WHERE: Ryan Center - Kington, R.I.
WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m. 
RECORDS: George Mason (18-11, 7-9), Rhode Island (11-18, 5-11)
SERIES: Series tied, 7-7
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (18-11, 7-9) plays its penultimate game of the regular season Wednesday night when the Patriots head to Kingston for a battle with Rhode Island (11-18, 5-11).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+. In addition, Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. (ET).

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots check in at 99th in Tuesday's NET rankings. The team also is No. 105 in the KenPom rankings.

• A win Wednesday would give the Patriots 19 regular season (pre-conf. tournament) victories for only the third time in past 11 seasons. If Mason wins its final two regular season games it would give the Patriots 20 pre-tourney wins for the first time since 2011-12.

• The Patriots have dropped three straight, most recently a 59-51 setback to Duquesne on Saturday. Mason was without two starters in the game due to ankle injuries (Keyshawn Hall, Ronald Polite III).

• Senior Darius Maddox led the Patriots with a game-high 22 points (7-13 FG, 4-7 3pt FG, 4-4 FT) vs. the Dukes. He's averaging 17.5 points and shooting 52.4 percent over Mason's past two games.

• The Patriots committed 18 turnovers vs. the Dukes and are averaging 16.3 turnovers/contest during the three-game skid.

• Duquense held a 29-28 rebounding edge Saturday, knocking the Patriots down to just 1-7 when their opponent wins the battle of the boards.

• Freshman guard Baraka Okojie has been an outstanding primary distributor while Ronald Polite III has missed the past two games. He's averaging 4.3 assists and also 2.3 steals over his past three contests. His six dimes vs. Duquesne tied his personal best.

• Okojie ranks third in the league in steals in A-10 games (1.9) and has posted at least two steals in nine conference contests. He also has excelled getting to the line this season and ranks 10th amongst all NCAA Div. I freshmen in free throw attempts (122).

• The Patriots struggled from the floor vs. Duquesne while shooting 37.5 percent (18-48) on the night. Mason is 0-4 in A-10 play this season when shooting below 40 percent from the field.

• Mason ranks 12th nationally in 2pt FG defense (.450) and 26th in overall FG defense (.405). That 40.5 percent FG defense mark ranks fourth best in school history.

• Amongst first year Div. I head coaches, Mason bench boss Tony Skinn ('06) ranks fifth in victories (18) so far this season.

• The Patriots won three of their first four road games to begin the season but have since dropped six of the past seven.

HISTORY vs. RHODE ISLAND
Sunday's matchup marks the 15th all-time meeting between Mason and Rhode Island. The series is tied 7-7, although the Patriots have won three of the past five meetings. Rhode Island holds a 4-3 edge in Kingston.

Earlier this season, Mason won the first matchup 92-84 on Jan. 27 in Fairfax. The Patriots trailed 42-40 at the break, but outscored the Rams 42-32 in the second half to secure the win. Rhode Island made 13 3-pointers to stay within striking distance in the second half. But the Patriots were able to come out on top after holding significant advantages in points off turnovers (44-30), free throws made (25-13), second chance points (19-11) and fast break points (13-0).

Darius Maddox led the Patriots with a career-best 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting and made 4-of-6 3-pointers on the night. Keyshawn Hall added an efficient 22 points (7-11 FG, 7-8 FT) despite battling foul trouble, while Baraka Okojie tallied a career-best 18 points (5-6 FG) and made 8-of-10 attempts from the free throw line. Amari Kelly held down the paint with 17 points (7-10 FG) and game highs in rebounds (9) and blocks (4).

A LOOK AT THE RAMS (17-11, 7-8 A-10; NET #212, KenPom #211)
Rhode Island was picked to finish 14th in the A-10 Preseason Poll. The Rams began league play 3-0, but have dropped nine of their past 11 contests. The Rams give up 1.113 points/possession (313th nationally) and allow 77.6 points/contest (13th in A-10). Jaden House leads the team with 14.6 points/game and shoots 45.2 percent from the floor. David Green adds 14.4 points and 3.9 rebounds/contest, while Louis Kortright chips in 10.3 points and dishes out a team-best 3.6 assists/game.

UP NEXT
George Mason wraps up the regular season with a Saturday afternoon contest vs. Richmond. Tip-off between the Patriots and Spiders is set for 2:30 p.m. The Senior Day contest will be broadcast nationally on USA Network.