University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Basketball To Face Rhode Island In Providence
January 29, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2001
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Probable UMass (8-10/6-1) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 40 Micah Brand 6-11 243 So. 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 Rhode Island (5-15/1-6) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 1 Tiger Womack 6-9 210 Sr. F 21 Andre Scott 6-9 225 Fr. G 2 Dinno Daniels 6-0 175 Jr. G 33 Zach Marbury 6-3 185 Jr. G 55 Howard Smith 6-0 175 So.
About the Minutemen: Coach Bruiser Flint's surging UMass basketball team completes the first half of its league schedule hoping to retain its share of first-place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings when it tackles longtime New England rival Rhode Island. The Minutemen, off to their best A-10 start since a 9-0 mark to open the 1997-98 campaign, and winners of four straight for the first time in four seasons, ran their record to 6-1 in the league and 8-10 overall with Saturday's 65-64 overtime victory at Temple, their first-ever win in the Owls' Liacouras Center. UMass, which begins the evening locked in a three-way tie for first-place with St. Joseph's (hosts St. Bonaventure Thursday night) and Xavier (hosts Dayton later this evening on ESPN2), is playing its third-straight league road game and is in the midst of playing four of five away from the Mullins Center, a stretch which includes Saturday's nationally-televised (ESPN, Noon) game against Fordham and next Tuesday's game at Dayton (A-10 Network, 7:35 p.m.). The Minutemen, who were picked for third in the A-10 preseason coaches and media poll but left for dead after fashioning a 2-9 non-conference record, find themselves in the thick of the title chase having won four-straight games for the first time since a 10-game win string during the 1997-98 campaign. Off to its slowest start after 18 games since the 1988-89 season, John Calipari's first in Amherst, UMass has played one of the nation's most demanding schedules this season, and one of the toughest in school history. The Minuteman slate is ranked as the nation's fourth-(Jeff Sagarin), eighth-(College Basketball News) or 11th-(CollegeRPI.com) toughest through games of Jan. 29, and the 10 schools that have beaten them this season are a combined 131-51 (.720) to date.
About Rhode Island: The Rams are 5-15 overall and 1-6 in the A-10 after Saturday's 96-92 double-overtime victory over La Salle at Keaney Gym ended a seven-game losing streak. Rhode Island, which has already equaled last year's win total, is 5-5 at home this season, 0-2 at the Providence Civic Center. Rhody, which owns an all-time record of 54-69 (.439) at the PCC, has dropped games here this season to Providence (96-72, in a Friar home game) and Xavier (99-82).
Last Time Out: The Minutemen ran their win streak to four-straight games with a gut-wrenching 65-64 overtime victory over Temple, their first win in four tries at the Owls' Liacouras Center. The first half saw eight lead changes and one tie, as UMass led by as many as seven and held a 33-30 lead at intermission. In the second half, the Minutemen built the lead back to seven at 45-38 with 11:05 to play on a Monty Mack trey, but Temple used a 9-2 run to force a 47-all tie with 7:10 left. UMass then built the lead back to four at 51-47 with 5:42 left, only to watch the Owls take a 53-51 lead with 3:34 to go, as there were three lead changes and two ties in the final 2:09. In the extra session, the Minutemen found themselves with a 60-57 lead with 2:56 to go, but the Owls tied the game at 62 and again at 63, before Kitwana Rhymer's lay-up with 24.9 seconds left gave UMass its final advantage. Temple's David Hawkins was fouled with 4.4 seconds to play, made the first free throw, but missed the second, and the Minutemen held on. Mack paced the UMass attack with a game-high 20 points, while Rhymer added 14 points and 11 rebounds to record his sixth double-double of the season. Temple had five players in double figures, led by Lynn Greer's 16 points. The Minutemen, who won the game despite going to the foul line 16 fewer times than the home team, recorded season-highs for assists (19) and three-point goals made (eight) in ending Temple's three-game series win streak.
