University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Basketball Heads To Ohio State
December 08, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2000
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Probable UMass (1-4) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 2 Jackie Rogers 6-8 230 Jr. F 20 Winston Smith 6-5 228 Sr. C 33 Kitwana Rhymer 6-10 256 Sr. G 5 Monty Mack 6-3 200 Sr. G 30 Shannon Crooks 6-2 222 Jr.
Probable Ohio State (4-2) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 33 Zach Williams 6-7 230 Fr. C 32 Ken Johnson 6-11 235 Sr. G 21 Boban Savovic 6-5 240 Jr. G 13 Brian Brown 6-4 200 Jr. G 3 Sean Connolly 6-5 210 So.
The Game: Coach Bruiser Flint's UMass basketball team looks to get back on track as it squares off against Ohio State for the first time in the program's 92-year history. The Minutemen, who opened their season with a 67-65 homecourt victory over 2000 NCAA Tournament entrant Iona, have since lost four straight after Thursday's 85-70 setback to Providence in Amherst. Today's game is the first in a stretch that has UMass playing four times in eight days, as it faces rival UConn Tuesday night in Hartford, travels to Boston U., on Thursday, then hosts Boston College a week from today in the Commonwealth Classic before breaking for final exams and the holidays. The Minutemen are 1-4 for the second time in the last three seasons (as they also stood 1-4 five games into the 1998-99 campaign, winning their opener and then dropping their next four) and will be looking to avoid their first 1-5 start since the 1980-81 season and their first five-game losing streak since the 1989-90 campaign with a victory over the Buckeyes. UMass' All-America and A-10 player-of-the-year candidate Monty Mack netted a game-high 19 points against the Friars and stands fourth on the UMass all-time scoring list with 1,691 points, 41 from overtaking No. 3 Lorenzo Sutton's 1,731. Mack, who became the school's all-time leader in three-point attempts earlier this season, hit three treys against Providence to become the UMass' career leader in bonus buckets with 248, three more than Carmel Travieso (1994-97) had.
About Ohio State: The defending Big Ten champion Buckeyes stand 4-2 on the year after Thursday's 83-46 homecourt victory over Denver. Ohio State opened its season with a win over Yale (65-45), then downed Florida State (90-65) in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout, before losing to Syracuse (77-64) and Valparaiso (67-64) to finish fourth in the eight-team tournament. OSU, though, has returned home from Alaska to dismantle Eastern Kentucky (90-44) and Denver. The Buckeyes, who have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons, are 32-3 in their third season of play at Value City Arena, 19-1 against non-league opponents, and have won 12-straight vs. non-Big Ten foes here by an average of 26.3 points. Iowa (in both 1998-99 and 1999-2000) and Notre Dame (1999-2000) are the only teams to beat Ohio State in this arena. The Buckeyes have won their three games here this season by an average of 34.3 points.
Last Time Out: After three-straight road games, the Minutemen returned to the Mullins Center, but watched Providence rally from a six-point halftime deficit to hand the home team its fourth-straight loss, 85-70. UMass hit 50.0 percent from the field in the opening half and limited the Friars to 35.5 percent shooting, but Providence turned the tables on the Minutemen in the second half, outshooting the home team, .548 to .324. The Minutemen led by as many as nine early in the second half, but Providence would take the lead for good with 10:19 left in the game on a Maris Laksa three-pointer. UMass would force a tie at 63-all with 6:51 to go on a pair of free throws by Monty Mack, but Erron Maxey's lay-in on Providence's next possession keyed a 10-0 Friar run to put the game away and give PC its 22nd win in 27 meetings against the Minutemen. Mack led all scorers with 19 points, while Kitwana Rhymer had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots, Micah Brand netted 12, Shannon Crooks 11 and Winston Smith a career-high-tying 10. Maxey and John Linehan had 17 each to pace a balanced Providence attack. UMass fell to 1-4 with the loss, while Providence improved to 5-3 on the year with its third straight win.
