WHERE: Ryan Center - Kingston, R.I.
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (10-4, 1-0), Rhode Island (11-2, 0-1)
SERIES: George Mason leads, 8-7
TELEVISION: USA Network
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason (10-4, 1-0) hits the road for a nationally-televised Saturday contest at Rhode Island (11-2, 0-1).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast nationally on USA Network, featuring commentary from Jack Benjamin and Tim McCormick. In addition, Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots have won eight of their past nine games and are coming off a 69-57 victory over Davidson in the team's A-10 opener on New Year's Eve. The Patriots shot 55.8 percent in the win and limited the Wildcats to 20 points below their season scoring average.

• George Mason is shooting 50.7 percent (75-148) over its past three games and is now 6-0 when shooting 50 percent or better in a game this season.

• Junior Brayden O'Connor led GM with a season-best 19 points (7-9 FG, 4-5 3pt) vs. Davidson while adding four rebounds and three assists. He's shooting 61.9 percent from 3 (13-21) over his past eight games.

• Senior Jalen Haynes added 16 points (7-9 FG). He's posted 10+ points in nine straight games and has tallied four double-doubles in the past six contests. Over the past seven games, he's averaging 18.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and shooting 62.7 percent (52-83) from the floor.

• GM was +11 (32-21) on the glass against Davidson. Saturday's game pits the A-10's top two rebounding squads against each other. The Patriots are first in the league in rebounding margin (+6.9) while URI is second (+5.2).

• George Mason is fourth nationally in FG defense (.352) while also ranking high in 2pt defense (4th, .414), effective FG defense (6th, .424) and 3pt defense (33rd, .291). The Patriots are 12th in scoring defense (61.8 ppg allowed) and 25th in overall defensive efficiency (0.965 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).

• Turnovers often tell the story for the Patriots this season. GM is 7-1 when committing less than 15 turnovers and averages just 11.6 miscues in wins. GM is at 16.5/game in losses.

• GM shot 40 percent from 3-point range in Tuesday's win. That improved the Patriots to 9-1 when shooting better than 30 percent from beyond the arc. GM is shooting 41.8 percent (23-55) from 3 over the past three games.

• Senior Darius Maddox is just seven points away from 1,000 for his career. The Preseason All-A-10 Second Team pick has posted 10+ points in 10 of his 13 games this season and has notched 20+ points in three contests for the Green & Gold.

• The Patriots are ranked 83rd nationally in the Jan. 3 NET. GM also is 81st in the Ken Pomeroy rankings. It's GM's highest KenPom ranking since December 2012.

PATRIOTS WIN A-10 OPENER  vs. DAVIDSON
The Dec. 31 victory over Davidson improved George Mason to 6-6 all time in A-10 openers. The Patriots have won four of the past five and five of its past seven league debuts dating back to the 2018-19 season.

HISTORY vs. RHODE ISLAND
Saturday's matchup marks the 16th all-time meeting between Mason and Rhode Island. The series is tied 8-7, although the Patriots have won the past four matchups. The series is tied 4-4 in Kingston. Last season, George Mason swept both matchups, including a 92-84 win in Fairfax on Jan. 27 and a 69-51 triumph in Kingston on March 6. In the two matchups, Darius Maddox averaged 22.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and shot 57.7 percent from the floor (15-26) and 50 percent (9-18) from 3pt range.

A LOOK AT THE RAMS (11-2, 0-1 A-10; NET #87, KenPom #101)
Rhode Island was picked 11th out of 15 teams in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, but the Rams have started the season exceptionally, including an 11-1 non-conference mark. That featured home victories over top-100 foes Yale (84-78) and archrival Providence (69-63). The Rams opened league play with a 67-55 loss at Duquesne. URI leads the A-10 and ranks third nationally in free throws made/game (20.5) and is fourth in the country in defensive rebounds/contest (30.62). The Rams average 72.4 possessions/game (33rd nationally). Sebastian Thomas ranks fifth in the A-10 in scoring (17.8 ppg) and leads the conference in assist/contest (6.7). David Green adds 15.6 points and 6.1 rebounds/contest while shooting 42.9 percent from 3pt range.

UP NEXT
George Mason returns home for a Wednesday night contest vs. Richmond. Tip-off between the Patriots and Spiders is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on USA Network.