University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Set To Battle Xavier
February 10, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2000
Gameday Quick Facts
Television: ESPN (Dave Strader, play-by-play, Nancy Leiberman-Cline, color)
Radio: UMass Radio Network (WHMP 99.3 FM / 1400 AM, Northampton, flagship, Bob Behler, play-by-play, Skip Connors and Jack Leaman, color)
Xavier Radio Network (WLW 700 AM, Cincinnati, flagship, Joe Sunderman, play-by-play, Byron Larkin, color)
UMass Student Radio (WMUA 91.1 FM, Amherst)
The Series with Xavier
This will be the eighth meeting between UMass and Xavier. The Minutemen lead the all-time series 4-3, after the teams split a pair of games last season.
Since the Musketeers joined the Atlantic 10 in the 1995-96 season, the road team has won three of the four regular season meetings between the schools (UMass won 78-74 in overtime on Feb. 4, 1996 and Xavier won 87-84 in overtime on Feb. 1, 1997).
The only victory for the home team came last season, when the Minutemen posted a 78-77 double overtime victory at the Mullins Center.
Prior to Xavier joining the A-10, UMass topped the Musketeers 91-72 on Dec. 7, 1991 at Curry Hicks Cage, while Xavier downed UMass 71-66 at the Cincinnati Gardens on Jan. 15, 1991.
Probable Starters & Key Reserves
No. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. PPG RPG 22 Chris Kirkland F Sr. 6-6 228 15.4 6.0 23 Mike Babul F Sr. 6-6 230 3.4 3.1 33 Kitwana Rhymer C Jr. 6-10 256 6.9 7.6 5 Monty Mack G Sr. 6-3 200 19.2 3.4 30 Shannon Crooks G So. 6-2 222 10.6 3.340 Micah Brand C Fr. 6-11 243 4.0 3.4 1 Jonathan DePina G Jr. 5-9 185 3.5 2.2 20 Winston Smith F Jr. 6-5 228 1.9 1.7 0 Anthony Oates C Sr. 6-10 285 0.8 1.3 3 Ronell Blizzard F So. 6-8 205 1.9 1.3
Series Quick Facts
Overall Series UMass, 4-3
Bruiser Flint vs. Xavier 2-2
Last Meeting Xavier (72-68) on 3/4/99 at Philadelphia
Most UMass Points 91, (91-72) on 12/7/91 at UMass
Fewest UMass Points 66, (66-71) on 1/15/91 at Xavier
Largest UMass Margin 19, (91-72) on 12/7/91 at UMass
Most Xavier Points 87, (87-84, OT) on 2/1/97 at UMass
Fewest Xavier Points 62, (62-73) on 2/8/98 at Xavier
Largest Xavier Margin 5, (71-66) on 1/15/91 at Xavier
In Overtime UMass, 2-1
The Road Warriors
In the Xavier game, UMass will look to remain unbeaten this season in Atlantic 10 Conference road games. So far this year, the Minutemen stand 3-0 in road games against Atlantic 10 foes, with victories at St. Joseph's (73-69), Duquesne (84-75) and Virginia Tech (49-41).
The last time UMass went unbeaten in Atlantic 10 road games came during the 1995-96 season, when the Minutemen had a perfect 8-0 mark away from home.
Overall this season, UMass stands 6-3 in games played on the opposing team's home court, including wins at Iona (85-77), Boston College (74-67) and American-Puerto Rico (102-65).
Mack on the Scoring Charts
Senior Monty Mack enters the Xavier game as the ninth all-time leading scorer in UMass history with 1,407 career points. He passed Julius Erving (1,370 points / 1969-71) during the Temple game, then moved ahead of Marcus Camby (1,387 points / 1993-96) against La Salle.
Mack, who is only in his third season with the Minutemen, has also scored the second-most points ever in a UMass player's first three seasons. Jim McCoy holds the record with 1,818 points in his first three years as a Minuteman (McCoy finished his career as UMass' all-time leading scorer with 2,374 points from 1988-92).
Mack stands in second followed by Camby, who scored 1,387 points in his first three seasons (Camby played only three years before moving on to the NBA).
At his current pace, Mack should finish the year with well over 1,500 career points. If Mack returns to UMass for a fifth year, he is on pace to join McCoy as the only players in school history with over 2,000 career points (Lou Roe currently ranks second all-time with 1,905 points).
Kirkland Keeps On Producing
Senior co-captain Chris Kirkland has been one of the top offensive threats for the Minutemen all season long.
In the La Salle game, he tied his career high with 26 points, while also recording team-bests of eight rebounds and four steals.
Against Texas, Kirkland had another great all-around game and led the team in scoring (17 points), rebounds (nine boards) and steals (four).
At Duquesne he recorded 21 points and eight rebounds, while hitting on six of seven free throws and also making his only three-point attempt.