Minuteman Coach Bruiser Flint: UMass' James "Bruiser" Flint (St. Joseph's, 1987) stands 79-67 (.541) in his fifth season as a collegiate head coach, all with the Minutemen. 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, two victories behind No. 4 Robert Curran (81 victories in seven seasons from 1952 through 1959) and six behind No. 3 Harold M. Gore (85 victories in 11 years from 1916-17, 1918-19 and 1920-29). Only three other men, Jack Leaman (343 games), Calipari (264) and Curran (161), have coached in more games at UMass than Bruiser's 146. Flint, whose first two Minuteman squads earned NCAA Tournament bids and whose fourth team went to the NIT, owns a 47-24 (.662) 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, a Philadelphia native, spent seven seasons as an assistant to Cal on the UMass bench. He is 5-3 vs. Rhode Island, 3-1 vs. the Rams at the Providence Civic Center (4-2 all-time in the building).
Ram Coach Jerry DeGregorio: Rhode Island's Jerry DeGregorio (St. John's, 1988) owns a 10-40 (.200) record in his second season as a head coach, all with the Rams. The 17th coach in Rhode Island history, DeGregorio is 0-2 vs. UMass and Flint, 0-1 at the Providence Civic Center.
The Series: One-hundred-fifteenth meeting in a series UMass leads, 65-49, and that dates to a 32-14 Minuteman victory, Jan. 11, 1908. The Minutemen, who have won 21 of the last 26 meetings between the teams, swept the season series last year, winning 89-50, in Amherst, and 57-37 here. Rhode Island's last series victory was a 59-56 decision here, Feb. 13, 1999. UMass has beaten the Rams more times (65) than any other opponent and the series ranks as the longest in school history in terms of games played (114). The Minutemen are 6-2 vs. the Rams in this building.
Active UMass Players vs. Rhode Island
GP FG% 3FG% FT% Reb. PPG A TO BK ST MP
Blizzard 2 .545 .000 .500 2.0 6.5 2 4 4 1 23
Brand 2 .588 .000 .429 7.5 11.5 1 2 3 1 45
Crooks 2 .524 .333 1.000 4.0 12.5 4 3 1 8 54
DePina 6 .200 .143 .667 2.2 3.2 24 5 0 6 114
Mack 6 .407 .275 .818 3.5 15.2 16 10 0 10 197
Rhymer 4 .286 .000 .625 4.0 3.3 3 2 0 0 50
Smith 5 .563 .667 .750 2.2 4.8 6 1 0 5 79
Road Warriors: One of the hardest things to do in college basketball is win away from home, but under Bruiser Flint, the Minutemen have enjoyed success away from the Mullins Center. Including games played at neutral sites, UMass is 43-48 (.473) all-time outside of Amherst under Flint, including a 23-13 (.639) record in regular-season A-10 road games under his leadership. 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 away from home, their third winning league road mark in Flint's tenure. The Minutemen, 4-8 outside of the Mullins Center this season (3-1 vs. Atlantic 10 conference foes), have posted a .500 or better overall road record 10 times in the last 11 seasons.
Streaking: UMass enters tonight's game on a four-game win streak, its longest since a 10-game streak during the 1997-98 season. In the streak, the fourth-longest in Bruiser Flint's tenure (behind the 10-game streak in 1997-98, a six-game string in 1996-97 and a five-game streak that same year), three players are averaging in double figures. Senior guard Monty Mack is averaging 18.8 points per game, while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, senior center Kitwana Rhymer is averaging 13.3 ppg and 10.5 rpg, and Micah Brand is averaging 11.0 ppg. Off the bench, junior forward Jackie Rogers has contributed 6.0 ppg, while shooting 70.6 percent from the field. As a team, the Minutemen are shooting 46.9 percent from the field over their last four games, including 33.3 percent from three-point range, and 72.5 percent at line, while averaging 67.3 ppg. Defensively, the team has allowed 62.0 ppg, limiting opponents to 39.8 percent field goal shooting.
