The giant killers are coming.
George Mason has taken down two Power 5 opponents this season: No. 20 Maryland in College Park on Nov. 17 and Georgia a month later in Athens. The Patriots also put a mighty scare into Washington (lost by 3) during a holiday tournament and gave everything Kansas it could handle at Phog Allen Fieldhouse on New Years Day (76-67 Jayhawks).
They’re currently second in the Atlantic 10 standings after a monumental victory over preseason league favorite Saint Bonaventure 75-66 in Fairfax, Va., on Wednesday.
“I feel like anybody can beat anybody. So I see like, George Mason beat St. Bonaventure, who everybody thought he was the best team in the league, that gives all of us confidence knowing we can go out there and beat anybody else in the conference,” UMass guard T.J. Weeks Jr. said.
George Mason (10-7, 3-1 A-10) was picked eighth in the preseason poll. The Patriots, which visit the Mullins Center at 2 p.m. Sunday, are out performing preseason expectations more than any other team in the league.
New coach Kim English, a Baltimore native that played in the NBA, has assembled a squad that ranks in the league’s top five in both scoring offense (71.6 points per game) and defense (66.1).
The last time the teams met in December 2020, George Mason left the Mullins Center with a double-overtime victory. Only two players, Josh Oduro and Xaiver Johnson, are still on the team and play significant roles for the Patriots.
“That’s just a bad, bad memory,” UMass coach Matt McCall said. “They’re running different things. It’s a new coach. The only thing you can take from that game is maybe some tendencies of Xavier Johnson and Oduro, outside of that, just a new coach, new staff, new style.”
Forward Josh Oduro is fourth in the A-10 scoring 17.6 points per game. He’s making 57 percent of his shots from the field while averaging 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
Colorado transfer D’Shawn Schwartz joins him in the top 10 at 15.8 (ninth). He’s hitting 2.6 3s per game, tied for the fourth most in the A-10 with teammate DeVon Cooper (12.5 points per game).
Tennessee transfer Davonte Gaines grabs 8.2 rebounds per contest, second in the league. His 54.5 percent field goal shooting is 11th in the league. He’s also shooting 47.3 percent from 3, third in the conference. Gaines averages 11 points per game and has five double-doubles.
“His motor is just non stop running,” McCall said. “He plays with a terrific tenacity and energizes their team.”
English coached both Gaines and Schwartz at his previous assistant stops at Tennessee and Colorado, respectively.
The Patriots have five players averaging at least 28 minutes per game and lean heavily on those starters.
“You’ve got to get to their bench, you’ve got to go at them,” McCall said. “If you can get one or two of those guys in foul trouble, it plays into your hands.”
UMass (9-10, 2-5 A-10) has won two of its last three games, including its first road win of the season Wednesday at La Salle. Point guard Noah Fernandes, the Minutemen’s leading scorer missed that game in Philadelphia due to concussion protocols. He remains in the protocols and his status is up in the air for Sunday.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.