Kirkland totaled 16 points, five rebounds and two assists against Rhode Island, while scoring a team-best 15 points against Dayton.
At St. Joseph's, Kirkland totaled 18 points and eight rebounds, while also dishing out a career-best six assists. He played particularly well in the closing minutes of the game, scoring eight of UMass' last 13 points on three field goals and a pair of free throws.
He has led the team in scoring six times this year and in rebounds seven times, while scoring in double figures in 18 out of 22 games.
For the season, Kirkland is averaging 15.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while hitting on 46.2 percent of his field goal attempts.
He currently ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage, 11th in scoring and 14th in rebounding. Dating back to last season, Kirkland has scored in double figures 25 times in his last 29 games, including six double doubles.
Stealing the Show
Through 22 games this season, UMass has totaled 205 steals as a team, a mark which ranks third in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Currently averaging 9.32 steals per contest, the Minutemen have a good shot at breaking the school record for steals per game, which is currently held by the 1989-90 squad with an average of 8.58 steals.
UMass could also break the school record for total steals in a single year, depending on how far it advances in the postseason. At their current pace, the Minutemen would need to play five postseason games (in addition to their 29 regular season contests) to break the mark of 311 steals, which was set by the 1995-96 squad in 37 games.
Monty Mack currently leads the team in steals with 46, followed by Chris Kirkland with 39 and Shannon Crooks with 37.
Crooks Playing Big as a Starter
Sophomore guard Shannon Crooks, who has started at point guard in each of the last 11 games, continues to be one of the top scoring threats for the Minutemen. He has scored in double figures 10 times in the last 14 games, while hitting for at least seven points in every game.
In the La Salle game, he scored 12 points while hitting on five of nine field goal attempts and two of three three-pointers.
In the previous game against Texas, Crooks led the team in scoring for the first time in his career with 17 points. He scored 15 of his points against the Longhorns in the second half, while also dishing out a team-high five assists.
At Duquesne, Crooks totaled 13 points, to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
Against Rhode Island he had one of his top all-around games of the seasons, totaling 13 points, five steals, four rebounds and four assists.
Crooks tied his career-highs of 17 points and six rebounds at Providence, after previously recording six rebounds against Southern Illinois and 17 points at American-Puerto Rico.
For the season, Crooks has now reached double figures in scoring 13 times. He is averaging 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, to rank third on the team in scoring and second in assists.
Sticking the Treys
Monty Mack is known as one of the top three-point shooters in the nation, but UMass' other guards have also shown an ability to hit from outside. In the La Salle game, UMass made six of 12 three-point attempts as a team, with Shannon Crooks hitting two of three, Mack making two of four and Jonathan DePina connecting on one of two tries.
At Duquesne, the Minutemen combined to hit on eight of 11 three-point attempts for a season-best percentage of 72.7. Mack led the way by making five of seven treys, while DePina made his only three-point attempt and Crooks connected on one of two tries.
Earlier this season at St. Joseph's, both Crooks and DePina connected on two of three three-point attempts, while UMass hit six of 11 treys.
On the season the Minutemen have now made at least 50 percent of their three-point attempts in a game five times. For the year, UMass' three guards have combined to hit 93 of 252 three-point attempts, good for a percentage of 36.9. Mack has connected on 64 of 172 three-point shots, while Crooks has hit 19 of 58 and DePina has made 10 of 22.
Mack Continues to Score
Senior Monty Mack has led the team in scoring 12 times in the last 15 games. During that span he scored at least 20 points nine times, while hitting for 19 points on two other occasions.
Against La Salle Mack scored 20 points, while making nine of 17 field goals and two of four from three-point range.
In the victory at Virginia Tech, Mack led the team with 22 points while also pulling down five rebounds. He hit three three-pointers early in the second half against the Hokies, to help turn a 22-18 halftime lead into a 33-24 advantage.
In the previous game at Duquesne, Mack scored 22 points while hitting on five of seven three-point attempts. That performance included a pair of three-pointers only 16 seconds apart midway through the second half, to turn a 62-59 lead for the Dukes into a 65-62 lead for the Minutemen.
Mack's biggest game this year came against Florida State, when he scored 30 points and converted on all 12 of his free throw attempts.
Mack has scored in double figures 21 times in 22 games this season, and has now reached double digits 75 times in his 84-game UMass career.
For the season, Mack is averaging 19.2 points per game to rank 35th in the country and second in the Atlantic 10. He has a chance to become the first UMass player to average 20 points per game for a season since Marcus Camby, who scored 20.5 points per game in 1995-96.
La Salle Recap
Chris Kirkland tied a career-high with 26 points and also totaled eight rebounds and four steals, to lead UMass to an 82-48 victory over La Salle at the Mullins Center. The game was close for much of the first half, before the Minutemen went on a 16-2 run late in the period to take a 37-20 lead into the lockerroom.
