University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Look For Season Sweep Of Rams
February 21, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2000
AMHERST, Mass. - This will be the 114th meeting between UMass and Rhode Island, with the Minutemen leading the all-time series 64-49. The Rams had won the last three meetings between the schools, before the Minutemen posted an 89-50 victory at the Mullins Center earlier this season. UMass has now won 19 of the last 23 meetings with the Rams. For games played in Rhode Island, the Rams hold a 31-21 advantage, but the Minutemen are 5-2 in games played at the Providence Civic Center. UMass has played more games in its history against Rhode Island than any other opponent. The teams first met on Jan. 11, 1908 with UMass winning 32-14 at home.
UMass (14-11, 8-4 A-10) vs.
Rhode Island (5-21, 2-11 A-10)
February 22, 2000 * 7:30 p.m. * Atlantic 10 Television
Providence Civic Center (12,641) * Providence, R.I.
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 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
| 33 | Kitwana Rhymer | C | Jr. | 6-10 | 256 | 7.3 | 7.2 |
| 5 | Monty Mack | G | Sr. | 6-3 | 200 | 19.9 | 3.4 |
| 30 | Shannon Crooks | G | So. | 6-2 | 222 | 11.6 | 3.3 |
| -- | |||||||
| 40 | Micah Brand | C | Fr. | 6-11 | 243 | 4.2 | 3.3 |
| 1 | Jonathan DePina | G | Jr. | 5-9 | 185 | 3.6 | 2.1 |
| 20 | Winston Smith | F | Jr. | 6-5 | 228 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| 0 | Anthony Oates | C | Sr. | 6-10 | 285 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| 3 | Ronell Blizzard | F | So. | 6-8 | 205 | 1.8 | 1.2 |
Gameday Quick Facts
Television: Atlantic 10 Television Network (Matt Devlin, play-by-play, Doris Burke, color, affiliates include Fox Sports New England, Fox Sports Ohio and ESPN Full Court)Radio: UMass Radio Network (WHMP 99.3 FM / 1400 AM, Northampton, flagship, Bob Behler, play-by-play, Skip Connors and Jack Leaman, color)
UMass Student Radio (WMUA 91.1 FM, Amherst)
Rhode Island Radio Network (WHJJ 920 AM, East Providence, flagship, Steve McDonald, play-by-play, Don Kaull, color)
Rhode Island Student Radio (WRIU FM 90.3, Kingston)
Series Quick Facts
| Overall Series | UMass, 64-49 |
| Bruiser Flint vs. Rhode Island | 4-3 |
| Last Meeting | UMass (89-50) on 1/22/00 at UMass |
| Most UMass Points | 109, (109-64) on 2/19/72 at UMass |
| Fewest UMass Points | 10, (10-15) on 2/22/18 at UMass |
| Largest UMass Margin | 45, (109-64) on 2/19/72 at UMass |
| Most URI Points | 121, (121-78) on 2/5/43 at URI |
| Fewest URI Points | 11, (11-31) on 1/27/17 at UMass |
| Largest URI Margin | 45, (84-39) on 2/5/41 at URI |
| In Overtime | UMass, 7-2 |
Stepping Up On The Line
UMass has made 63.8 percent of its free throws this season, a mark which ranks last in the Atlantic 10 Conference. But in the victory over St. Joseph's on Saturday, the Minutemen had their best game of the season on the foul line. In a rough game which saw the two teams combine to commit 45 fouls and shoot 63 free throws, UMass connected on 26 of 34 attempts at the charity stripe, good for 76.5 percent. The 26 free throws made are the most by the Minutemen in a single game since Jan. 17, 1996, when they hit on 32 of 46 attempts from the line against Rhode Island. Monty Mack led UMass by making eight of nine free throws against the Hawks, while Shannon Crooks connected on seven of nine foul shots.
Crooks Steps Up On Offense
Sophomore guard Shannon Crooks has turned in the top performances of his young career during the last two games. With Monty Mack out of the lineup due to illness at Fordham, Crooks started at shooting guard and scored a career-best 29 points. He made 12 of 24 field goal attempts and three of seven from three-point range against the Rams, while also totaling four steals, four rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Then against St. Joseph's on Saturday, Crooks scored the second highest total of his career with 20 points. Following his performances against Fordham and St. Joseph's, Crooks was honored as the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week. Previously at Xavier, Crooks scored nine points while handing out a career-high eight assists. In the La Salle game he scored 12 points while hitting on five of nine field goal attempts and two of three three-pointers, while against Texas, Crooks led the team in scoring for the first time in his career with 17 points. For the season, Crooks has now reached double figures in scoring 15 times. He is averaging 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, to lead the team in assists and rank third in scoring.