UMass head coach Bruiser Flint: Minuteman bench boss James "Bruiser" Flint (St. Joseph's, 1987) is 72-61 (.541) in his fifth season as a collegiate head coach, all along the UMass sideline. In his 12th season overall in Amherst, Flint is one of only two coaches in school history to take three teams to postseason play in their first four seasons at the UMass helm (John Calipari was the other), and ranks as the fifth-winningest coach in school history, 10 victories behind No. 4 Robert Curran (81 victories in seven seasons from 1952 through 1959) and 14 behind No. 3 Harold M. Gore (85 victories in 11 years from 1916-17, 1918-19 and 1920-29). Flint, whose first two Minuteman squads earned NCAA Tournament bids and whose fourth team went to the NIT, owns a 41-23 (.641) record in regular-season Atlantic 10 Conference play. Each of Flint's first four UMass squads finished third or higher in the A-10 standings, and his 2000 unit became the first to reach the conference tournament semifinals since the 1996 squad captured the last of the school's five consecutive league tournament crowns. In addition, his program has produced at least one all-conference performer each season, and nine of his 11 seniors (81.8 percent) have left Amherst with degree in hand. Before being tabbed to replace Calipari, Flint spent seven seasons as an assistant to Cal on the UMass bench. One of only 31 active Division I head coaches to have both played and coached a team in the NCAA Tournament, Flint is facing Ohio State for the first time and is 0-1 all-time against the Big Ten.
Ohio State head coach Jim O'Brien: Ohio State's Jim O'Brien (Boston College, 1971) owns a 62-40 (.608) record in his fourth season on the Buckeye bench, and a 297-257 (.536) mark in his 19th year as a head coach. O'Brien fashioned a four-year mark of 67-51 (.568) at St. Bonaventure and an 11-year record of 168-166 (.503) at Boston College before moving to Columbus. College basketball's 1999 National coach of the year, O'Brien has taken nine teams to postseason play, including his 1998-99 Ohio State team, which advanced to the NCAA Final Four, and has earned coach of the year honors in the Atlantic 10, Big East and Big Ten. O'Brien is 3-6 all-time vs. UMass as a head coach, 0-2 while directing the Boston College program and 3-4 at St. Bonaventure. As a player at B.C., though, he led the Eagles to a 2-1 record against the Minutemen, with the victories coming in his sophomore (78-67) and junior seasons and the loss coming in his senior campaign. As a junior, O'Brien tallied 16 points and 13 assists, as the Eagles beat the Julius Erving-led (26 points, 20 rebounds) Minutemen, 83-76, in Boston. A year later, though, Erving had 24 points and 16 rebounds (O'Brien had 28 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds) to lead UMass to an 85-77 victory over B.C. in Amherst, and end a seven-game series losing streak.
The Series: First meeting between the schools in a series that will continue next year in Amherst. UMass owns a 10-17 (.370) all-time record against current Big Ten institutions, but 23 of those games were played against former Atlantic 10 Conference member Penn State (UMass owns a 10-13 mark vs. the Nittany Lions). In addition to Penn State, the Minutemen have faced Michigan (0-1), Michigan State (0-1) and Purdue (0-2). This is UMass' first game against a Big Ten opponent since dropping an 82-69 decision to Purdue in the semifinals of the 1997 Great Alaska Shootout, and its first in a Big Ten arena since a 64-53 loss to the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind., Nov. 26, 1990. Ohio State is 16-7 all-told vs. current A-10 teams.
Road Warriors: One of the toughest things to do in college basketball is win on the road, but under Bruiser Flint, the Minutemen have enjoyed good success away from the Mullins Center. Including games played at neutral sites, UMass is 39-43 (.476) outside of Amherst under Flint, including an 0-3 record this season. Today's game marks the 83rd of Flint's 134 career games on the Minuteman bench that has been played away from Amherst. UMass and Temple were the only A-10 teams to record winning road records in conference play last season, as the Minutemen were 5-3 vs. A-10 foes on the road a year ago, their third winning league road mark in Flint's tenure. The Minutemen, 11-10 outside of the Mullins Center last year, were also the only Atlantic 10 team to post a victory at Virginia Tech last season, and have posted a .500 or better road record 10 times in the last 11 seasons.
Four and Counting: In its 92nd season of intercollegiate basketball competition, UMass needs just four wins to reach the 1,000-victory plateau in its history. The Minutemen, who own an all-time record of 996-883 (.530) on the hardwood, have enjoyed their greatest success over the last 11-plus seasons, posting a 255-114 (.691) mark and advancing to postseason play 10 times in that stretch while winning an average of 23.1 games per season.
70 or More Equals Victory: Although UMass has hit the 70-point mark in each of its last two games and lost both times, that number has been a good indicator in which to predict the team's success over the last few seasons. In 13 of its 17 victories a year ago, UMass tallied 70 or more points, and for the season it was 13-2 when putting 70-plus points on the scoreboard. Under coach Bruiser Flint, the Minutemen are 39-12 (.765) all-time when reaching the 70-point mark, but just 33-49 (.402) when scoring 69 or fewer points. UMass is also 11-36 (.234) under Flint when it allows 70 or more points, including an 0-3 record this season.
