It will be a battle between Atlantic 10 opponents when the Massachusetts Minutemen (11-14) welcome the George Mason Patriots (9-17) to William D. Mullins Center. The game begins at 4:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 21 and will air on NBS.
The Minutemen lost to Fordham 76-66 on Wednesday. Trey Davis recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds, earning his first double-double of the year. The Patriots, meanwhile, are coming off a tough 79-77 loss to Saint Louis on Wednesday. George Mason lost despite the best efforts of Jalen Jenkins, who recorded his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
It will be a matchup of conflicting tempos, as the fast-breaking Minutemen (ranked 32nd in the nation in possessions per game) will look to push the slow-paced Patriots (283rd in possessions per game).
The Minutemen enter the game with records of 11-14 Straight Up (SU) and 8-14-1 Against The Spread (ATS).
Across the court, the Patriots head into the game with records of 10-13 ATS and 9-17 SU. During the last 10 games, they averaged 71.8 PPG, above their 66.1 PPG season average. The Patriots have controlled the glass with an average of 41.5 rebounds per game, ninth in the country.
Massachusetts and George Mason will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, George Mason came out on top, moving its SU record against the Patriots to 2-1. The Patriots hold the advantage ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – UMass, ATS Winner – UMass
Notes
George Mason lost its last game by a two-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, Massachusetts is 0-1. George Mason is 2-2 in close games this season.
Massachusetts has an average field goal percentage of 43.0%. George Mason is an abysmal 1-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Massachusetts Minutemen rank lower for their field goal percentage (226th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (213th), but the George Mason Patriots have a better FG% ranking (323rd) than eFG% ranking (333rd).
Ranked ninth in the nation, George Mason averages 41.5 rebounds per game. Massachusetts ranks lower at 182nd with 36.2 RPG.
The George Mason Patriots rank 58th in offensive rebounds. The Massachusetts Minutemen rank 152nd in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Massachusetts has forced an average turnover percentage of 17.5% this season. George Mason has a subpar 2-10 record when its TO% is 17.5% or higher.