Mack Continues to Score
Senior Monty Mack has led the team in scoring 14 times in his last 17 games. During that span he scored at least 20 points 11 times, while hitting for 19 points on two other occasions. Against St. Joseph's, he totaled 23 points and pulled down six rebounds, while also connecting on eight of nine free throw attempts. In the Xavier game, Mack scored 32 points while hitting 11 of 20 field goals and six of 12 three pointers. The 32 points are the second most he has scored in his UMass career, behind only a 34-point performance at the College of Charleston last year. 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 he led the team with 22 points and pulled down five rebounds, while at Duquesne he scored 22 points and hit 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 has scored in double figures 23 times in his 24 games this season, and has now reached double digits 77 times in his 86-game UMass career. For the season, Mack is averaging 19.9 points per game to rank 28th 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.
Stealing the Show
Through 25 games this season, UMass has totaled 236 steals as a team, a mark which ranks second in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Currently averaging 9.44 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 four 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 49, followed by Chris Kirkland with 48 and Shannon Crooks with 44.
Kirkland Keeps On Producing
Senior co-captain Chris Kirkland has been one of the top offensive threats for the Minutemen all season long. Against St. Joseph's, Kirkland recorded his third double double of the season with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. In the win at Fordham he had one of his top all-around games of the season, scoring 17 points while leading the team in rebounds (seven), steals (six), assists (four) and blocks (three). At Xavier, Kirkland scored 18 points while hitting a blistering 75 percent of his field goal attempts (nine of 12). 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). He has led the team in scoring six times this year and in rebounds nine times, while scoring in double figures in 21 out of 25 games. For the season, Kirkland is averaging 15.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while hitting on 46.6 percent of his field goal attempts. He currently ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage, 11th in scoring and 15th in rebounding. Dating back to last season, Kirkland has scored in double figures 28 times in his last 32 games, including six double doubles.
Mack on the Scoring Charts
Senior Monty Mack enters the Rhode Island game as the eighth all-time leading scorer in UMass history with 1,462 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).
The Road Warriors
So far this season, UMass has turned in some of its top performances on the road. The Minutemen stand 4-1 this year in road games against Atlantic 10 foes. UMass owns victories at St. Joseph's (73-69), Duquesne (84-75), Virginia Tech (49-41) and Fordham (81-72), with its lone conference road loss coming at Xavier (87-77). Overall this season, UMass stands 6-4 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).
The Last Meeting
The Minutemen used a dominating performance on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor to post an 89-50 victory over Rhode Island at the Mullins Center, in this year's first meeting between the two schools. UMass held a 15-point lead at the break, then saw the advantage grow as large as 46 points during the second half. The Minutemen recorded a season-best 24 assists on the afternoon, while tying their season-high with 14 steals. Monty Mack led a balanced UMass scoring attack with 17 points, while Chris Kirkland added 16 and Shannon Crooks chipped in with 13. Micah Brand came off the bench to score nine points and pull down a team-high 10 rebounds, while Winston Smith had one of his best games of the year with nine points and five boards. Tavorris Bell led the Rams with 16 points and seven rebounds.
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 71 of 189 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 211 of 572 three-point attempts, good for a 36.9 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 36.9 ranking seventh all time.
Rhymer Playing Big in the Middle
Junior Kitwana Rhymer has been a consistent force in the paint for UMass all season long. In the victory at Fordham, he scored a career-high 19 points while connecting on seven of eight field goal attempts and five of seven free throws. Rhymer scored 10 points earlier this month against Temple, 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 in the first meeting with Rhode Island, while just missing a double double against Dayton with 11 points and nine rebounds. Rhymer also had a double double in the first meeting with St. Joseph's, totaling 12 points and 12 rebounds. Rhymer currently ranks eighth in the Atlantic 10 Conference with an average of 7.2 rebounds per game, while scoring 7.3 points per contest. He has been the top rebounder for the Minutemen 12 times in 25 games.
St. Joseph's Recap
Monty Mack scored 23 points and Shannon Crooks added 20, as the Minutemen posted a 76-65 victory over St. Joseph's at the Mullins Center on Feb. 19. The game was close throughout the first half, before UMass went on a 12-1 run to close out the period and take a 32-27 lead into the lockerroom. The Hawks kept the game tight during the second half, but were never able to cut the UMass lead to less than four points. The Minutemen had an outstanding day on the free throw line, connecting on a season-high 26 of 34 attempts, including eight of 10 in the final three and a half minutes to put the game away. Chris Kirkland had a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Mike Babul totaled nine points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Marvin O'Connor scored 15 points to lead St. Joseph's.