Watch the Clock: Under coach Bruiser Flint, UMass has been nearly unbeatable when leading with 5:00 remaining, as the Minutemen are 65-9 (.878) all-time under his leadership when leading after 35 minutes of play, including a 1-0 mark this season. UMass is 2-1 (.667) in Flint's tenure when tied with 5:00 to go. UMass has struggled nearly as much when trailing with 5:00 left, posting a 5-51 mark (.090), which includes an 0-4 record this year. The Minutemen's come-from-behind victories in Flint's tenure came against North Carolina-Wilmington (down 41-37, but won 47-46) and Duquesne (trailed 63-60, but won 73-71) in 1996-97, Charlotte (behind 48-45, but won 68-62 in OT) and St. Joseph's (behind 63-58, but won 82-79 in OT) in 1997-98 and Villanova (down 40-38, but won 52-51) last year. On 15 occasions over the last six-plus seasons, including nine times under Flint, the Minutemen have overcome a double-digit deficit to claim victory. The last time UMass rallied from a double-digit lead to win came on Dec. 6, 1999, when it overcame a 33-22 deficit with 16:00 to go to beat Villanova, 52-51, in the Mullins Center. The largest come-from-behind win by a Flint-coached Minuteman squad came on Dec. 12, 1996, when it trailed Drexel 14-2 with 12:00 to play in the first half, only to post a 69-48 victory.
Looking to Find the Touch: After hitting a season-high 54.0 percent from the field in its season-opening victory over Iona, the Minutemen have shot just 41.0 percent over the last four games, and have not been back over the 50.0 percent clip. In Thursday's loss to Providence, UMass shot 50.0 percent from the floor in the first half, but cooled to 32.4 percent in the final half to finish at 40.0 percent shooting for the game. Through five games this season, UMass has been a better shooting team from the floor in the first half than the second, hitting 49.6 (60-of-121) from the field in the first half, compared to 38.4 (58-of-151) marksmanship in the second stanza. The Minutemen, who were 7-0 a year ago when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the floor, own a 26-4 mark under Flint when hitting better than half of their fielders and have won 12-straight when reaching the 50.0 percent mark since an 88-83 loss to George Washington in the quarterfinals of the 1998 Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Foul Shooting: UMass entered the Providence game hitting just 58.6 percent from the free throw line, but nailed a season-high 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the stripe in its loss to the Friars to improve its season mark to 60.4 percent. The Minutemen, who have outscored their opponents by a 261-246 count from the field for the season, have been outscored at the foul line 141-81. In fact, UMass' five opponents have made (141) more free throws than the Minutemen have attempted (134). The Minutemen's top free throw shooter is senior guard Monty Mack at 78.6 percent (22-for-28). Mack and his backcourt runningmate, junior Shannon Crooks (.679), are the only UMass players shooting 67.0 percent or better from the foul line.
Going to the Glass: Another area in which UMass must get better in quickly is rebounding, as it has been outrebounded in every game this season and its opponents own a +9.0 (39.8-30.8) advantage on the glass over the Minutemen. After being outrebounded by one (30-29) in its homecourt victory over Iona, UMass was outboarded by 13 at Marquette, 22 at Holy Cross, eight at Oregon and one by Providence. Entering the 2000-01 season, Flint-led UMass teams had either been even or won the battle on the glass in 60.2 percent of his games on the Minuteman bench. Junior forward Eric Williams (4.6) and sophomore forward Micah Brand (4.6) share the UMass team rebounding lead.
The Streak: The four teams that have beaten UMass this season own a combined record of 17-7 (.708) through games of Dec. 7 and two played in the postseason a year ago, however, a closer look at the numbers is revealing. The Minutemen, despite outshooting their opponent's from the three-point line .344 to .255, have been outshot from the field (.420 to .410), while committing one more turnover (71-70) than their opponents. In its losing streak, UMass has averaged 68.8 points per game, while allowing 80.5 and has watched its opponent record the highest two-game total ever in the Flint-era (176, 91 by Oregon and 85 by Providence) and reach the 75-point mark in three-straight games (Holy Cross, Oregon, Providence) for the first time since the final game of the 1993-94 campaign and the first two of the 1994-95 season. But, it is probably free throw shooting and rebounding that have put UMass in a tailspin, as it has been outscored 122-71 from the foul line, while hitting just 63.4 percent of its foul shots, compared to 77.2 percent marksmanship for its foes. On the boards, the Minutemen are a -11.0 to their opponents over the last four games.