On the Inside: In A-10 play, the UMass frontline has played an important role in the team's 6-1 start, accounting for 51.5 percent of the offensive production (35.7 ppg, compared to 31.9 ppg vs. non-league foes), and shooting 51.4 percent from the field. In its wins over Dayton and Duquesne, the Minuteman frontline scored 94 of the team's 142 points on the week (51 vs. Dayton, 43 vs. Duquesne). In its most recent outing against Temple, the frontline tallied 32 of the team's 65 points. In league play, senior center Kitwana Rhymer and sophomore forward Micah Brand have done most of the damage. Rhymer, who may well be the league's most improved player, is averaging a double-double (12.9 ppg and 10.0 rpg) vs. A-10 foes, while Brand has averaged 9.3 points and 4.4 rebounds vs. league opponents. Rhymer has recorded four double-doubles in league games, while Brand has scored in double figures three times.
Stepping Up: The names are the same, but their games are not. Perhaps that's the best way to explain how a team was picked to finish third in the league's preseason poll, then stumbled to a 2-9 record in the non-conference season, but has since won six of seven games to open its A-10 slate. Four players are scoring at a higher rate than they did in the non-league season, and the result is that UMass is averaging 4.6 points more per game against its league foes (69.3 ppg) than it did in the non-conference (64.7 ppg) portion of the schedule. Those Minutemen stepping up since the league season arrived include:
Player Non-League A-10 Difference Monty Mack 16.3 ppg 21.3 ppg +5.0 Kitwana Rhymer 8.6 ppg 12.9 ppg +4.3 Micah Brand 8.2 ppg 9.3 ppg +1.1 Ronell Blizzard 1.7 ppg 3.1 ppg +1.4
UMass Non-League vs. A-10 Offensive Statistical Comparison
GP FG% 3FG% FT% Reb. PPG A TO BK ST
Non-Conf. 11 .385 .296 .626 36.6 64.7 126 179 57 73
A-10 7 .455 .333 .727 36.3 69.3 96 94 37 41
About the Schedule: Grueling. Tough. Hard. Difficult. Take your pick. They're all words that can be used to describe the UMass schedule this season, which this week is ranked as the nation's fourth-, eighth- or 11th-toughest in college basketball, depending on the rating service looked at. Using the latest RPI rankings from College Basketball News, 15 of the Minutemen's 18 opponents thus far have an RPI of 114 or better, and 12 are ranked 78th or better. UMass is 2-4 vs. opponents ranked from 1-50 in the RPI, 2-5 vs. teams ranked from 51 through 100, 1-1 vs. teams ranked from 101 to 150 and 3-0 vs. teams ranked worse than 151. Every team that has beaten UMass this season has a .500 or better record, and nine have already won at least 12 games. The Minutemen's RPI is No. 66 heading into Tuesday's game. The Minutemen would appear to be on track to have a schedule ranked among the nation's top 20 in degree of difficulty for the third time under coach Bruiser Flint, and the fourth time in school history, based on CollegeRPI.com's figures. UMass' other top 20 schedules in terms of difficulty came in 1997-98 (No. 19), 1996-97 (No. 14) and 1993-94 (No. 9). Over the last eight seasons, only once has the Minuteman strength of schedule been ranked lower than 56.
Why We Win: In each of their eight victories this season, the Minutemen bench has outscored their opponent's bench, and in seven of their wins they have outshot the opponent. In the Temple win, UMass' bench outscored the Owls' subs, 14-10, but for the first time this season it was outshot from the field (.397-.426), but still won. In its eight wins, UMass has shot 45.8 percent (195-of-426) from the field, 69.4 percent at the foul line (127-of-183), outrebounded its opponents by +3.5 per game, while averaging 69.4 points and 13.4 turnovers per game. Those numbers compare to 37.6 percent field goal shooting (216-of-575), 64.1 percent free throw marksmanship (161-of-251), a -3.5 rebound margin, 64.2 points and 16.6 turnovers in UMass' 10 setbacks. As can be expected, there is also a marked statistical difference between the Minutemen's defensive averages in their wins when compared to their losses. UMass has held its opponents to 61.1 ppg and 38.9 percent (167-of-429) field goal shooting, while forcing 14.4 turnovers in its eight wins, but in defeat, the 10 opponents have averaged 75.2 points per game and shot 43.3 percent (245-of-566) from the field.
