No. 12 seed George Washington (9-23, 5-14) vs. No. 5 seed George Mason (17-14, 11-7)
Atlantic 10 Conference Tourney Second Round, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York; Thursday, 1:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: George Washington and George Mason are set to do battle in the second round of the A10 tourney. George Mason swept the two-game regular season series. The teams last met on March 9, when the Patriots outshot George Washington 53.6 percent to 46.3 percent and hit nine more 3-pointers on the way to the 16-point victory.
LEADING THE WAY: George Mason's Justin Kier has averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds while Otis Livingston II has put up 13.2 points and 4.2 assists. For the Colonials, DJ Williams has averaged 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while Maceo Jack has put up 11.5 points.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Kier has either made or assisted on 41 percent of all George Mason field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has accounted for 11 field goals and 15 assists in those games.
WINLESS WHEN: The Patriots are 0-6 when they score 61 points or fewer and 17-8 when they exceed 61 points. The Colonials are 0-19 when allowing 69 or more points and 9-4 on the season, otherwise.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Patriots have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Colonials. George Mason has an assist on 37 of 64 field goals (57.8 percent) across its past three matchups while George Washington has assists on 32 of 66 field goals (48.5 percent) during its past three games.
RECENT GAMES: George Washington has averaged only 60 points per game over its last five games. The Colonials have given up 71.2 points per game over that span.
