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The George Mason Patriots, out of the Atlantic Ten Conference, travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers out of the SEC. George Mason finished last season a disappointing 14-16 and were dropped in the first round A-10 tournament. The Auburn Tigers ended up with a disappointing season after spending a good portion of the season as the nation's #1 team. The Tigers finished the season at 28-6 but lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament and then in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The opening tap for the season opener for both teams is scheduled for 7:00pm EST.
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George Mason returns three starters from last year's 14-16 team that also finished just 7-9 in the A-10 conference. Head coach Kim English returns for his second season and hopes for improvement. English knows that his team must improve in close games this season. Last year, the Patriots finished just 6-11 in games decided by six points or less. The Patriots did beat some quality teams last season with victories at Maryland and at Georgia but faded down the stretch, losing nine of their last 12 games. A deeper dive shows that English' team lacked depth with four players playing over 30 minutes per game. His priority this offseason was to add depth that he could utilize to save his starters.
“They were just done,” English told . “They just had nothing left in the tank. They were worn out. It was a heavy, heavy load, and it was high, high usage. I was adamant about never being in that situation again. … I trusted those guys, but it was diminishing returns, absolutely. Our depth will be a lot—a lot—better this season. It will be a much, much deeper team at every position.”
2?? days. #RockWithUs pic.twitter.com/7yG5m4QVJw
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) November 5, 2022
The key returning piece for the Patriots will be 6-9 senior Josh Oduro. Oduro led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots last season. He earned A-10 all-conference first team honors and returns as the conference's leading scorer. Devon Cooper and Davonte Gaines also return and give the team two additional double-digit scorers behind Oduro. Manning the point will be New Mexico transfer Saquan Singleton. The 6-6 graduate will give the Patriots length and experience at that spot. Another transfer, 6-10 Ginika Ojiako, gives George Mason length and a viable option off the bench. Keep an eye on two freshmen as well in guards Justyn Fernandez, a top-100 prospect, and Devin Dinkins, who should see some time at the point. English will need to lean on some of his new players to provide relief to an experienced group of starters if he wants to flip last year's poor finish.
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