The American Eagles and the George Mason Patriots meet Sunday in college basketball action from EagleBank Arena. American is 0-1 so far this year following an opener loss to Marist. As for George Mason, they’re 1-1 this season and coming off a win versus Longwood. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
American is coming off a disappointing campaign in 2021-22, going 10-22 overall with a 5-13 record in Patriot League play. That result left the Eagles in last place in the standings. American eventually lost to Navy in the conference tournament.
In their first action of the 2022-23 season, American faced off against Marist. The Eagles held a 39-38 lead going into the second half but couldn’t hang on in a 73-69 loss. Geoff Sprouse led the team on 14 points and a rebound in 24 minutes.
Over on the George Mason side, they opened up their season with a tough matchup versus Auburn. The Patriots scored just 24 points in the first half and limped to a 70-52 loss. Ronald Polite was the top scorer with 10 points, four rebounds and four assists.
In game two the Patriots had a more comparable matchup versus Longwood. George Mason scored 49 points in the first half in that one and took an 83-69 win. Josh Oduro was able to double up on 20 points and 12 rebounds during the victory.
PICK: I’m going to stay with George Mason. The Patriots were overmatched in the Auburn game but looked pretty good against Longwood. George Mason managed 54.7 percent shooting in that one with 36 rebounds and 19 assists. As for American, they were competitive in their opener versus Marist but they allowed the opposition to shoot 51.9 percent from the field and 52.4 from 3-point range. If George Mason has a good day making shots in this one they should be able to cover without too much difficulty.