GAME NOTES: The fifth-seeded VCU Rams will challenge the 12th-seeded Fordham Rams in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at the Barclays Center on Thursday.

The winner of this contest will take on fourth-seeded Richmond in the quarterfinals on Friday.

VCU closed out its regular season by ending a three-game skid with a 71-60 victory over George Mason on Saturday. The Patriots ended their regular season with an A-10 record of 12-6 and overall mark of 22-9.

Fordham ended its regular season on a three-game losing streak but brought an end to the skid with a 71-65 victory over George Mason in the first round of the A-10 tourney on Wednesday. The Rams now sit at 10-20 overall.

This will be the fifth meeting between these programs on the hardwood with VCU leading the series 4-0. VCU won the only meeting between these teams this season by a score of 75-58.

Chris Sengfelder scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Rams over George Mason on Wednesday. Mandell Thomas contributed to the victory with 13 points, five assists and three steals. Fordham converted on 47.9 percent of its field- goal attempts but allowed George Mason to keep pace as the Patriots netted 48 percent of their field-goal tries. The Rams did however outscore the Patriots 20-11 from the free-throw line

Eric Paschall is the top scorer for Fordham with 16.5 ppg (sixth in the A-10) while Thomas is second on the team with 13.4 ppg (11th in the A-10). Ryan Rhoomes leads the Rams in rebounding with 8.9 rpg (fifth in the A-10). Fordham averages 65.1 ppg and is second to last in its league for field-goal percentage (.414). The Rams are however first in the A-10 for free-throw percentage (.726). Defensively, Fordham ranks near the bottom for scoring defense (69.5 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (.445). The Rams are in the black for rebounding margin (+3.4) but rank last in the A-10 in turnover margin (-2.14).

Treveon Graham finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in the Rams' victory over George Mason on Saturday. VCU's win came despite netting only 38.3 percent of its field-goal attempts, including just 7-of-21 from 3-point range. The Rams allowed George Mason to convert 57.9 percent of its field-goal tries, but just 4-of-11 from 3-point distance. VCU did outscore the Patriots on 3-point field-goals (21-12) and also forced 24 George Mason turnovers which it converted into 24 points.

Graham is VCU's top scorer with 16.2 ppg (eighth in the A-10) and leads the team in rebounding with 6.6 rpg. VCU ranks second in the A-10 for scoring offense (72.3 ppg) and converts 42.1 percent of its field-goal tries. The Rams allow opponents to score 65.5 ppg and convert 43.1 percent of their tries from the field. VCU ranks near the bottom of the A-10 for rebounding margin (-2.4) but leads the A-10 in total steals (315) and turnover margin (+6.32).

Even though Fordham got solid contributions offensively despite their top scorer playing hurt with a sprained ankle, its difficult to see Fordham playing well defensively against VCU. It also could be a tough game for Fordham given that the Rams they rank last in the A-10 in turnover margin and VCU ranks first.