcats is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland and former George Mason standout Debbie Taneyhill. In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• George Mason is 5-6 all time in A-10 openers, but has won three of the past four and four of the past six dating back to the 2018-19 season.

• The Patriots have won seven of their past eight games and are coming off a 64-56 victory over Mt. St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon inside EagleBank Arena.

• Senior Jalen Haynes led the Patriots vs. the Mount with his eighth-straight game in double figures and his fourth double-double in the past five contests. He notched a team-best 18 points (6-9 FG) and pulled down a career-best 16 rebounds in the win. Over the past six games, he's averaging 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and shooting 60.5 percent (46-76) from the floor.

• Haynes' effort marked the first 16+ point, 16+ rebound performance by a Patriot since Marquise Moore notched 25 points and 19 rebounds in a March 9, 2017 victory over Fordham in the A-10 Tournament. It's also the first 16+ rebound effort by a GM player since Ticket Gaines grabbed 17 in a Feb. 2, 2022 home contest vs. Saint Louis.

• Senior Darius Maddox added 13 points (5-11 FG) and dished out two assists on Saturday. He's averaging 4.0 assists over his past two games. Maddox is 16 points away from 1,000 for his career.

• GM shot 37.5 percent from 3-point range in Saturday's win. That improved the Patriots to 8-1 when shooting better than 30 percent from beyond the arc.

• Turnovers often tell the story for the Patriots this season. GM is 6-1 when committing less than 15 turnovers and averages just 11.8 miscues in wins. GM is at 16.5/game in losses.

• George Mason ranks third nationally in FG defense (.352) while ranking in the top-20 in 2pt defense (4th, .413), effective FG defense (6th, .418) and 3pt defense (17th, .283). The Patriots are 18th overall in scoring defense (62.2 ppg allowed) and 32nd in defensive efficiency (0.971 points/possession).

• Those FG defense averages are tracking well ahead of the program's previous single season records, including overall FG defense (.388, 2005-06) and 3pt defense (.301, 2022-23).

• The Patriots are ranked 88th nationally in the Dec. 29 NET. GM also is 86th in the Ken Pomeroy rankings. Prior to the campaign, the Patriots earned a spot in the preseason KenPom top-100 for the first time since 2013-14.

• George Mason is 8-1 at home this season and 36-6 (.857) in its last 42 games inside EagleBank Arena. GM is 16-1 in non-conference home contests under head coach Tony Skinn ('06).

HISTORY vs. DAVIDSON
Saturday's matchup marks the 13th all-time meeting between Mason and Davidson. The Wildcats hold an 8-4 advantage in the series, although GM has won the last two matchups (by a total of four points). Davidson has won three of the five meetings in Fairfax. In the most recent matchup, the Patriots edged the Wildcats, 57-55, on Feb. 10 last season inside Belk Arena.

A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS (10-3, 0-0 A-10; NET #101, KenPom #108)
Davidson was picked 12th in the A-10 preseason poll, but the Wildcats have impressed to date while compiling a 10-3 record in non-conference play. That included a 69-58 win over Providence in the Bahamas on Nov. 28. Davidson features a top-75 offense (1.121 points/possession) and ranks second in the A-10 in 3-point field goal percentage (.365). Reed Bailey leads the team in scoring (17.9 ppg), rebounding (6.8 rpg) and assists (3.5 rpg) while ranking 14th nationally in free throw attempts (95). Connor Kochera adds 16.8 points/game and is coming off a 34-point performance in the team's Dec. 28 win over Eastern Michigan. Bobby Durkin adds 15.4 points/game and ranks 21st nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.453).

UP NEXT
George Mason hits the road for a nationally televised contest at Rhode Island on Saturday (Jan. 4). Tip-off in Kingston between the Patriots and Rams is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on USA Network.