The UMass Block Party: Through five games, UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots with an average of 4.6 rejections per game (23 on the season). The Minutemen had a season-high-tying seven rejections in the Providence loss (they also had seven at Marquette) and have had six or more snuffs in three of five outings this year. Senior center Kitwana Rhymer leads the team with 10 rejections, while sophomore Micah Brand has eight blocks to rank second.
We Can Play the "D": A trademark of the UMass basketball program over the last 12 years has been stingy defensive play, and despite surrendering 80.5 points over the last four games, that appears to again be the case again this season. For the year, Minutemen opponents are shooting 42.8 percent from the field, including 28.6 percent from three-point range, and have topped the 50.0 percent mark just once (.529 by Oregon). The Minutemen have held 40 of their last 48 opponents, including four of five this season, to under 50 percent shooting from the field (UMass is 21-19 in those games), and 23 foes to under 40 percent shooting (16-7). Under coach Flint, UMass has held an opponent to under 40 percent shooting 68 times (in 133 total games) and owns a 52-16 (.765) record in those contests. Last year, UMass ranked fourth in the A-10 in both scoring (64.8 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.412). Each of Flint's first four teams rank among the school's top 10 in fewest points allowed per game (since the 1951-52 season), with the average points scored against UMass in his tenure being 66.8 points per game.
Playing the "D," Part II: A year ago, the Minutemen averaged a school-record 9.0 steals per game and recorded 296 thefts, the second-highest one-season total in school history. This season, UMass has been credited with 34 steals in five games. Eight of 10 UMass players have at least one steal to their credit this season, and guards Shannon Crooks (10), Jonathan DePina (seven) and Monty Mack (four) have accounted for 21 of the Minutemen's 34 steals on the year. In the Minutemen's victory at Rhode Island a year ago, they tallied 18 steals, their highest one-game total since a 21-steal effort against St. Joseph's, on Feb. 28, 1990. Mack (62), Chris Kirkland (60) and Crooks (58) accounted for 180 of the team's 296 thefts a year ago, and the trio ranked fifth, eighth and 10th on the A-10 leader board in steals, the only league school to have three players among the league's top 10 in thefts.
Mighty Mack: After earning first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors a year ago, senior guard and tri-captain Monty Mack will challenge for All-America and A-10 Player of the Year honors in his final season as a Minuteman. Mack, who averaged 19.8 points per game a year ago, has averaged a team-high 18.5 points in four appearances this season. He is on track to become just the second player in school history to top the 2,000-point mark, joining Jim McCoy, who tallied 2,374 points in four seasons from 1988-92. Mack starts tonight's game with 1,691 points, good for fourth on the UMass career scoring list, 40 behind No. 3 Lorenzo Sutton, 215 away from second place Lou Roe and 309 from the 2,000-point plateau. The fifth player in UMass history and first since Marcus Camby in 1996 to earn both first team all-league and all-tournament honors in the same season, Mack's 1,691 points rank second among all active Division I players, behind Centenary's Ronnie McCollum's 1,909. He has scored in double figures 88 times in 98 games, and has hit at least one trey in 20-straight appearances. Mack is UMass' all-time leader in three-point goals attempted (688) and made (248). His standing on the all-time UMass charts can be found on page 5 of this notes package.
More Mack: The Boston, Mass., native netted 19 points in the Providence loss and a season-high 26 points at Oregon, the 37th, 20-point or better scoring game of his career, and his 11th, 25-plus point performance in a Maroon and White uniform. Mack's explosion against the Ducks marked his highest output against a non-conference opponent since a 30-point performance against Florida State a year ago. He needs 10 more 20-point scoring games to break the UMass career record for 20-point outings held by Julius Erving, who tallied 20 or more points in 46 of 52 career games under the watchful eye of former coach Jack Leaman. Despite averaging 18.5 points this year, Mack has hit just 31.3 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range, compared to career marks of .412 and .364, entering the season.