Hitting for 70
So far this season, 70 points has been the magic number for the UMass offense. When the Minutemen have scored 70 or more points in a game, they have come out victorious 11 out of 12 times. The wins this year in which 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 and 76-65), Rhode Island (89-50), Duquesne (84-75), La Salle (82-48) and Fordham (81-72). The only loss in which the Minutemen scored 70 points came at Xavier (77-87). During the Bruiser Flint Era, the Minutemen are 37-9 when making it to the 70-point mark. Conversely, UMass is 11-30 under Flint and 3-5 this season when its foe scores 70 points.
A Visit with Rhode Island
Rhode Island enters today's game with an overall record of 5-21 and a 2-11 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams have lost nine games in a row, with their last victory coming against Duquesne on Jan. 18. In its last outing, Rhode Island fell at George Washington 99-81. Sophomore guard Zach Marbury leads the team in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game, to go along with a team-high 93 assists. Sophomore forward Tavorris Bell averages 14.3 points per game to rank second on the team, while senior center Luther Clay averages a team-high 8.0 rebounds per contest to go along with 12.4 points. Jerry DeGregorio is in his first season as head coach at Rhode Island, after serving as an assistant coach the last two years.
Block Party
Once again this season, UMass is one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference at blocking shots. Through their first 25 games, the Minutemen have blocked a total of 104 shots, with their average of 4.16 blocks per game good for third place in the Atlantic 10. Leading the way has been junior center Kitwana Rhymer, who has totaled 41 blocks this season for an average of 1.64 per game. He currently ranks third in the conference in blocked shots, behind only Dennis Mims of Virginia Tech (1.88 blocks per game) and Caswell Cyrus of St. Bonaventure (1.68 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).
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
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. In the St. Joseph's game, he scored eight points on three of four shooting, while also pulling down four rebounds. In the first meeting with Rhode Island, Brand led the team with a career-high 10 rebounds, while also totaling nine points and a pair of blocks. In the first win over Fordham he had seven rebounds, while also recording three points, two assists and a block. Through his first 25 games as a Minuteman, Brand has averaged 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. The only freshman on the UMass roster, Brand has played 13.3 minutes per game, while hitting on nearly 50 percent of his field goal attempts (45 of 91).
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. When Mack missed the game at Fordham, the Minutemen stepped up to connect on six of 11 attempts from beyond the arc. Shannon Crooks hit on three of seven against the Rams, while Jonathan DePina made two of three. In the La Salle game, UMass made six of 12 three-point attempts as a team, with Crooks hitting two of three, Mack making two of four and 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. In the season's first meeting with 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 six times. For the year, UMass' three guards have combined to hit 109 of 292 three-point attempts, good for a percentage of 37.3. Mack has connected on 71 of 189 three-point shots, while Crooks has hit 24 of 76 and DePina has made 14 of 27.
DePina Steps Up at the Point
With Monty Mack out of the lineup in the Fordham game, junior guard Jonathan DePina came through with an excellent performance to help lead the Minutemen to victory. DePina played all 40 minutes against the Rams, scoring seven points and hitting on two of three three-point attempts, while also totaling three assists and three rebounds. Earlier this season, DePina turned in one of the top all-around performances of his UMass career in the first meeting with Rhode Island. He tied his career-high with nine assists against the Rams, while also totaling seven points, six rebounds and two steals, and connecting on his only attempt from three-point range. On the year, DePina has now connected on 14 of 27 attempts (51.9 percent) from three-point range, including five of seven over the last three games. For the season, DePina ranks second on the team in assists with 69, while ranking 10th in the Atlantic 10 assist to turnover ratio (1.47).
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 | 68 |
| 6. | Matthew Zunic | 1959-63 | 57 |
| 7. | Ron Gerlufsen | 1983-88 | 55 |
| 8. | John M. Orr | 1963-66 | 39 |
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 |
Love Those Cameras
ESPN and UMass have gotten to know each other pretty well over the years. This Saturday's Temple game will be the 57th time ESPN has televised a UMass basketball game since the '90s began. UMass posts a 35-21 (.625) record on ESPN and 74-40 (.649) record overall since 1990 on the national networks. The first Temple game was UMass' 22nd appearance on ESPN2 where the Minutemen have posted a record of 13-9 (.591).
