[PREVIEW] George Mason vs. UMass -- Men's Basketball

Erik Copes is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game this season for the Patriots (photo by John Irwin).

Mason men’s basketball travels to Amherst, Mass. on Wednesday to take on Massachusetts at 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center.

UMass at a glance

This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season, with UMass taking the last decision in the final eight seconds of the game in Fairfax last month, 88-87.  

The Patriots (8-15, 1-8 A-10) snapped a nine-game losing streak and captured their first Atlantic 10 Conference win on the road on Saturday after defeating Duquesne, 74-68.

The Minutemen (19-4, 6-3 A-10) are on a two-game win streak, and enter the contest coming off a 73-68 victory over Rhode Island on the road on Sunday.

UMass will look to remain undefeated at home, and ranks first in the A-10 and 43^rd nationally in points per game (averaging 77.3). UMass ranks in the top 75 in six statistical categories. The Minutemen rank 47^th in scoring offense (77.3), 59^th in scoring margin (7.7), 32^nd in field goal percentage (47.6), 24^th in three-point field goal percentage (29.6), 21^st in assists (16.0) and 26^th in blocked shots (5.7). Four Minutemen average double-figures on the season.

Projected starting lineup

2013-2014 Statistics

Chaz Williams – 5’9” – Guard – 16.0 PPG – 2.8 RPG – 7.4 APG

Derrick Gordon – 6’3” – Guard – 9.0 PPG – 3.3 RPG – 1.5 SPG

Sampson Carter – 6’8” – Forward – 10.3 PPG – 4.7 RPG – 1.2 APG

Raphiael Putney – 6’9” – Forward – 10.4 PPG – 5.2 RPG – 1.5 APG

Cady Lalanne – 6’10” – Center – 13.0 PPG – 8.6 RPG – 2.4 BPG

Chaz Williams ranks third nationally in assists, averaging 7.4 per game. Williams has 15 double-digit assist games at UMass, which ties a record set by Carl Smith from 1983-1987.

Cady Lalanne has posted nine double-doubles this season, which ranks second in the A-10 and 30^th nationally.

How Mason stacks up

In the team’s last matchup against Duquesne, Sherrod Wright led the Patriots offensively with 23 points, while Bryon Allen tallied 17. Jalen Jenkins also added ten points and six rebounds in the contest, and continues to be a contributing factor in the starting roster.

Patrick Holloway is the Patriots’ go-to scorer from beyond the arc. Since the Diamond Head Classic, Holloway has averaged 11.9 points per game shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 49.2 percent from three-point range.