In a loaded slate of games from the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinal matchups, the most anticipated ones happened in the second half. The first was a local rivalry battle between 2-seed George Mason and 7-seed George Washington, who had entertaining regular-season battles that were decided by six points and two overtimes combined. Unfortunately for the Revolutionaries, they lost for a third time on Saturday, 80-65, to propel the Patriots to the semis.
They take on Saint Joe’s, the lone underdog, to get a win on Friday. The 6-seeded Hawks beat Dayton in overtime, 73-68, to move to the semis.
Date: Saturday, March 15
Time: 3:30 pm EST
Venue: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
How to Watch (TV): CBSSN
Streaming: CBSSPORTS.com
George Mason record: 25-7
St. Joe’s record: 22-11
Moneyline
George Mason +110
Saint Joe’s -132
Spread
George Mason +1.5 (120)
Saint Joe’s -1.5 (120)
Total
132.5 (Over -115) (Under -115)
George Mason Injury Report
None
Saint Joe’s Injury Report
None
Prediction for George Mason vs Saint Joe’s
In the lone matchup between the two in the regular season, George Mason held on to win 58-57 at home. Jalen Haynes, the first-team all-league big man, had 22 points as the lone double-digit scorer in for the Patriots. He’s coming off a 24-point outing on Friday, and St. Joe’s needs big men Justice Ajogbor and Anthony Finkley to do a better job on him.
At the same time, a big matchup to watch will be on the perimeter, as A-10 Defensive Player of the Year Jared Billups and the imposing Patriots defense will be dealing with Xzayvier Brown and Erik Reynolds, who each had 20+ to beat another good defensive unit in Dayton.
This very well could be another low-scoring game, with both teams capable of defending well. In a game where stars need to emerge, look for the Hawks to find a way to score enough to beat George Mason in a tight contest.
Prediction: Saint Joe’s 63, George Mason 61