Individual Career Totals
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks |
| Mack | 1,462 | 305 | 191 | 117 | 12 |
| Kirkland | 827 | 450 | 109 | 101 | 42 |
| Babul | 412 | 330 | 168 | 83 | 52 |
| Crooks | 291 | 83 | 74 | 44 | 8 |
| Rhymer | 254 | 258 | 10 | 19 | 62 |
| DePina | 244 | 120 | 198 | 59 | 4 |
| Smith | 164 | 147 | 55 | 25 | 5 |
| Brand | 104 | 83 | 6 | 5 | 13 |
| Blizzard | 56 | 46 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| Oates | 15 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Denson | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Johnson | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Early | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Statistical Matchup
| UMass | Statistics | URI |
| 68.9 | Scoring Average | 63.1 |
| 64.6 | Scoring Defense | 76.9 |
| +4.3 | Scoring Margin | -13.8 |
| 43.1 | Field Goal % | 40.3 |
| 41.3 | FG % Defense | 45.3 |
| 35.8 | 3-Point Field Goal % | 33.5 |
| 33.4 | 3 FG % Defense | 34.1 |
| 63.8 | Free Throw % | 63.8 |
| 35.6 | Rebound Average | 34.3 |
| 38.0 | Rebounds Against Average | 40.1 |
| -2.4 | Rebound Margin | -5.7 |
| 14.8 | Turnovers | 17.2 |
| 17.3 | Turnovers Forced | 14.2 |
| +2.6 | Turnover Margin | -3.1 |
Where To Find UMass Basketball
on television
The Minutemen will make at least 20 television appearances during the 1999-2000 season. The Rhode Island contest will be the 18th television game of the season, and will be carried by the Atlantic 10 Television Network. On the year, UMass will appear on ABC once, on ESPN three times, ESPN2 three times, on the Atlantic 10 Network six times, on New England Sports Network twice, on SportsChannel Florida once, on Fox Sports Detroit once and WGGB TV in Springfield three times. So far this season, the Minutemen have gone 8-9 in televised games.
on radio
All University of Massachusetts basketball games can be heard live on the UMass Basketball Radio Network, with WHMP 99.3 FM / 1400 AM (Northampton) serving as the flagship station. Bob Behler has taken over as the play-by-play announcer this season, while former UMass coach Jack Leaman is in his sixth year as color analyst and former Minuteman Skip Connors is in his third season. Here is a list of affiliates for the Rhode Island game:
- WXKS 1430 AM (Boston)
- WATD 95.9 FM (Marshfield)
- WCRN 830 AM (Worcester)
- WCAP 980 AM (Lowell)
- WBNW 1120 AM (Concord)
- WSAR 1480 AM (Fall River)
In addition, WMUA 91.1 FM, the UMass student station, will carry a number of games during the 1999-2000 season.
the UMass basketball show
Head coach Bruiser Flint's weekly television show, "The UMass Basketball Show with Bruiser Flint presented by the TJX Companies," airs on WGGB TV, channel 40 in Springfield, on Sunday evenings at 11:35 p.m. The show will also be shown by WGGB on Sunday afternoons at 12:30 p.m., on weekends when UMass does not play a Sunday game. Fox Sports New England will carry the show on a tape delay basis on Monday evenings.
THE BRUISER FLINT SHOW
Head coach Bruiser Flint's weekly radio show, "The Bruiser Flint Show," is on live from Rafter's Sports Bar & Restaurant in Amherst from 6:00-7:00 p.m.., on WHMP 99.3 FM / 1400 AM (Northampton). Selected shows will also be broadcast on WORC (Worcester) and WBRK (Pittsfield). The show, hosted by Bob Behler, runs throughout the entire season. The show generally takes place on Monday evenings, but the night may vary in accordance with the UMass schedule.
ON the internet
Information on Minuteman basketball and all 29 of UMass' varsity sports is available through the UMass Athletics home page at "http://www.umassathletics.com". Links to UMass basketball radio broadcasts can also be found on the home page.