The SWAT Squad: Through 18 games, UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots with an average of 5.22 rejections per game (a league-best 94 on the season). The Minutemen, who have had five or more rejections in 10 of 18 games on the year, had a season-high 13 snuffs against Duquesne, and have had at least one blocked shot in 84-straight games since being held rejectionless in a 74-66 loss at Temple, March 1, 1998. Senior center Kitwana Rhymer leads the team and the Atlantic 10 Conference with 2.17 bpg (39), while sophomore Micah Brand (22) ranks second on the team and sixth in the A-10 and junior Ronell Blizzard (17) is third on the squad and eighth in the A-10.
70 or More Spells W-I-N: Although the Minutemen are just 3-2 this season when scoring 70-or-more points, that number has usually been a good indicator to use in predicting their 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 42-12 (.778) all-time when reaching the 70-point mark, but just 37-55 (.402) when scoring 69 or fewer points. UMass is also 11-39 (.220) under Flint when it allows 70 or more points, including an 0-6 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 72-9 (.889) all-time under his leadership when leading after 35 minutes of play, including an 8-0 mark this season. UMass is 2-2 (.500) in Flint's tenure when tied with 5:00 to go, 0-1 this year. UMass has struggled nearly as much when trailing with 5:00 left, posting a 5-56 mark (.083), which includes an 0-9 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.
Comeback Kids: On 17 occasions over the last six-plus seasons, including 11 times under coach Flint, the Minutemen have overcome a double-digit deficit at some point in the game to claim victory. UMass' most-recent double-digit rally to win effort came against Dayton, when it overcame an 11-point first half deficit to beat the Flyers, 62-57. Earlier this month against George Washington, the Minutemen overcame a 15-point deficit with 1:07 left in the first half to beat the Colonials, 76-60. The 15-point lead the Minutemen overcame to win marked their largest comeback victory under Flint, three points more than they overcame in a 69-48 victory over Drexel during the 1996-97 campaign, and the program's largest since rallying from 16 down in the first half to beat Maryland, 50-47, Dec. 2, 1995.
Happy New Year: Under coach Bruiser Flint, UMass is 33-10 (.767) all-time in the month of January, and has won 11 of its last 14 games in the first month of the New Year. A win over Rhode Island would give the Minutemen a 7-1 mark and their second-best January record (by percentage) in Flint's tenure behind a 9-0 (1.000) mark in 1997-98 and ahead of a 7-2 (.778) record in 1996-97.
Finding the Touch: After hitting a then-season-high 54.0 percent from the field in their season-opening victory over Iona, the Minutemen shot just 38.3 percent over the next 13 games (and did not reach the 50.0 percent mark in any game), then hit 50.0 percent in back-to-back games against Dayton (.510) and Duquesne (season-best .552). But, in last two games, victories over La Salle and Temple, UMass shot just .417 and .397, respectively. League play has brought back the UMass shooting touch, as the squad that hit just 38.5 percent in non-conference play and averaged 64.7 points, has connected on 45.5 percent of its fielders against A-10 foes (en route to 69.3 ppg) to move its season mark to 41.1 percent. The Minutemen, who were 7-0 a year ago when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the floor, own a 28-4 mark under Flint when hitting better than half of their fielders and have won 14-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: After hitting just 58.6 percent from the free throw line in their first four games of the season, the Minutemen have shot 69.2 percent (220-of-318) from the stripe over the last 14 games to improve their season mark to 66.4 percent. UMass has hit 70.0 percent or better in eight of its last 14 games, including a season-high 83.3 percent effort at Ohio State and 78.6 percent performances against both Dayton and Temple. The Minutemen, who have watched their opponents hit 71.1 percent from the line, have been outscored at the foul line 330-288 on the year. However, in A-10 action, UMass is shooting 72.7 percent at the free throw line (compared to 62.6 percent in the non-league season) and has outscored its opponents, 117-105, from the stripe. UMass' top free throw shooter is Monty Mack at 78.7 percent (70-for-89), while Kitwana Rhymer and Shannon Crooks are both shooting 71.1 percent to share second place.