Here's Jonathan: UMass guard and tri-captain Jonathan DePina has started his senior season in impressive style. After tallying 31 points in his first three games of the season, the highest three-game scoring total of his college career, he has been held scoreless in his last two outings. DePina had nine points, seven assists and one steal in a career-high-tying 40-minute effort against Iona, then had 13 points and three assists in 25 minutes of work off the bench at Marquette and nine points, three assists and a career-high-tying three steals in 34 minutes at Holy Cross. His scoring output against the Golden Eagles was just two off his career high. After connecting on 44.4 percent of his three-point attempts a year ago, DePina has hit a team-high 54.5 percent (six-of-11) from beyond the arc this season and also leads the club in assists (17), while ranking second in steals (seven). He is one of just two Minutemen, fellow tri-captain Winston Smith is the other, to be credited with more assists (17) than turnovers (11) this season.
Crooks Continues to Shine: After tallying 39 points in UMass' first two games of the season, junior guard Shannon Crooks has averaged 9.3 points over the last three games. He had 20 points and a Mullins Center-record-tying six steals against Iona, a team-high 19 points in 29 minutes at Marquette, nine points and three assists at Holy Cross, eight points and three assists at Oregon and 11 points and four assists against Providence. Crooks, whose 13.4 scoring average ranks second on the team, has recorded 18 multiple-steal games in 38 career appearances and has a team-best 10 thefts on the season. He has had at least one steal in four of five games this season. UMass is 4-0 over the last two seasons when Crooks scores 20-or-more points in a game, and 12-7 when he has more assists than turnovers in a game.
Captain Smith is Unselfish: Fifth-year senior and tri-captain Winston Smith had a career-high-tying 10 points in the Providence game, and is one of the squad's most unselfish players. He ranks second on the team in assists through five games with 14, and is one of just two players on this year's roster (Jonathan DePina is the other) to have more assists than turnovers (11) this season. A career 39.5 percent field goal shooter, Smith has hit 58.8 percent from the field this season, a mark which ranks second on the squad. Smith, who had a career-high six assists and no turnovers against Marquette, had 12 points in his first four games this season, before nearly equalling that in the first half of the Providence game (10 points). It marked Smith's first double-figure scoring game since his rookie season when he had 10 points at Wake Forest, Dec. 10, 1996. The last true freshman to start for UMass (vs. Virginia Tech, Jan. 12, 1997), Smith has started five consecutive games for the first time in his career.
Kit's Block Party: Another senior, center Kitwana Rhymer, turned in a solid all-around effort against Providence, with season highs of 16 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a season-long 30-minute stint. It marked the sixth double-double of Rhymer's career, his first of the season, and the 12th double-figure rebounding game in his career. Rhymer, who has 20 career multiple-block games to his credit, has 84 career snuffs, good for 10th on the UMass all-time list. He needs two rejections to overtake No. 9 Tyrone Weeks on the UMass career chart, 16 to become just the seventh player in school history to record 100 career blocks. Rhymer leads the team in field goal percentage (.682) and blocked shots (10), while ranking fourth in scoring (7.4 ppg). After averaging 26.0 minutes as a junior, he has logged just 17.4 minutes of "PT" this season, mainly because of foul trouble. Rhymer, who has committed a team-leading 20 fouls and has fouled of of two games and never been whistled for fewer than three fouls, played a season-high 30 minutes against the Friars.
Brand Micah: Sophomore forward Micah Brand is coming off the first back-to-back double-figure scoring games of his career. After recording a career-high 19 points and pulling down nine rebounds at Oregon in 25 minutes, he had 12 points and three rebounds off the bench in a like number of minutes against Providence. Over the last two games, Brand has averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 64.7 percent from the free throw line. Brand, who scored eight points in UMass' first three games and shot 30.0 percent from the field, shares the team lead in rebounding (4.6 rpg) and ranks second on the team in blocked shots (eight). He has recorded at least one block in four of five games this season, including a career-high four rejections at Marquette.
New Kids on the Block: Three first-year UMass players, junior forwards Jackie Rogers and Eric Williams, and freshman swingman Willie Jenkins, have worked their way into coach Flint's rotation. The trio is accounting for 19.9 percent of the UMass offense (13.6 ppg) this season. Rogers, who has started all five games this season, is UMass' fifth-leading scorer at 6.4 points per game, despite not scoring in his last two outings at Oregon and vs. Providence. He had a Minuteman career-high 15 points at Marquette, but has hit just 23.1 percent from the field the last three games while averaging 3.0 points. A transfer from Syracuse who sat out last season, Williams had two points and two rebounds in a season-low six minutes against Providence. He tallied nine points and four rebounds at Oregon, his best effort since a 14-point, nine-rebound showing in the season-opening win over Iona. For the season, Williams is averaging 5.6 points and a team-high 4.6 rebounds per game in 17.8 minutes of work off the bench. He is one of three Minutemen shooting 50.0 percent (.563) or better from the field on the year. Jenkins, a true freshman, had a career-high six point showing in 16 minutes off the bench at Holy Cross, but has been held scoreless the past two games.
