Feb. 2, 2009

The George Mason men's basketball team will travel to Creighton in the ESPN BracketBusters on Saturday, February 21 as announced on Monday night during the ESPNU BracektBusters Selection Show. The Patriots and Bluejays have met twice with Creighton sweeping both games. Mason last traveled to Omaha, Neb. on Nov. 25, 2006 when the Bluejays took a 58-56 win with the game-winning points coming in the closing seconds. The game will be televised on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic or ESPN360. The game time and network will be announced next week.

Mason (15-6, 8-3) is tied for third in the CAA while Creighton (17-6, 7-4) is third in the Missouri Valley Conference. This is the second time the Patriots have been paired with an MVC team in the ESPN BracketBusters. Creighton opened the year 12-2 but is 5-4 since. Mason opened the year 14-3 but is 1-3 since.

Booker Woodfox leads the Bluejays with 16.0 points and he's shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from 3-point range. The inside presence has come from Justin Carver and Kenny Lawson Jr. who are averaging 8.1 and 8.0 points, respectively, and 5.0 and 4.8 rebounds, respectively. They are both shooting just better than 50 percent from the field. Creighton averages more than 73 points per game and they force 17 turnovers per game.

This is Mason's fifth appearance in the ESPN BracketBuster. The Patriots are 2-2 and have appeared on an ESPN network the past three seasons. Mason's first BracketBuster appearance came in 2004-05 when the Patriots hosted Manhattan and came away with a 78-66 win. The following year, Mason traveled to Wichita State to take on the Shockers in a primetime ESPN2 contest. Many credit Mason's 71-68 win as the reason the Patriots earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

In 2006-07, Mason hosted Kent State on ESPN360 but the Patriots were unable to remain perfect in BracketBuster play as a 68-62 loss ruined Homecoming. Last year, Mason traveled to Ohio to take on the Bobcats on ESPN2. The Patriots suffered a 69-57 loss in that game.