George Mason Patriots (5-5) vs La Salle Explorers (5-6)
Game Info: Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 7:00 pm (EagleBank Arena)
Betting Odds: George Mason Patriots -3 -- Over/Under: 133 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: ESPN+ Stream College Basketball all season on ESPN+. Sign up now!
The La Salle Explorers will travel to EagleBank Arena to take on the George Mason Patriots this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.
The La Salle Explorers had their 2-game winning streak and dropped to 5-6 on the season after being defeated by the UMass Minutemen, 83-67, this past Saturday. La Salle came out flat against UMass and could not fight back into the game after going into halftime trailing by a 45-21 margin. La Salle shot 41.2% from the field and 29.2% from beyond the arc while UMass shot 46.4% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc. La Salle was outrebounded by UMass by a 43-33 margin and committed 12 turnovers in the loss. Leading the way for the Explorers was Anwar Gill who had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, & 2 steals.
On the season, La Salle is averaging 67.6 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Explorers are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game on 38.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, La Salle has been led by Jack Clark (9.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg), David Beatty (9.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 apg), Sherif Kenney (9.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Anwar Gill (8.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg).
Defensively, La Salle is allowing their opponents to average 67.9 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Explorers have a rebound margin of -2.5 and a turnover margin of -0.5.
The George Mason Patriots lost their 3rd straight game and dropped to 5-5 on the season after being defeated by the Richmond Spiders, 77-57, this past Saturday. George Mason struggled with turnovers against Richmond and could not fight back after a 15-3 run gave the Patriots a 64-47 lead with 7:28 left in regulation. George Mason shot 45.1% from the field and 26.7% from beyond the arc while Richmond shot 44.6% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc. George Mason was outrebounded by Richmond by a 34-33 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 18-8 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Patriots was AJ Wilson who had 16 points, 6 rebounds, & 3 blocks.
On the season, George Mason is averaging 69.6 ppg on 43.0% shooting from the field. The Patriots are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 31.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, George Mason has been led by Jordan Miller (15.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 spg), Tyler Kolek (11.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 spg), Javon Greene (9.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.6 spg), & Josh Oduro (9.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg).
Defensively, George Mason is allowing their opponents to average 72.0 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Patriots have a rebound margin of 0.4 and a turnover margin of -0.1.
The Explorers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss. The Patriots are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Wednesday games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss.
George Mason has lost 4 of their last 5 games, however, they have had a tough stretch of opponent and their lone victory was a decent 93-92 (2 OT) victory on the road against UMass. La Salle is a tough team to trust offensively as they rely heavily on the three-point ball and even though they shoot it well, the Explorers still just rank t-260th in scoring offense. George Mason is a better defensive team than I think their stats display and as I expect a strong bounce back performance from the Patriots in this one, I’m taking George Mason to cover this home spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick George Mason Patriots -3
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05