WHERE: Barclays Center - Brooklyn, N.Y.
WHEN: Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (20-11, 9-9), Saint Joseph's (19-12, 9-9)
SERIES: George Mason leads, 10-7
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Click here
TELEVISION: USA Network
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

Mason Nation's Pregame Headquarters
Buffalo Wild Wings
Atlantic Terminal
139 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11218
(located across from Barclays Center)

Join us at Mason Nation Headquarters and enjoy food and drinks with fellow Mason alumni and fans as we get ready for each Mason game in the A-10 Tournament.

Time: Wednesday (3/13) at 10:00AM, 90 minutes prior to the start of each Mason game.
Register on the Alumni Relations Website!

NEW YORK - The eighth-seeded George Mason University men's basketball team (20-11, 9-9) opens the A-10 Championship Wednesday with a second round contest vs. No. 9 Saint Joseph's (19-12, 9-9).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Hawks is set for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on USA Network, featuring commentary from Matt Martucci (play-by-play), Dr. John Giannini (analyst) and Kim Adams (sideline). In addition, Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 11:15 a.m. (ET).

MASON CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Patriots have posted a 41-46 (.471) all-time record in conference postseason events, including a 35-36 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 6-10 all time in Atlantic 10 postseason contests. Mason has won A-10 second round games vs. Fordham in 2017, UMass in 2018, George Washington in 2019 and 2021 and Richmond in 2023. Mason is 1-4 in the A-10 first round, 5-1 in the second round and 0-5 in the quarterfinals. The Patriots have won four postseason conference tournament championships in program history, all during the CAA era (1989, 1999, 2001, 2008).

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots check in at 85th in Tuesday's NET rankings. It's the first time Mason has been in the top-100 this late in the season since the metric was established. The team also is No. 94 in the KenPom rankings.

• The Patriots own 20 regular season (pre-conf. tournament) victories for the first time in their A-10 history and first time overall since the 2011-12 campaign. A victory Wednesday would give the Patriots 21 wins for the first time since 2012-13.

• George Mason closed the A-10 slate with two wins by an average of 18.0 points. Most recently, the Patriots knocked off regular season co-champion Richmond 64-46 on Saturday.

• Mason held the Spiders to a season-low 46 points. That's the third-lowest output Mason has allowed in a conference game since the program joined the league in 2013-14. The Patriots also shot 52 percent against Richmond's top-30 defense.

• A-10 Player of the Week Darius Maddox led the Patriots with a game-high 18 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting day (3-4 3pt FG). While Mason leading scorer Keyshawn Hall has missed the last three games due to injury/recovery, Maddox has stepped up to average 21.5 points while shooting 60 percent from the floor and 57.1 percent from 3pt range.

• Hall earned a spot on the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team announced Tuesday, while freshman Baraka Okojie was named to the All-Rookie Team. Okojie is Mason's first all-rookie pick since Tyler Kolek (2021).

• After averaging 16.3 turnovers/contest during the team's three-game skid, Mason has committed just 8.0/game over the last two.

• The Patriots also held a 29-25 rebounding edge against the Spiders Saturday and are now 19-4 when winning the battle on the glass.

• Okojie has been an outstanding primary distributor over the past five games while Ronald Polite III has battled injury. He's averaging 4.4 assists and also 2.2 steals during that stretch.

• Mason ranks 12th nationally in 2pt FG defense (.448) and 17th in overall FG defense (.402). That 40.2 percent FG defense mark ranks fourth best in school history.

• Hall led the A-10 in defensive rebounds/game (7.2) and rebounds/game (8.4) and was fourth in scoring (18.1 ppg) in league games.

• Amongst first year Div. I head coaches, Mason bench boss Tony Skinn ('06) ranks t-4th in victories (20) so far this season.

• With a win Wednesday, the Patriots would move on to battle top-seeded Richmond in the A-10 Quarterfinals on Thursday at 11:30 a.m.

• George Mason holds a 5-1 record all time in A-10 Championship Second Round games.

PATRIOTS AS THE NO. 8 SEED
George Mason is 0-4 all time as the No. 8 seed in conference tournament play. All four of those contests came while the Patriots were a part of the CAA (1992, 1993, 1995, 1996).

HISTORY vs. SAINT JOSEPH'S
Wednesday's matchup marks the 18th all-time meeting between Mason and Saint Joseph's. Mason leads the series, 10-7, and has won 10 of the past 13 meetings. However, the Hawks have captured the last two matchups. Earlier this season, SJU won 75-73 in Philly on Jan. 31. Mason had a chance to win it with under 20 seconds to play, but could not convert on its final possession. Key Saint Joseph's runs in each half – 7-0 in the first and 13-4 in the second – ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. Keyshawn Hall led the Patriots with a game-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and two assists. Amari Kelly added 18 points (7-13 FG), eight rebounds and two assists while Baraka Okojie dazzled with 14 points (5-9 FG) to go along with a career-high six assists and four steals. The Patriots shot 55.6 percent in the second half and made 7-of-14 3pt attempts. But the Hawks shot a blistering 64 percent in the final stanza and 50.9 percent overall for the game.

A LOOK AT THE HAWKS (19-11, 9-9 A-10; NET #98, KenPom #103)
Saint Joseph's was picked to finish fifth in the 2023-24 A-10 Preseason Poll and finished ninth. The Hawks went 10-3 in non-conference play, highlighted by a win at Villanova (78-65) and overall Big 5 Championship. SJU went 9-9 in A-10 play. The Hawks played outstanding defense during non-conference play but are allowed 1.096 points/possession in league games (11th in A-10). Saint Joseph's features a top-100 KenPom offense (1.113 points/possession) and leads the A-10 while ranking 11th nationally in 3pt FG made/game (10.2). Eric Reynolds II leads the team in scoring (16.8 ppg) and ranks 16th nationally with 3.2 3pt FG made/game. Freshman Xzayvier Johnson adds 13.3 points, 3.3 assists and ranks third in thr A-10 with 1.9 steals/game, while Lynn Greer III adds 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and a team-best 3.7 assists/game.

UP NEXT
With a victory Wednesday, the Patriots would move on to the A-10 Quarterfinals and battle top-seeded Richmond on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. The game will be televised nationally on USA Network.