THIS. IS. MARCH.
After getting back on track with a win over Richmond, George Mason (16-12, 10-5) will take on St. Louis (17-11, 8-7) to continue to battle for a top-4 position.
This matchup marks the 11th time these two programs have played, with SLU holding the series lead 6-4.
Mason took the last meeting by a score of 86-81 on Jan. 13, 2018 with Otis Livingston II scoring 26 points in the process.
In their last ten games, the Billikens are 3-7; this is not good considering the fact that SLU started conference play on a 5-0 run.
The Patriots on the other hand, are currently coming off a 14-point revenge victory against Richmond. That was a must-win game for the Patriots as they are now only half a game back from third (with Dayton’s recent loss to URI). Hopefully, the team can finish strong and get a double bye in Brooklyn.
Breaking Down SLU
The Billikens come home to St. Louis for a two-game homestand to face the Patriots. This is not a good thing for the Patriots as SLU has only lost twice on homecourt this season (Richmond and Davidson).
SLU is an offensive rebounding machine, they currently rank 14th in the NCAA with 13.3 offensive rebounds per game.
Here are some players to watch:
Coming into this game, senior Javon Bess is is tenth in the A10 in scoring and leads his team with 15.5 ppg. He is the key player to look out for in this contest.
Sophomore Jordan Goodwin has recorded 102 assists (leads team), 55 steals (third in the A10) and is averaging 10.1 ppg.
Sophomore Hasahn French currently sits second in the A10 with 8.5 rpg and also has recorded nine double-doubles on the season.
Breaking Down George Mason
Jamal Hartwell had a great game against Richmond on Wednesday; he led the team with 15 points, going 5-12 from the floor, and 5-9 from three in his 31 minutes. He was clutch in the game sinking some key three pointers, Mason needs him to do that on a more consistent basis.
The Patriots outscored the Spiders in the paint 30-22, this the came from the help of Greg Calixte, who spent the last couple games in concussion protocol. While he finished this game with only four points, his presence on defense was definitely needed.
Jordan Miller played a great game against the Spiders. He finished with 13 points, going 6-9 from the floor, and led the team with 10 rebounds. This marks his second double-double this season.
The Patriots need some help to finish the season with a double-bye, however, the Patriots do need to try to win their next three games to stay in contention. We’ll see how that goes.
The game will be streamed on NBCSN at 3:00pm.
My Prediction: This is a tough one, but I’ll say a Mason “W”
