George Mason heads to Saint Joseph’s trying to get out of a funk.
The Patriots have lost four of their last five and now they head on the road for the next three games. The struggles have left George Mason (12-11, 5-5) 7th in the Atlantic 10.
When the two teams met earlier this season, the Patriots won 77-71. It wasn’t an easy one. With under five minutes left, Saint Joseph’s was up by two but the Patriots would close the show down the stretch. Josh Oduro led George Mason with 31 points.
Like George Mason, Saint Joseph’s (10-14, 4-8) have hit a bump in the road. The Hawks have lost three of their last four.
Keys:
Defense – There’s an old adage that says defense travels. Well… the Patriots played VCU at home and they must’ve left the defense in their dorms. Mason allowed the Rams to shoot 55.6% in the 85-70 loss. Outside of the second half and OT against Davidson, the Hawks have shot the ball well the last four games.
Bench Mob – George Mason must get more contribution from their bench. It starts with trying to find more rest for Oduro. Either Blake Jones (if the match up in right) or Malik Henry must earn the trust of head coach Kim English.
X-Factor – The Patriots are better when Xavier Johnson is aggressive with his shot. It opens up the floor for Oduro and the other perimeter players. Tonight is no different. The Hawks will try to take away Oduro and D’Shawn Schwartz. If Johnson is impactful offensively early on, it should help everyone else around him.
