Saturday’s programming on USA features a doubleheader of A-10 College Basketball, starting with the Dayton Flyers taking on the George Washington Revolutionaries at 12pm ET, before the George Mason Patriots face the Rhode Island Rams at 2pm ET in Rhode Island.
George Mason enters this game with a 10-4 record (1-0 A-10) and is on a four-game winning streak against Rhode Island, which includes wins in both of their matchups last season. They’re also on a three-game winning streak this season, with wins in eight of their last nine dating back to November 20th. The only loss in that span came to No. 5 Duke, who beat the Patriots 68-47 on December 17th. In their first game of conference play, George Mason bested Davidson 69-57 on New Year’s Eve, never trailing in the second half and limiting Davidson to 27 points in that half.
The Patriots have been particularly strong defensively this season, ranking fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (35.6%) and 13th in scoring defense (61.8 points per game allowed). Offensively, the team has been led by senior forward Jalen Haynes, who started slow but has tallied double-digit points in his last nine games, including a season-high 25 against UNC Asheville in early December. He’s also produced four double-doubles in the last team’s last six games, and sits second in the conference in field goal percentage (62.9%). Other key faces for George Mason include senior guard Darius Maddox, who transferred from Virginia Tech ahead of the 2023-24 season, and junior guard Brayden O’Connor, who led the Patriots in scoring in their win over Davidson.
The 11-2 Rams unfortunately opened conference play with just their second loss of the season, losing to Duquesne 67-55 on New Year’s Eve their last time out. Despite a string of recent losses to the Patriots, the Rams have stats on their side in defending their home turf — they’re undefeated at home so far this season, a perfect 8-0.
Rhode Island will hope to bounce back from a tough showing against Duquesne, in which they tallied a season-low 55 points and shot just 37% from the field. With a win against George Mason on Saturday, they’ll already have matched their win total from last season, which saw the team go 12-20 (6-12 A-10). In starting off stronger this season, the Rams have relied on production from senior forward David Green, as well as senior point guard Sebastian Thomas, who started his career at Rhode Island before transferring to the University of Albany last season and them coming home to Rams for 2024-25. Thomas is currently the team’s scoring leader (17.8 points per game) and has scored 20+ points in four of his last five games.
For full information on how to watch Saturday’s A-10 matchup before George Mason and Rhode Island, see below.
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How to Watch George Mason vs Rhode Island Men’s College Basketball
- Date: Saturday, January 4th
- Time: 2pm ET
- TV Channel: USA
- Other CBB on USA Saturday: Dayton vs George Washington at 12pm ET
2024-25 A-10 Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Sat., Jan. 4 | Dayton at George Washington | USA Network | 12 p.m. |
| George Mason at Rhode Island | USA Network | 2 p.m. | |
| Wed., Jan. 8 | Dayton at UMass | Peacock | 7 p.m. |
| St. Bonaventure at Saint Louis | Peacock | 8 p.m. | |
| Sat., Jan. 18 | George Washington at George Mason | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. |
| Saint Louis at Richmond | USA Network | 2:30 p.m. | |
| Sun., Jan. 19 | La Salle at UMass | USA Network | 2 p.m. |
| Sun., Jan. 26 | Duquesne at Fordham | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. |
| Wed., Jan. 29 | Fordham at La Salle | Peacock | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 1 | Fordham at St. Bonaventure | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. |
| George Washington at La Salle | USA Network | 2:30 p.m. | |
| Sat., Feb. 8 | Richmond at Davidson | USA Network | 12 p.m. |
| Sun., Feb. 9 | George Washington at St. Bonaventure | USA Network | 12 p.m. |
| UMass at La Salle | USA Network | 2 p.m. | |
| Wed., Feb. 12 | VCU at George Washington | Peacock | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 15 | Saint Joseph’s at George Mason | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. |
| Duquesne at Dayton | USA Network | 2:30 p.m. | |
| Sat., Feb. 22 | Richmond at Saint Joseph’s | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. |
| Rhode Island at Saint Louis | USA Network | 2:30 p.m. | |
| Wed., Feb. 26 | St. Bonaventure at Saint Joseph’s | Peacock | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., March 1 | Saint Joseph’s at Fordham | USA Network | 12 p.m. |
| Sat., March 8 | Loyola Chicago at UMass | USA Network | 12:30 p.m. |
| Saint Joseph’s at La Salle | USA Network | 2:30 p.m. |
