The George Mason Patriots (18-6, 10-2 CAA) welcome conference foe and hated rival Old Dominion (15-9, 10-2) to the Patriot Center Saturday, with a sellout crowd of roughly 10,000 folks expected to attend. George Mason and Old Dominion are currently tied with Drexel and VCU atop the CAA standings. The top four finishers in the league earn first round byes in the CAA tournament.
George Mason had a six game winning streak snapped Wednesday, when they lost 65-60 at Delaware. Despite the loss, the Patriots still lead the league in scoring (70.9 points per game) and field goal percentage (46 percent).
Old Dominion is on a roll, winning their fourth straight and eighth in nine games when they took down James Madison 80-71 on Thursday. Forward Chris Cooper played like a beast, grabbing 22 rebounds in the game.
The first meeting of the year between these two teams saw George Mason end an eight-year drought in Norfolk, as the Patriots scored a 63-54 win, with Ryan Pearson's 16 points and 14 rebounds leading the way.
Mason has won six of the past seven meetings with ODU at the Patriot Center. George Mason is 11-1 at home this year, and 6-0 in CAA homes games. Old Dominion is no road slouch, however: the Monarchs are 5-1 away from home in league play.
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