#MasonGameDay: George Mason vs. Kansas State

It is one of the highest anticipated matchups for the season for George Mason (6-6), facing off against Kansas State (9-2).

Saturday will be the final non-conference game of the season for the Patriots. With a win it will be only the second time that Dave Paulsen led George Mason to a .500 record or better (2016-17).

George Mason is currently on their best stretch of the season. They’ve won two in a row and four of the last five to salvage a rough start. Trending in the positive direction heading toward Atlantic 10 play, Mason is still looking for a signature win.

For the Wildcats, there really hasn’t been a bad stretch of basketball for a while. Last season they made it all the way to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Taking advantage of UMBC’s upset of Virginia, the Wildcats cruised until their fateful matchup with Loyola-Chicago. This season, they’ve kept that momentum going.

Their two losses are to Marquette (KenPom: 30) and Tulsa (121). They beat Missouri in Paradise Jam title game and their most recent victory was the biggest on the season against Vanderbilt.

This will only be the second time the Wildcats and the Patriots play each other. The only other contest was back in the Jim Larranaga days when the Patriots upset No. 18 Kansas State back in 2007. That season George Mason won the CAA Championship to make the NCAA Tournament.

BREAKING DOWN KANSAS STATE

Kansas State should make the NCAA Tournament again this season and will be one of the biggest threats to beat the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12. Other than Cincinnati, this is the toughest opponent on the season for the Patriots as K-State stands at 28th in the KenPom rankings (33rd in NET rankings).

Notable players:

• Senior Dean Wade is out indefinitely for the Wildcats. With an injury on his right foot he missed the last two contests (both wins) for K-State. Last season he was the best player on the roster, leading them to their No. 9 seed. He was a All-Big 12 First Team selection and lead the team in scoring (16.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg).
• Barry Brown Jr. is the leading scorer for K-State this year with 14.8 ppg. More pressure will be on the senior without Wade in the lineup, but the guard can live up to the expectations on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. He just became the all-time leader in steals in Wildcat history.
• Without Wade, Makol Mawien (Junior, 6-7) has become the lone post player for the Wildcats. His first game without Wade earned him four points and seven rebounds, followed up by 15 points and five rebounds against Vanderbilt.

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BREAKING DOWN MASON

Some notable stats:

• During their 4-1 stretch, the Patriots are shooting 49 percent from the field.
• This will be only the third true road game of the year. Coming in, the Patriots are 1-1 with their win coming at William & Mary.
• The Patriots are 4-0 when they can hold opponents under 70 points this season. K-State is only averaging 68.2 points per contest.
• Otis Livingston II is FINALLY playing like the Preseason All-A-10 First Team selection. In the team’s past five games he is scoring 20.5 ppg and shooting 48 percent from the field. With Jaire Grayer out indefinitely, Mason needs him to score as much as he can.
• Back-to-back double-doubles has Justin Kier continuing his strong 2018-19 campaign. Without question, he is the best all-around player on the roster: 13.5 ppg (2nd), 52.6% FG (3rd), 5.1 rpg (1st), 2.8 apg (2nd), 2.2 spg (1st).
• This is the second game against a Big 12 opponent of the season. Mason lost to Baylor 72-61 back in November.

The game will broadcast on Fox Sports Kansas City and is available online on ESPN3. Tip-off is at 8:00 ET.

Prediction: Game will be closer than many anticipate. George Mason will stay within a couple possessions but K-State will prove they are the better team. Kansas State 73, George Mason 62