GAME NOTES: The Cornell Big Red are anxious for a fresh start as they get set to square off with the George Mason Patriots in a season-opening matchup at the Patriot Center.

Last season, coach Bill Courtney's fourth with the Big Red, was the worst in school history, as it finished a woeful 2-26, including 1-13 mark in the Ivy League. Unsurprisingly, Cornell ranked second to last in all of Division I in scoring margin (-14.3), and a quick turnaround will be difficult with the departure of its best player Nolan Cressler (16.8 ppg). Courtney has had a difficult task during his tenure, as the Big Red have been a victim of the injury bug in recent history. Courtney enters the 2014-15 campaign with a healthy roster for the first time since arriving at Cornell.

George Mason made its entrance into the Atlantic 10 Conference last season, and its transition was not smooth at all. Paul Hewitt had achieved at least 22 wins in his first two years at the helm of the Patriots' program. However, the wheels fell off in 2013-14, as George Mason finished at just 11-20 overall, its worst record since 1998 when it went just 9-18 in Jim Larranaga's first season. Hewitt's job would be a lot easier if Bryon Allen (15.4 ppg) and Sherrod Wright (15.6 ppg) were set to keep the offense on track, but both were lost to graduation.

This will be the first meeting in history between these two programs on the hardwood.

With Cressler no longer in the picture for the Big Red, Devin Cherry (12.3 ppg) will likely take over as the top scoring option during his senior season, although he'll need to improve upon his accuracy from 3-point range (.250) and the free-throw line (.690). Robert Hatter (9.0 ppg) was solid as a freshman and is expected to take on a much bigger role. The senior tandem of Shonn Miller (11.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg in 2012-13) and Galal Cancer (5.7 ppg, 2.7 apg) return after missing the entire 2013-14 season.

GMU will heavily rely on junior guard Patrick Holloway offensively. The 6-1 combo-guard is the Patriots' leading scorer among returners at 8.7 ppg, but did most of his damage in a sixth man role as a sophomore. Jalen Jenkins (7.2 ppg, 6 rpg) was thrust into a major role as a freshmen and he held his own, leading the team in rebounds. Erik Copes (4.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg) was also a decent contributor on the glass, but the Patriots really had trouble securing loose balls, ranking 12th in the A-10 (34.6 rpg). They were also 12th in turnovers (13.6 pg) and assists (10.9 apg).

The return of Miller for Cornell could spell trouble for GMU. The Big Red have a solid chance of competing with the Patriots if their frontcourt can avoid foul trouble. However, Cornell's backcourt could struggle against Holloway and an athletic set of Patriot guards.