Around the Atlantic 10 Conference
1999-2000 Atlantic 10 Standings
(through games of 2/19/2000)
| EAST | A-10 | Pct. | Overall | Pct. |
| Temple | 11-1 | .917 | 19-4 | .826 |
| UMass | 8-4 | .667 | 14-11 | .560 |
| St. Bonaventure | 8-4 | .667 | 16-7 | .696 |
| St. Joseph's | 6-7 | .462 | 11-13 | .458 |
| Fordham | 5-8 | .385 | 12-13 | .480 |
| Rhode Island | 2-11 | .154 | 5-21 | .192 |
| WEST | A-10 | Pct. | Overall | Pct. |
| Dayton | 8-4 | .667 | 18-6 | .750 |
| George Washington | 7-5 | .583 | 13-12 | .520 |
| Xavier | 6-6 | .500 | 16-9 | .640 |
| Virginia Tech | 6-7 | .462 | 13-13 | .500 |
| La Salle | 4-8 | .333 | 10-13 | .435 |
| Duquesne | 3-9 | .250 | 8-16 | .333 |
Recent Results and Upcoming Games
Wednesday, Feb. 16
UMass 81, Fordham 72 *
St. Bonaventure 64, Rhode Island 54 *
Thursday, Feb. 17
George Washington 71, Virginia Tech 68 *
Temple 64, Dayton 58 *
Villanova 68, St. Joseph's 61
Saturday, Feb. 19
George Washington 99, Rhode Island 81 *
Fordham 74, La Salle 70 *
St. Bonaventure 71, Duquesne 62 *
Virginia Tech 73, Xavier 65 *
UMass 76, St. Joseph's 65
Sunday, Feb. 20
Temple at Cincinnati 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 22
UMass at Rhode Island * 7:30 p.m.
George Washington at Xavier * 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 23
Dayton at La Salle * 7:00 p.m.
Fordham at Duquesne * 7:35 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 24
St. Bonaventure at Temple * 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26
George Washington at Fordham * 2:00 p.m.
UMass at Temple * 2:00 p.m.
St. Bonaventure at St. Joseph's * 4:00 p.m.
Rhode Island at Dayton * 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 27
Xavier at La Salle * 2:00 p.m.
Virginia Tech at Duquesne * 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 29
Temple at St. Joseph's * 7:00 p.m.
George Washington at UMass * 7:30 p.m.
* denotes conference games
UMass in the A-10 Team Rankings
| Category | Rank | Avg. / Pct. |
| Steals | 2nd | 9.44 |
| Turnover Margin | 3rd | +2.56 |
| 3-Point Field Goal Percentage | 3rd | .358 |
| Blocked Shots | 3rd | 4.16 |
| Scoring Defense | 4th | 64.6 |
| Field Goal Percentage Defense | 4th | .413 |
| Scoring Margin | 5th | +4.3 |
| Field Goal Percentage | 6th | .431 |
| 3-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense | 7th | .334 |
| Rebounding Defense | 7th | 38.0 |
| Rebounding Margin | 7th | -2.4 |
| Assist / Turnover Ratio | 7th | 0.87 |
| Assists | 7th | 12.88 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 8th | 13.44 |
| Scoring Offense | 8th | 68.9 |
| Rebounding Offense | 10th | 35.6 |
| 3-Point Field Goals Made | 10th | 4.92 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 11th | 22.12 |
| Free Throw Percentage | 12th | .638 |
UMass in the A-10 Individual Rankings
| Scoring | Rank | Avg. |
| Monty Mack | 2nd | 19.9 |
| Chris Kirkland | 11th | 15.4 |
| Rebounding | Rank | Avg. |
| Kitwana Rhymer | 8th | 7.2 |
| Chris Kirkland | 15th | 6.0 |
| Field Goal Percentage | Rank | Pct. |
| Chris Kirkland | 4th | .466 |
| Monty Mack | 8th | .427 |
| Assists | Rank | Avg. |
| Shannon Crooks | 14th | 2.96 |
| Free Throw Percentage | Rank | Pct. |
| Monty Mack | 7th | .809 |
| Steals | Rank | Avg. |
| Monty Mack | 5th | 2.04 |
| Chris Kirkland | 8th | 1.92 |
| Shannon Crooks | 10th | 1.76 |
| 3-Point Field Goal Percentage | Rank | Pct. |
| Monty Mack | 4th | .376 |
| 3-Point Field Goals Made | Rank | Avg. |
| Monty Mack | 2nd | 2.96 |
| Blocked Shots | Rank | Avg. |
| Kitwana Rhymer | 3rd | 1.64 |
| Assist / Turnover Ratio | Rank | Ratio |
| Jonathan DePina | 10th | 1.47 |
| Offensive Rebounds | Rank | Avg. |
| Chris Kirkland | 11th | 2.64 |
| Kitwana Rhymer | 15th | 2.44 |
| Defensive Rebounds | Rank | Avg. |
| Kitwana Rhymer | 6th | 4.72 |