Mason Battles Tulane Saturday in the Windy City

By Press release submission

Dec 16, 2022

The George Mason University men's basketball team heads to the Windy City for a neutral site contest against Tulane inside the famed United Center.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Green Wave is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET). Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the GoMason Digital Network. Bill Rohland will handle play-by-play duties, with pregame coverage will begin at 3:15 p.m. (ET).

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are visiting Chicagoland for the first time in nearly four decades. Mason won at Northwestern on January 14, 1984. It's also the Patriots' first neutral site standalone game since the 2013 BB&T Classic in Washington, D.C.

• George Mason has not played since December 6, when the Patriots knocked off UMES 67-54 to wrap up a 4-0 homestand. Mason held the Hawks to 33 percent shooting and was +15 (43-28) on the glass.

• Josh Oduro led the Green & Gold with his second double-double in the past three games vs. the Hawks. He notched a season-best 23 points (10-14 FG) and grabbed 12 rebounds.

• Oduro is just seven points away from becoming the 40th 1,000-point scorer in school history. Teammate Victor Bailey Jr. reached the milestone in the win over UMES.

• Point guard Ronald Polite III notched career bests in rebounds (5) and 3pt FG made (3) vs. the Hawks while chipping in 11 points, four assists and two steals. He's averaging 12.5 points and 31.8 minutes over the past four games.

• The Patriots are 5-0 at home this season and 15-4 inside EagleBank Arena under head coach Kim English.

• DeVon Cooper has tallied 10+ points in seven of the past eight contests. He has made 237 career 3-pointers, which ranks t-29th nationally. He's launched 104 of those in a Mason uniform.

• Mason has held its opponent to 30 percent or less from 3pt range in eight of 10 games this season. The Green & Gold rank 44th nationally in 3pt FG defense (.286).

• George Mason has averaged 12.0 offensive rebounds/game over its four-game winning streak. Mason is +22 (61-39) in second chance points during that stretch. For the season, the Patriots rank 82nd nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (.324).

• This season, Mason's on-court roster has sported the program's highest average height (77.4") since Ken Pomeroy began keeping the stat nationally (2006-23). Both of Mason's largest average heights during that span have come in Kim English's two seasons in Fairfax.

• The Patriots' next two games are Saturday's neutral contest and Wednesday's game at ODU. After that, Mason will play five of its next seven contests inside EagleBank Arena.

• Patriot opponents have found success this season, particularly those who Mason has faced at home. The Patriots' six home foes are a combined 39-24 (.619). That group includes American (8-2), Queens (9-2) and Toledo (7-3). Mason also has faced 9-1 Auburn on the road.

HISTORY vs. AAC OPPONENTS
Mason is 40-24 all time against current members of the American Athletic Conference. The Patriots' most common foe is former CAA opponent East Carolina (33-15). The Patriots also hold a 3-2 record against Wichita State, including two memorable wins during the 2005-06 Final Four campaign. In the most recent matchup with an AAC foe, Mason fell to Cincinnati in the 2018 Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla.

HISTORY vs. TULANE
Saturday's game marks the third all-time meeting between Tulane and George Mason in men's basketball. The two programs previously played a home-and-home series during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Mason won, 60-52, on Dec. 22, 2008 in Fairfax, while Tulane grabbed a 76-71 win in New Orleans on Nov. 28, 2009. The victory in 2008 also marked the 600th overall win in program history.

A LOOK AT THE GREEN WAVE (6-3, 0-0 AAC; NET #138, KenPom #87)
Tulane was picked to finish fourth in the 2022-23 AAC preseason poll. The Green Wave are 6-3 to begin the campaign and are 2-2 on neutral floors. Tulane features a top-50 scoring offense, buttressed by excellent free throw shooting (.806, 6th nationally) and the ability to protect the ball. The Green Wave are in the top-10 in the country in turnovers per game (9.4, 5th) and assist/turnover ratio (1.74, 2nd). Tulane also is 27th nationally in 2pt FG percentage (.562). Jalen Cook leads the team with 20.8 points per game over four contests this season, while Jaylen Forbes adds 17.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. Three other student-athletes average double figures, including Kevin Cross (15.9 ppg, 53.0 FG%), Collin Holloway (11.1 ppg) and Sion James (10.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.2 apg). James leads the nation in assist/turnover ratio (4.75).