The Explorers would never threaten again, with UMass expanding its lead to as many as 35 points after the intermission.
Monty Mack totaled 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Minutemen, while Shannon Crooks had 12 points, three rebounds and three assists. Anthony Oates played well off the bench with four points and five rebounds, and Mike Babul totaled six points, six rebounds and a career-high six assists.
Donnie Carr led La Salle with 16 points and three assists.
The Last Meeting
Lenny Brown scored a career-high 31 points and James Posey hit two crucial free throws with 13 seconds remaining to lead Xavier to a 72-68 victory over the Minutemen in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals on Mar. 4, 1999, in the last meeting between the two schools.
UMass cut a 17-point second half deficit to only two points at 70-68 with 17 seconds remaining, when Monty Mack hit a short jumper to cap off a 28-13 run.
But Posey sank two free throws four seconds later, and the Musketeers would move on to the semifinals. Posey finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, including a 9 of 12 performance from the foul line.
Chris Kirkland led UMass with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Lari Ketner also had a double double with 11 points and 15 boards, while Mack finished the game with 18 points. (A complete box score from the game can be found on page 90 of the UMass basketball media guide.)
Hitting for 70
So far this season, 70 points has been the magic number for the UMass offense. Every time the Minutemen have scored 70 or more points in a game, they have come out victorious.
The nine times this year UMass has scored 70 points were against Iona (85-77), Boston University (70-51), Boston College (74-67), American-Puerto Rico (102-65), Fordham (82-52), St. Joseph's (73-69), Rhode Island (89-50), Duquesne (84-75) and La Salle (82-48).
During the Bruiser Flint Era, the Minutemen are 35-8 when making it to the 70-point mark. Conversely, UMass is 10-29 under Flint and 2-4 this season when its foe scores 70 points.
Love Those Cameras ESPN and UMass have gotten to know each other pretty well over the years. The Xavier game will be the 56th time ESPN has televised a UMass basketball game since the '90s began.
UMass posts a 35-20 (.636) record on ESPN and 74-39 (.655) record overall since 1990 on the national networks. The Temple game was UMass' 22nd appearance on ESPN2 where the Minutemen have posted a record of 13-9 (.591).
Rhymer Playing Big in the Middle Junior Kitwana Rhymer has been a consistent force in the paint for UMass all season long. Rhymer scored 10 points against Temple last week, hitting on three of five field goals and four of six free throws. He had a huge game on the boards at Virginia Tech, pulling down 15 rebounds while also scoring six points.
At Duquesne, Rhymer recorded his third double-double of the season, scoring a career-high 16 points to go along with 14 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. He totaled eight points, six rebounds and a career-high three assists against Rhode Island, while just missing a double double against Dayton with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Rhymer also had a double double at St. Joseph's, totaling 12 points and 12 rebounds on the afternoon. He converted on all six of his free throw attempts against the Hawks, including both ends of a one-and-one with only eight seconds remaining to secure the victory.
Earlier this season Rhymer scored 13 points against Boston College in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, while pulling down a career-best 17 rebounds at Connecticut. He also registered a double double against Marshall with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Rhymer currently ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference with an average of 7.6 rebounds per game, while scoring 6.9 points per contest. He has been the top rebounder for the Minutemen 11 times in 22 games.
The Stopper
Senior Mike Babul is known nationally as one of the best defensive players in the country. In the season opener he locked down MAAC preseason player of the year Tarik Kirksay.
Babul, who had been nursing a lower back strain, did not draw the assignment at the beginning of the game and Kirksay would score 15 first half points, but he would fail to register a field goal in the second half after Babul took over on the coverage. Babul then clamped down on UConn's Kevin Freeman. Freeman was 1-8 from the field and scored two points in 37 minutes of action.
At Providence, Babul shut down Erron Maxey who was averaging 16.7 points per game. Maxey could manage only seven points, all of them coming while Babul was on the bench.
In the victory at St. Joseph's, Babul helped shut down Tim Brown, the Atlantic 10's top three-point shooter. Brown did not score, and managed only two three-point attempts.
Player(school) fg-a 3fg-a Points Avg. Tarik Kirksay (Iona)* 0-2 0-0 5 13.8 Kevin Freeman (UConn) 1-8 0-0 2 13.3 Erron Maxey (Providence) 2-4 1-1 7 16.7 Tim Brown (St. Joseph's) 0-3 0-2 0 11.6 *second half only
A Visit with Xavier
Xavier has an overall record of 14-8 and a 4-5 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Musketeers have won three of their last four games, after previously losing four straight contests.