The Schedule: UMass Basketball continues to subscribe to an any time, any place, any where scheduling philosophy, as 14 of its 27 games before the 2001 A-10 Tournament will be against teams which earned postseason bids a year ago. Today's game against 2000 NCAA Tournament participant Ohio State is the fourth of six non-league tests against 2000 postseason tournament teams. UMass has already faced NCAA Tournament entrants Iona and Oregon and NIT qualifier Marquette, and still must play 2000 Final Four entrant North Carolina in the opening round of the Hardee's Tournament of Champions in Charlotte, N.C., and UConn in Hartford Tuesday night. When A-10 play begins in January, UMass will face all three of the league's entries into the 2000 NCAA Tournament home and home, Temple, St. Bonaventure and Dayton, and it gets to play the league's other postseason tournament team, Xavier (NIT), twice, too. Only one team picked to finish fifth or higher in the A-10 preseason coaches/media poll (George Washington, nine) plays more league games against 2000 A-10 postseason teams than the Minutemen.
Another Winning A-10 Record: With nine victories in A-10 play a year ago, the Minutemen finished with a winning record against league opponents for the 11th consecutive season. UMass posted 10-8 conference records in both 1989-90 and 1990-91, went 13-3 in 1991-92, had an 11-3 mark in 1992-93 and posted a 14-2 record in 1993-94. The Minutemen then went 13-3 in conference play in 1994-95, posted a 15-1 mark in 1995-96, had an 11-5 mark in 1996-97 and went 12-4 in 1997-98. Over the last two seasons, UMass has posted identical 9-7 worksheets. The Minutemen, who haven't had a losing record in A-10 play since a 5-13 mark in 1988-89, own a 127-51 (.713) mark in regular-season league games over the last 11 years and have captured 10 conference titles (five regular season, five tournament) in that stretch.
Consistent Success: The Atlantic 10 Conference's winningest program over the last 11 seasons, UMass is one of 21 Division I schools to have earned 10 postseason tournament bids in the last 11 years (from 1989-90 through 1999-2000). The guest list:
Quick Tips: UMass had a season-high five double-figure scorers against Providence, marking the first time it had five double-digit scorers in the same game since its 1999-2000 season-opener at Iona...the Minuteman bench has provided 101 points (20.2 ppg) on the season compared to its opponents' 103 (20.6 ppg)...the Minutemen have hit at least one three-point goal in 68-straight games since a first-round 1998 NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Louis...the 2000-01 Minuteman roster features five former Bay State prep products with the addition of walk-on freshman guard Dwayne Killings to the roster...Killings, who prepped at Amherst High School, will wear No. 11...UMass is 12-8 all-time in games played on Dec. 10, most recently dropping a 73-71 decision at Kansas during the 1997-98 season...under Flint, UMass is 20-28 (.417) in games played in November and December, 52-33 (.612) in games played in January, February or March...the 2000-01 season marks the 25th year of A-10 basketball, and the Minutemen have been there for every season...the A-10, of course, was founded as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League and started play with the 1976-77 campaign...the league became the Eastern Eight a year later, and the A-10 in 1983...UMass has produced at least one all-conference performer for 17-straight seasons.
Early Signees: During the recently completed early-signing period, the Minutemen received national letters of intent from forwards Eddie Basden (Greenbelt, Md.) and Mauricio Branwell (Silver Spring, Md.) and guard Jeremiah King (Passaic, N.J.). Basden averaged 19.3 points and seven rebounds as a junior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, while Branwell averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds as a junior at Dunbar High School. King averaged 22.6 points a year ago at Paterson Catholic (N.J.) High School and will play at the Winchendon (Mass.) School as a senior. Branwell will play at Notre Dame Prep School in Fitchburg, Mass., this season.
From Here: UMass plays a nationally-televised (ESPN) game at arch-rival UConn on Tuesday at the Harford Civic Center, while Ohio State's nine-game homestand continues Wednesday vs. St. John's in a nationally-televised (ESPN2) clash.
