In the first installment of the Revolutionary Rivalry, George Mason (12-4, 1-2) will take on George Washington (6-10, 0-3) in the second game of their road trip.
This contest will mark the 26th meeting between the Patriots and the Colonials, with GW having a resounding 14-1 lead on their home court.
GW held an undefeated home court advantage (14-0) until the most recent matchup in Foggy Bottom. On top of that, GW holds a 19-6 advantage in the series and is 9-4 in A-10 games against the Patriots, but Mason has won the past four matchups between the schools.
Breaking Down GW
After falling to Duquesne 66-61, GW is on a 4-game losing streak. Without having won a single game, I hope this is not the one they show up to.
Players to look for:
Redshirt senior standout Armel Potter is a player to keep an eye out for; he’s averaged 14.3 points (leads GW) and has reached double figures in scoring in 10 of the last 12 games.
GW’s main threat is freshman, Jamison Battle. Battle leads the Atlantic 10 in conference-only scoring this year at 19.3 points per game and also leads the conference in made three-point field goals per game (4.0). Overall, Battle is 19th in the league in scoring (12.5) and 10th in three-point shooting percentage (40.2). The Patriots need to make sure to contain Battle, they don’t want him to take control of this game.
Like I mentioned above, Mason has only won once at GW’s Smith Center but won the last time they were there. Let’s hope Mason continues the upward trend.
Breaking Down George Mason
The Patriots need to continue on this winning track stay afloat in the conference. A loss to GW would be disastrous.
Justin Kier averaged 16.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting 50 percent (18-36) in the three meetings against GW in 2018-19.
Mason is now 11-0 this season when shooting 40 percent or better from the floor, they shot 48.1 percent overall at La Salle. This will be key; it’s incredibly hard for Mason to win games when they shoot in the 30’s (and 20’s).
In conference play, Kier is averaging team-highs in scoring (13.3 points/game) and minutes (34.6 minutes/game) and is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
Javon Greene is shooting 42.1 percent (8-19) from 3-point range in conference play and averaging a team-high 3.3 assists/contest.
My Prediction: A Mason “W”