Xavier has an impressive 9-1 mark at home so far this season, including a victory over top-ranked Cincinnati. Junior guard Maurice McAfee leads the team with an average of 13.9 points per game, while also handing out a team-best 95 assists. Sophomore forward Lloyd Price is averaging 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest, while freshman forward David West averages 11.1 points and a team-best 9.0 rebounds.
Skip Prosser has an overall record of 120-53 in his seven seasons as the head coach of the Musketeers.
Climbing the Charts
Senior Monty Mack is attacking the UMass career leader boards for three-point shooting. His 86 three-pointers made last season were the third best single season performance in UMass history. He has made 64 of 172 three-pointers on the season, and has moved into third place all time at UMass in both three-pointers made and attempted.
For his career, Mack has now made 204 of 555 three-point attempts, good for a 36.8 percentage. He now trails only Carmelo Travieso (245 of 666 / 1993-97) and Rafer Giles (221 of 592 / 1987-91) on the UMass career charts, with his percentage of 36.8 ranking eighth all time.
Block Party
Once again this season, UMass is one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference at blocking shots. Through their first 22 games, the Minutemen have blocked a total of 90 shots, with their average of 4.09 blocks per game good for fourth place in the Atlantic 10.
Leading the way has been junior center Kitwana Rhymer, who has totaled 39 blocks this season for an average of 1.86 per game. He currently ranks third in the conference in blocked shots, behind only Caswell Cyrus of St. Bonaventure (1.94 blocks per game) and Dennis Mims of Virginia Tech (1.90 blocks per game).
Rhymer has a chance to become the fourth player in school history to lead the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots, a feat which has previously been accomplished by Edwin Green (2.3 blocks per game in 1983-84), Harper Williams (2.1 blocks per game in 1990-91) and Marcus Camby (3.62 blocks per game in 1993-94, 3.43 blocks per game in 1994-95, and 3.88 blocks per game in 1995-96).
Brand Contributes off the Bench
Freshman center Micah Brand has contributed some key minutes off the bench along the UMass front line so far this season. Against Rhode Island, Brand led the team with a career-high 10 rebounds, while also totaling nine points and a pair of blocks.
In the win over Fordham he had seven rebounds, while also recording three points, two assists and a block. Brand also pulled down seven rebounds in the Providence game, to go along with four points in only 12 minutes of action.
Through his first 22 games as a Minuteman, Brand has averaged 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. The only freshman on the UMass roster, Brand has played 12.8 minutes per game, while hitting on nearly 50 percent of his field goal attempts (38 of 79).
Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Cup
UMass sits atop the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Cup standings through the completion of the fall sports season. UMass earned 49.5 points during the fall season, six points better than second place Rhode Island.
Massachusetts relied on a strong showing from its women's programs, grabbing 32 of its points on that side of the ledger. The Minutewomen earned first-place finishes in field hockey and women's cross country to catapult to the lead.
Overall Men Women 1. UMass 49.5 17.5 32.0 2. Rhode Island 43.5 19.0 24.5 3. Virginia Tech 38.0 18.0 20.0 4. Dayton 35.5 11.0 24.5 5. Duquesne 32.0 17.0 15.0 6. La Salle 30.5 16.5 14.0 7. St. Joseph's 28.0 13.0 15.0 8. Xavier 27.0 5.0 22.0 9. Temple 23.0 5.5 17.5 10. St. Bonaventure 20.5 10.5 10.0 11. George Washington 17.5 5.0 12.5 12. Fordham 13.0 6.0 7.0
Captains of the Ship
Senior leadership has always played an important part of UMass basketball and this year should be a banner year in that department. Seniors Mike Babul and Chris Kirkland were named co-captains this year not only because of their improved play but because of their leadership skills and poise under fire.
Sparking with Flint
Coach Bruiser Flint has already established himself as one of the best young head coaches in the country and his record at UMass supports it. With 40 wins in his first 63 games at the helm, he achieved that win total faster than any other UMass coach in Minuteman history. In only his fourth season he is already moving up the career wins chart by leaps and bounds. Flint moved into fifth place on the career wins list with win number 58 after beating Villanova at the Mullins Center on December 6th.
Coach Years Wins 1. Jack Leaman 1966-79 217 2. John Calipari 1988-96 193 3. Harold M. Gore 1916-30, 1931-32 119 4. Robert Curran 1952-59 81 5. BRUISER FLINT 1996-present 66 6. Matthew Zunic 1959-63 57 7. Ron Gerlufsen 1983-88 55 8. John M. Orr 1963-66 39
Dribbles
Although not known for his scoring, Mike Babul has been effective on the offensive end over the last few games. He scored six points against Rhode Island, Duquesne, Virginia Tech and La Salle, and has hit on 13 of 18 field goal attempts (72.2 percent) over the last six games... In the victory at Virginia Tech, UMass held the Hokies to only 41 points. Over the last 30 years, the only time the Hokies scored less than 41 points came at UMass last season (40 points).
