For the second time this season, the George Mason Patriots (13-10, 12-11-0 ATS, 5-5 A-10) will battle the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (7-14, 5-16-0 ATS, 1-8 A-10) in A-10 action. The first game between these teams was nearly a month ago, with the Patriots pulling out an 86-75 home victory and covering the 5.5 point-spread. That game was also the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Round two is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST in Loyola Chicago's Joseph G. Gentile Arena.
George Mason should be looking to duplicate their performance against Loyola Chicago earlier in the season. Repeating their efforts from Wednesday should also suffice.
The Patriots took down UMass 70-59, ending a two-game slide and keeping them afloat in the A-10 standings. They were 6.0-point favorites and covered. Their defense was tremendous in that game, holding UMass to 36.9% shooting and 23.1% on three-pointers. George Mason shot 48.1%, led by Justyn Fernandez, who had 18 points on 62.5% shooting.
Euro, Reverse ??@JustynFernande4 | #RockWithUs pic.twitter.com/u1qjionkPi
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) February 2, 2023
On offense, George Mason is putting up 70.8 points per game, seventh among the 15-team A-10 conference. However, their three-point shooting is phenomenal as they knock down 36.6% of their attempts which leads the conference. Overall they shoot 46.4% from the floor, fourth in the A-10 this season.
Defensively, the Patriots hold opposing teams to 68.0 points per game which is sixth in the conference. Just like on offense, they pay special attention to the three-point line, limiting opponents to 30.6% on shots from deep which is third in the A-10 and 42nd in the country. Their foes shoot 42.6% from the floor overall. The Patriots average the fewest steals per game in the conference at 4.6 per game. That number is 349th in the nation.
The road has not been kind to George Mason as they are 1-5 in away games this season. The Patriots are ranked 130th by KenPom.
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