Preview: Saint Bonaventure vs. George Mason in Atlantic 10 Tournament

PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — The George Mason Patriots, riding one of their best seasons in recent memory, will look to advance in the Atlantic 10 men’s basketball tournament when they face the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies on Thursday at 84 Lumber Arena.

The No. 2-seeded Patriots (23-8) enter the conference tournament as heavy favorites against the No. 10-seeded Bonnies (16-16), having won both regular-season meetings. George Mason secured a 77-73 victory in Olean, New York, on Jan. 31, then handled Saint Bonaventure 71-58 at home on Feb. 28.

George Mason is led by guard Jahari Long, who is coming off a dominant performance with 21 points and nine assists in an 86-57 rout of Saint Louis on March 7. Long averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 assists in the two wins over the Bonnies this season.

Saint Bonaventure, which evened its record with a 99-80 win at La Salle on Wednesday, will rely on forward Frank Mitchell. Mitchell posted 18 points and nine rebounds in that play-in victory and has been a consistent force, recording a double-double in the Bonnies’ Feb. 21 win at Richmond. In the loss at George Mason last month, Mitchell scored 22 points.

The Patriots have struggled at times down the stretch, losing four of six games before the blowout of Saint Louis. Their defense, however, has stifled the Bonnies, holding them to an average of 65.5 points in the two matchups.

For Saint Bonaventure to pull the upset, it will need more scoring support around Mitchell. Guards Dasonte Bowen and Cayden Charles combined for 32 points in the win over La Salle and must replicate that efficiency against a tougher Patriot defense.

The winner will advance to face the winner of Thursday’s game between seed Richmond and seed VCU in the tournament quarterfinals on Friday.

Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m. EDT.