George Mason Hosts VCU for Saturday Showdown in Fairfax

WHERE: EagleBank Arena – Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Saturday, 12 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (15-1, 3-0), VCU (11-5, 2-1)
SERIES: George Mason trails, 22-49
TELEVISION: ESPNU
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University men’s basketball team (15-1, 3-0) hosts VCU (11-5, 2-1) Saturday afternoon in a rematch of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship game.  

Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 12 p.m. Saturday’s game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU, featuring commentary from Derek Jones and Noah Savage. In addition, Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are 15-1 for the first time in school history and 3-0 in A-10 play for the first time in program annals. GMU is one of just 10 programs nationally to have 15 or more wins.

• Since the start of the 2024-25 season, George Mason leads the A-10 and ranks t-9th nationally in total wins (42).

• The Patriots increased their winning streak to six with a 67-58 victory at Fordham Wednesday. The Patriots held a +14 (44-30) scoring edge in the second half and shot 60 percent (15-25) from the floor in the period.

• Riley Allenspach scored 17 of his team-best 18 points in the second stanza, while Fatt Hill added 11 points (9-10 FT), five rebounds and two assists. Kory Mincy chipped in 10 points.

• Two-time A-10 Player of the Week Kory Mincy leads the A-10 in scoring (17.1 ppg), is sixth in assist/turnover ratio (2.24), seventh in 3pt FGM/game (2.31) and is ninth in assists per contest (3.5). He ranks 10th nationally in FT percentage (.930).

• Mincy is 35 points away from 1,000 for his career, while Nick Ellington is 13 points away.

• The Patriots lead the A-10 in fewest turnovers/game (10.4) and have averaged just 8.5 over the past 10 contests.

• GMU shot 40.9 percent (79-193) from 3pt range over the first 10 games of the season, but the Patriots are at just 26.4 percent (24-91) over the past six contests.

• Freshman Emmanuel Kanga is the A-10 Rookie of the Week after averaging 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and shooting 90 percent in wins over La Salle and Rhode Island. It’s the first A-10 Rookie of the Week honor for a Patriot since Baraka Okojie on Jan. 29, 2024.

• The Patriots are one of the most balanced teams in college basketball. Over the season’s 16 games, eight different Patriots have led the team in scoring, and nine players average at least 10 minutes.

• George Mason is 11-0 at home this season and 43-5 (.896) inside EagleBank Arena under head coach Tony Skinn (’06).

• The Patriots enter Wednesday’s game ranked 76th in the NET. GMU also is No. 84 in KenPom.

HISTORY vs. VCU
Saturday’s game marks the 72nd all-time meeting between old CAA and current A-10 foes George Mason and VCU. Mason is 12-16 at home, 9-24 on the road and 1-9 on neutral courts vs. the Rams (22-49 overall). GMU last defeated the Rams inside EagleBank Arena on Feb. 24, 2016 (0-7 since).

George Mason and VCU shared the A-10 regular season title in 2024-25 and Saturday’s contest is a rematch of the 2025 A-10 Championship game at Capital One Arena. The Rams won that one, 68-63. With the Patriots down three (66-63) with under 10 seconds to go, a 3-point attempt from Zach Anderson went in and out, allowing the Rams to hold on for the victory and capture the championship title. VCU also won last season’s lone regular season meeting in Richmond, 70-54, on Feb. 22.

A LOOK AT THE RAMS (11-5, 2-1 A-10; NET #55, KenPom #45)
VCU was picked to win the Atlantic 10 and received 11 of 27 first place votes. The Rams went 9-4 in non-conference play, highlighted by wins over top-100 foes Virginia Tech (86-68) and South Florida (78-66). VCU is 2-1 to begin A-10 play and is coming off a 71-62 home loss to Saint Louis on Wednesday. The Rams make 9.9 3pt field goals/game (second in A-10) and 19.9 free throws/contest (17th nationally). Terrence Hill Jr. paces VCU in scoring (14.0 ppg) and shoots 44 percent from 3pt range. Lazar Djokovic adds 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest, while Jadrian Tracy (10.5 ppg) and Nyk Lewis (10.2 ppg) also average double figures for the Rams.

UP NEXT
George Mason heads to the Windy City for a Tuesday night contest at Loyola Chicago. Tip-off against the Ramblers is set for 7 p.m. (ET). The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.