George Mason returns to action tonight against Duquesne

Watch George Mason vs Duquesne here 8:00 pm

The Patriots head back into action tonight after having some time off for exams.  It's been 11 days since their last game at Liberty and now they travel to Pittsburgh to face talented and high scoring Duquesne squad.  Don't let their record fool you this will a tough test for Mason as the Dukes are nationally ranked in a lot categories.  They are ranked 19th in the country in points per game (80.7), 2nd in assists (19.9), and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.422).  Mason hasn't faced a team with this much offensive firepower yet this season and yes that includes the NC State game in Charleston. I don't think I have to tell you that defense will be the key tonight for the Patriots. They have recently overwhelmed a few teams with their own offensive power but they can't rely on this for tonight's game.  

The Dukes sport a four-guard lineup that often leaves forward Damian Sanders in the middle. Sanders is a shot-blocking machine and on pace to break the school's record for career blocked shots. On paper they seem like a guard heavy sharp shooting squad but don't discount their inside presence with Sanders. Another player to watch is guard/forward Bill Clark who is the team's leading scorer. Clark leads a group of guards that almost all shoot better then 41% from the three-point line.  This will be a true test to reserve guards Isaiah Tate and Vertrail Vaughns who have been productive off the bench.  Cam Long and Andre Cornelius will be tested all night and the team needs their bench to step in and keep up the defensive intensity.  

Keys to the game:

-Like Coach Huger says in the video, keep the game under 80 points. In every single one of their losses the Dukes were held under 80 points and if the score starts to get high early the Patriots are playing the Duquesne's game and you don't want that on the road.

-Guard the perimeter.  The Patriots have faced good three-point shooting teams this season and held them in check. This will be their toughest test of it so far this year and they need to limit the outside shot opportunities. A team that shoots threes well is never out of the game and this will end up being a total team effort on defense.  

-Get Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison involved early.  Luke Hancock and Cam Long have been solid all year and they will get their points but what we haven't seen yet is both Pearson and Morrison starting off hot.  It could be a huge advantage in this game because despite the Dukes shot blocking presence in Damian Sanders the team doesn't have any depth at forward. If Pearson and Morrison start rolling on offense it will disrupt Duquense's game plan.