WHERE: John E. Glaser Arena – Philadelphia, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (12-1, 0-0), La Salle (4-9, 0-0)
SERIES: George Mason leads, 10-3
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University men’s basketball team (12-1) opens Atlantic 10 play with a New Year’s Eve contest at La Salle on Wednesday.
Tip-off between the Patriots and Explorers is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Kale Beers, Richie Tarr and Richard Prendergast. In addition, Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m.
PATRIOT POINTS
• George Mason is 6-6 all time in A-10 openers. The Patriots have won four of their past five and five of the past seven dating back to the 2018-19 season. GMU is 2-0 in A-10 debuts under head coach Tony Skinn (’06).
• The Patriots began the season 9-0 for the first time in school history and are 12-1 for just the second time in program annals. GMU last won 12 non-conference games in 1983-84 (when the team played just 10 league games) and had not accomplished the feat in the program’s CAA or A-10 eras (1985-present).
• A win on Wednesday would improve the Patriots to 13-1 for the first time in program history. GMU is one of just 21 programs nationally to have 12 or more wins.
• The Patriots completed non-conference play with an 83-79 victory over Penn Sunday. GMU shot 56.7 percent from the floor, despite a 1-of-15 performance from 3pt range.
• Nick Ellington led the Patriots with his first double-double (16 pts, 11 reb) in a George Mason uniform, while Fatt Hill tallied a season-best 18 points (7-8 FG).
• George Mason’s bench outscored the Penn reserves by 25 (38-13). On the year, the Patriots hold a +91 (370-279) bench scoring edge over opponent reserves. The Patriot reserve unit has outscored its counterparts in nine of 13 games on the year.
• Two-time A-10 Player of the Week Kory Mincy ranks sixth nationally in FT percentage (.947) and 35th in 3pt percentage (.440). He leads the A-10 in scoring (17.9 ppg) and is fifth in assists per contest (3.7).
• The Patriots rank second in the A-10 in turnovers/game (11.2) and have averaged just 9.5 over the past eight games.
• GMU is third in the A-10 and ranks 59th nationally in 3pt percentage (.369). However, over the past four games, the Patriots are 17-of-69 (.246) from beyond the arc.
• Skinn, the 2025 A-10 Coach of the Year, sports an overall win percentage of .728 (59-22) and is at 66.7 percent (24-12) in A-10 games over his first three seasons. The Nov. 11 victory made Skinn the fastest coach in program history to reach 50 victories.
• The Green & Gold rank fifth nationally in FT rate (.498) and make 20.6 free throws/game (10th in the country). On the other end of the floor, the Patriots commit just 14.7 fouls per contest (21st-best nationally).
• George Mason is 7-0 when the team scores 80+ points this season and 23-0 when the team reaches the 80-point plateau under Coach Skinn.
• The Patriots enter Wednesday’s game ranked 84th in the NET. GMU also is No. 88 in KenPom.
HISTORY vs. LA SALLE
Wednesday’s game will mark the 14th all time matchup between George Mason and La Salle in men’s basketball. The Patriots hold a 10-3 advantage in the all time series, including a 3-3 mark in Philadelphia. George Mason has won seven of the past eight matchups. Last season, the Patriots knocked off the Explorers 69-62 on Senior Night (March 5) inside EagleBank Arena. Brayden O’Connor led George Mason with a career-best 26 points (8-13 FG, 2-4 3pt, 8-8 FT) to go with a game-high five assists in 35 minutes of work. It marked his first 20+ point night in a George Mason uniform.
A LOOK AT THE EXPLORERS (4-9, 0-0 A-10; NET #271, KenPom #262)
La Salle was picked to finish 13th in the 2025-26 A-10 preseason poll. The Explorers posted a 4-9 non-conference mark with a schedule which ranked in the top-100 nationally. La Salle ranks second in the A-10 in offensive rebounds/game (13.15) and commits just 16.2 fouls/game (79th nationally). Jaeden Marshall leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and Jerome Brewer, who has not played in December due to injury, adds 9.4 points/contest. Ashton Walker chips in 8.7 points/game.
UP NEXT
George Mason returns to Fairfax for the team’s home opener Saturday (Jan. 3) against Rhode Island. Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on USA Network.
