It’s senior night here in Fairfax, George Mason (15-14, 4-12) takes on St. Louis (21-8, 10-6) as the Patriots get set for Brooklyn.
This contest marks the 12th time these two programs have played, and while the series is currently in the favor of the Billikens, 7-4, St. Louis has won five of the last six contests. Additionally, Mason is only 2-3 in Fairfax against the Billikens, with the Patriots’ most recent win over St. Louis at home coming in the 2017-2018 season on Jan. 13 by a score of 86-81.
The Billikens are coming off of a 72-62 win over URI, and have won their last three games (St. Joe’s and VCU).
Meanwhile, the Patriots are still sitting on their 4 wins in conference play, and will look to possibly finish in the 11 seed for the A-10 Tournament.
Breaking Down St. Louis
Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French are the only teammates in the NCAA averaging a double-double. Goodwin leads the team with 15.6 ppg and 10.5 rpg, while French averages 12.4 ppg and 10.4 rpg.
The Billikens shoot many of their points from in the paint and from mid-range; Mason will have to lock down these areas of the court.
Also look for lots of ball screen rotation on the perimeter before their drives to the basket. This is one of their main facets of their offense.
Breaking Down George Mason
The Patriots have shot less than 24 percent from 3-point range in four of the past five games. Mason is shooting 28.6 percent (88-308) from beyond the arc in A-10 play.
Jordan Miller led Mason with his second-straight double-double, tallying team highs in points (19) and rebounds (11) against the Dukes. He went a perfect 9-for-9 from 2-point range in the contest. Miller has scored at least 10 points in nine-straight contests.
The Patriots come into this game still with nagging injuries; AJ Wilson now has injured his wrist and also injured his ankle after falling on Goanar Mar’s foot in the GW game. He’s scored in double-digits in 5 of the last 6 games.
Mason is 3-10 since senior star Justin Kier re-injured his foot (fracture) on Jan. 14.
The Patriots desperately need a win.
My Prediction: A George Mason “L” … again 🙁
