Game Info: Wednesday, February 25, 2026 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Hagan Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
Tickets | TV: ESPN+/NBC Sports Philadelphia+ | Listen: sjuhawks.com | Live Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph's Game Notes | George Mason Game Notes

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Opening Tip
Major conference implications are at stake as the Saint Joseph's men's basketball team hosts George Mason on Wednesday, February 25. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game to air on ESPN+.

Down The Stretch    
Wednesday's game is one of the most important regular season games for the Hawks in recent memory as they find themselves in a three-way tie for third place. Saint Joseph's, George Mason and Dayton are all 9-5 in A-10 play. The three teams have each gone 1-1 against each other, adding to the importance of the game for both SJU and GM. St. Joe's has not earned a top-4 seed in the A-10 tournament and double bye since 2016 when it won the Atlantic 10 championship as a four-seed.

Special Delivery    
Derek Simpson was a distribution specialist once again with 10 assists against Loyola. It was his third game this year with double-digit dimes. In all three, he has posted a double-double. The three such games are the most in a season for a St. Joe's player since 2004-05 and are tied for the second most overall. There have been seven games where a player has 10+ assists in a contest in the A-10 this season. No one else has more than two. In 14 conference games, he leads the Atlantic 10 with 6.3 helpers an outing. His 5.0 overall APG are third in the A-10. He is also fourth overall with a 2.3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

One Of A Kind    
Simpson's mark has been made beyond assists however, as he has been one of the most balanced and versatile players in the Atlantic 10 this season. He is the only player in the A-10 and one of nine nationally to be averaging 13.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 5.0 APG this season. The Mount Laurel, N.J. native leads St. Joe's in assists and is second in scoring and rebounding. Simpson also leads the conference and is ninth in NCAA D1, hitting 91.4 percent at the free throw line.

Swiping Left    
Justice Ajogbor added to his career blocks with one against Loyola Chicago, bringing his total to 246. He is the active career leader in Division I, leading Justin Abson of Georgia, who has 230 and has not blocked a shot in his last five games. He is currently seventh all-time at Saint Joseph's with 149 rejections in a Hawks' uniform. His four blocks against St. Bonaventure on February 18 moved him past Alexandre Sazanov (1998-03) for seventh on the SJU career list. Ajogbor is now four behind Halil Kanacevic (2011-14) in Saint Joseph's history. Ajogbor is also believed to be the only active player in D1 to be in the top-10 at multiple schools in any category. He graduated from Harvard 10th on the Crimson's career list. It is almost a surprise when the Benin City, Nigeria native only comes away with one block in a game. He has 19 contests this season with multiple swats, including eight of the last 10 outings. He also has nine games with three or more and two tilts with more than five.

Handle With Care    
For a second consecutive game, St. Joe's did a good job of holding on to the rock in its contest against Loyola Chicago on Saturday. SJU committed eight turnovers in the game, making it back-to-back contests with single-digit giveaways. It is the first time that the Hawks have given the ball up less than 10 times in consecutive games this season.

Dynamic Defense    
Since January 11, St. Joe's has shown a marked improvement on the defensive end. In the last 11 games, opponents are scoring 66.5 points per game, shooting 38.4 percent from the floor overall and 32.3 percent from distance, going 8-3. They have kept seven opponents 65 points or fewer in the stretch and one under 60. Rim protection has been key during that time, as the Hawks have blocked 5.2 shots per game. In its first 14 games against Division I competition this season, SJU was 7-7 and was allowing 75.2 points per game with opponents shooting 44.4 percent from the floor.

Scouting Report    

• George Mason is 21-6 overall with a 9-5 record in the A-10 and is coming off an 82-67 loss against Dayton its last time out. After opening the season 21-3, the Patriots have dropped three in a row, all by at least 12 points.
• Kory Mincy leads the offense for George Mason at 14.8 points per game, but has struggled in his last four games, shooting 8-for-34 and netting 4.5 PPG. Also in double figure scoring are Riley Allenspach (13.0), Jahari Long (11.8) and Fatt Hill (11.0). Allenspach tops the team with 5.9 rebounds per contest. Long leads the way with 100 assists, sixth in the conference.
• As it has been for the last several seasons, defense has been the calling card for the Patriots, who rank 38th nationally, allowing just 67.8 points per game. On the offensive side of the ball, a lot of their work comes at the free throw line, sitting inside the top 45 in NCAA D1 in both attempts and makes, averaging 17.8 points a night at the charity stripe.
• It is a methodical and driving-based offense for GMU, which ranks below 300th in three-point attempts and makes per game and is 225th in fastbreak points per outing. The defensive numbers are even more impressive as they don't take the ball off their opponents much, forcing 10.9 turnovers a game and come up with 5.1 steals a contest.
• The past three games have been extremely out of character on both sides of the ball for George Mason, giving up 78.7 points per game and scoring 63.3 on 41.3 percent shooting.
• Tony Skinn is in his third season as the head coach of his alma mater and has enjoyed nothing but success in Fairfax. His teams have won 20 or more games in all three of his seasons, compiling a 68-27 mark overall. As a player for George Mason, he was a two-time All-CAA selection and was a starter on the 2006 Final Four team.

All-Time Series    
Wednesday is the 22nd matchup between the Hawks and Patriots with GMU holding a 13-8 advantage including three in a row, all within a calendar year. All but one of the games have come since George Mason joined the Atlantic 10 for the 2013-14 season. The only meeting prior to the teams being conference foes was a 73-64 win for SJU in the 2002 NIT. Before the Hawks won three in a row from January 2023 through March 2024, GMU had won seven straight in the series.

Last Time Against George Mason    
The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team went into the half tied with George Mason, but a tough shooting second stanza saw the Hawks fall, 60-52 on February 7, 2026. Jaiden Glover-Toscano netted 14 for SJU. Derek Simpson added 13 with Austin Williford scoring 11. A back-and-forth first half saw the teams trade the lead four times and tie the contest on six occasions. Neither team led by more than five in the opening 20 minutes as the teams went into the break, knotted at 29-29. Saint Joseph's got off to a good start in the second half, going 6-for-11 in the opening five minutes. From that point forward, the shots did not fall as SJU closed the game making just three of its last 20 shots.

Next Up    
Saint Joseph's plays the first of two games in a row on the road, traveling to Rhode Island on Saturday, February 28. Tipoff from the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. is scheduled for noon with the game to air on ESPN+