VCU Take On George Mason In Their Fist Game Of 2021

RICHMOND, Va. — The VCU Rams travel to Fairfax, Va. to take on the George Mason Patriots at EagleBank Arena.

The Patriots are led by Head Coach Dave Paulsen. Paulsen is in his sixth season leading the GMU men’s basketball program in 2020-21. Paulsen has led the Patriots to a top-5 A-10 finish in two of the past three seasons. In addition, the program under Paulsen has become synonymous with player development. In three of the past four seasons, a Mason student-athlete has garnered the league’s Chris Daniels Most Improved Player Award. That group includes AJ Wilson (2020), Justin Kier (2019), and Marquise Moore (2017). During the 2019-20 campaign, Paulsen led the Green & Gold to the Cayman Islands Classic title and a school-record 11 non-conference victories. The program also continued its A-10 Tournament streak, capturing a victory for a school-record fourth-straight season. So far this season the Patriots are 5-3 overall, and 1-1 in conference play. The green and gold defeated UMass in a double-overtime thriller 93-92 on Dec 30 but lost in their most recent game 74-65 to Dayton. This will be the Patriots A-10 home opener after start conference play with two games on the road.

The players to watch in this game are Jordan Miller for the Patriots and Vince Williams Jr. for the Rams.

Jordan Millar is a 6 foot 6 forward from Middleburg, Va. He is a 2018 graduate of Loudon Valley High School where he led the team to a 4A State Championship in 2017 and the Final Four in 2018. The all-time leading scorer in Loudoun Valley High School history, Miller was a 2018 First Team All-Metro selection, two-time VHSL All-State First Team selection, and earned VHSL 4A Player of the Year honors as a junior in 2017. Miller is currently averaging 17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He is the leading scorer and rebounder for the Patriots this season. Miller is an extremely efficient scorer, currently shooting 50.7% from the field and 44% from three. Miller scored 15 points in a loss to Dayton last time out.

Vince Williams is a 6 foot 6, 220 lbs junior from Toledo, Oh. The forward is a versatile wing that can play the small forward or power forward positions. Williams is currently the team’s second-leading scorer at 11.2 points per game and the team’s leading rebounder at 5.4 rebounds per game. William’s is currently coming off a career-best 17 points against Saint Joseph’s, going 6-11 from the field. He also chipped in 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals against the Hawks. So far this season William’s has easily been VCU’s most improved player. He went from averaging 4.2 points per game while shooting 34.2% from the field and 20% from three to now averaging 11.2 points per game while shooting 49.2% from the field and 42.9% from three. 

Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The game will be broadcasted on MASN and ESPN+.