George Mason (2-5) returns home to Fairfax to play Morgan State (2-3) after two consecutive losses in the Emerald Coast Classic to Cincinnati (71-55) and Baylor (72-61).
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MSU enters the contest riding a two-game winning streak, most recently defeating Mount St. Mary’s 78-68 at home on Sunday.
Wednesday’s matchup will mark the fifth meeting between the two schools. Mason currently leads the series 3-1; the most recent game occurred on Dec. 22 last season with the Patriots winning, 86-79.
Breaking Down Morgan State
The Bears were picked to finish sixth in the MEAC conference according to the preseason poll.
Head coach Todd Bozeman enters his 13th year at Morgan State leading the Bears to back-to-back-MEAC Titles, appearances in the NIT, and appearances in two NCAA Tournaments.
This year, Morgan State returns:
- 49.6 percent of their scoring
- 28.4 percent of their rebounding
- 55.1 percent of their minutes played
MSU also returned two starting senior guards this year in Martez Cameron (8.6 ppg) and Antonio Gillespie (5.0 ppg) and also notably senior guard Tyler Streeter (8.8 ppg), junior guard Stanley Davis (5.0 ppg), and junior forward David Syfax (7.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg).
However, the Bears currently rank 329th in the NCAA, out of the 347 Division I teams.
Breaking Down Mason
After Mason’s 73-66 on Saturday against Baylor, they are now on a two-game losing streak.
George Mason put together its best defensive effort of the season but could pull away with the win against the Bears.
Senior Otis Livingston II was named to the Emerald Coast Classic All-Tournament Team after he notably led Mason with a season-high 26 points, made eight FGs and hit 8-of-9 FTs in the matchup against Baylor.
Redshirt-junior Jarred Reuter recorded 15 points and converted on a career-best 11-14 on FTs. He currently leads the Patriots this year in points per game with 11.4.
If Mason wants to win this game, they will have to limit their amount of turnovers.
The Patriots are currently 0-4 when they record over 15 turnovers in a game.
The game is set to tip-off at 7:00 ET and is available to watch on ESPN+.
My Prediction: A Mason “W”
Hopefully.
