WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (6-3), Tulane (4-5)
SERIES: George Mason leads, 3-1
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

PROMOTION: Holidayfest! Free GM wrapping paper, first 1300 fans; Free candy canes; Ugly sweater contest (wear your ugly sweater!)
TOY DRIVE: For every toy donated at the EagleBank Arena box office, receive a $5 ticket at the box office.

FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason wraps up a two-game homestand Saturday afternoon with a contest vs. AAC foe Tulane.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Green Wave is set for 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on MASN and streamed on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland and Craig Esherick. In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots have won four games in a row. Most recently, the Green & Gold earned a 74-62 victory over UNC Asheville Wednesday night. GM shot a sizzling 62.8 percent from the floor, marking the team's highest FG percentage since a February 2017 win vs. La Salle.

• The Bulldogs entered the contest 25th nationally in offensive rebounding (14.5/game), but the Patriots limited the visitors to just seven offensive boards and held a +16 (36-20) overall edge on the glass. GM had allowed 15+ offensive rebounds in three of its previous four games prior to Wednesday's win.

• Jalen Haynes led the Patriots with season highs in points (25) and rebounds (10) to go along with a career-best 12 field goals on just 15 attempts. He's scored 10+ points in each of the past four games and is averaging 22.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and shooting 71.4 percent (20-28) over the last two contests.

• Woody Newton (11 pts, 4-6 FG) and Giovanni Emejuru (10 pts, 7 reb) also reached double figures for the Green & Gold in Wednesday's win.

• Senior Darius Maddox left the Nov. 29 game at JMU with 12:34 remaining due to an ankle injury and missed Wednesday's game. He is day-to-day.

• Junior Brayden O'Connor dished out a team-best five assists vs. UNC Asheville. He's averaging a team-best 4.3 assists/game over the past four contests.

• George Mason leads the nation in FG defense (.349) while ranking in the top-15 in effective FG defense (4th, .409), 3pt defense (13th, .263) and 2pt defense (13th, .420). The Patriots are 27th overall in scoring defense (63.0 ppg allowed) and 52nd in defensive efficiency (0.98 points/possession).

• The Patriots are ranked 80th nationally in the Dec. 6 NET. GM also is 81st 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.

• The Patriots have taken advantage of a deep bench throughout the course of the season. GM's bench accounts for 38.6 percent of the team's total minutes, which ranks 33rd in the country. The Patriots hold a +101 (247-146) edge in bench scoring on the year and outscore opponent reserves by an average of 11.2 points/game.

• George Mason is 5-1 at home this season and is 33-6 (.846) in Fairfax over the past three seasons.

HISTORY vs. TULANE
Saturday's game marks the fifth all-time matchup between George Mason and Tulane in men's basketball. The teams are meeting for the third-straight campaign and GM leads the overall series, 3-1. The programs first played a home-and-home series in the late 2000s, with Mason winning 60-52 in Fairfax on Dec. 22, 2008, and Tulane capturing the return game in New Orleans, 76-71, on Nov. 28, 2009.

Last season, the Patriots won in New Orleans, 69-66, on Dec. 22. GM trailed by 13 late in the first half and by 11 (40-29) at the break, but locked in on defense in the second stanza and shot 50 percent in the period to pick up the road win over top-100 Tulane, which was 6-0 at home to start the season. Darius Maddox had 15 points for the Patriots. Two seasons ago, the Patriots and Green Wave met in the Legends of Basketball Showcase on Dec. 17, 2022, at Chicago's United Center. GM picked up 62-56 victory in the Windy City.

HISTORY vs. AAC FOES
Mason has tallied a 45-24 all-time record against opponents from the American Athletic Conference. The bulk of those contests came against East Carolina (34-16) when both programs were a part of the CAA. The Patriots' other most common AAC foes are Wichita State (3-2), Charlotte (3-1) and Tulane (3-1). Like last season, GM is once again playing both East Carolina and Tulane in 2024-25. The Patriots fell at ECU on Nov. 16 in a heartbreaker, 78-77, in double overtime.

A LOOK AT THE GREEN WAVE (4-5, 0-0 American; NET #270, KenPom #233)
Tulane was picked t-11th out of 13 teams in the 2024-25 AAC preseason poll. The Green Wave are 4-5 to begin the season and have dropped their past four contests. Tulane is fourth nationally in blocks/game (6.3) and ranks in the top-75 defensively in both 2pt FG defense (.448, 38th) and effective FG defense (.467, 65th). Kaleb Banks leads the team in scoring (16.5 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocks (1.6 bpg). Georgetown transfer Rowan Brumbaugh adds 13.1 points/game and dishes out a team-best 5.0 assists/contest, while Kam Williams adds 10.3 points/game and shoots 39.6 percent from 3pt range.

UP NEXT
George Mason takes a competitive hiatus for final exams before returning to action on Tuesday, December 17. The Patriots will head to Durham, N.C., for a marquee road matchup at No. 9/9 Duke. Tip-off between the Patriots and Blue Devils inside Cameron Indoor Stadium is set for 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.