Cleaning the Glass: While its free throw shooting has improved in its last 14 games, UMass' rebounding has been better over the last 12 games, too. After being outrebounded in each of their first six games, the Minutemen have outrebounded nine of their last 12 opponents, and for the season are +0.2 on the glass (36.5-36.3). In A-10 play, though, UMass is a +3.7 rpg on the glass and has outrebounded four of seven opponents. Kitwana Rhymer is UMass' top rebounder at 7.8 per game (10.0 rpg in A-10 play).
We Can Play the "D": A trademark of the UMass basketball program over the last 12 years has been stingy defensive play, and that appears to again be the case again this season. For the year, Minutemen opponents are shooting 41.4 percent (38.7 percent by A-10 foes) from the field, including 32.0 percent (30.4 percent by A-10 opponents) from three-point range, and have topped the 50.0 percent mark only three times in 18 games. The Minutemen have held 51 of their last 61 opponents, including 15 of 18 this season, to under 50 percent shooting from the field (UMass is 28-23 in those games), and 30 foes to under 40 percent shooting (21-9). Under coach Flint, UMass has held an opponent to under 40 percent shooting 75 times (in 146 total games) and owns a 57-18 (.760) 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 65.1 points per game.
Playing the D, Part II: Since allowing North Carolina to shoot 50.0 percent from the field and put 91 points on the scoreboard in a 91-60 loss in the opening round of the Hardee's Tournament of Champions in Charlotte, N.C., the Minutemen have limited their last eight opponents to 62.6 points per game and 37.9 percent shooting from the field. Since the Tar Heels' outburst, no team has scored more than 69 points on UMass, and five opponents have shot under 40.0 percent from the field.
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:
The Minutemen have recorded a winning A-10 record in each of the last 11 seasons, own a 132-52 (.717) mark in regular-season league play and have captured 10 league titles (five regular season, five tournament) in that time frame. Over the past 11-plus seasons, UMass owns a 262-120 (.686) overall record, an average of 23.1 victories per season.
Quick Tips: The Minutemen reached the 1,000 victory pleateau with their 62-57 victory over Dayton, and own an all-time record of 1,003-889 (.530) on the hardwood...UMass has used five different starting line-up combinations this season, and eight players have started at least one game on the season...the Minuteman bench, which scored a season-high-tying 28 points against BU (it also provided 28 points in the Oregon loss), has provided 305 points (16.9 ppg) on the season compared to its opponents' 296 (16.4 ppg)...UMass' is 4-4 in games decided by five or fewer points on the year, and its wins over La Salle and Temple by a combined five points in its last two games were its slimmest margin of victory in consecutive games since a two-point win over Duquesne and a three-point verdict over Rhode Island during the 1996-97 season...the Minutemen have hit at least one three-point goal in 81-straight games since a first-round 1998 NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Louis, while their opponents have at least one trey in 25-straight outings...the 2000-01 Minuteman roster features four former Bay State prep products with the addition of walk-on freshman guard Dwayne Killings to the roster...Killings, who prepped at Amherst Regional High School, will wear No. 12...the Minutemen had a season-low eight turnovers against George Washington, their fewest since committing eight against Virginia Tech, Jan. 2, 1999...under coach Flint, UMass is 21-33 (.389) in games played in November and December, 58-34 (.630) 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...10 of the Minutemen's 18 games this season have been 2000 postseason tournament teams, and they still have four games left against 2000 postseason entrants (one each against St. Bonaventure, Dayton, Xavier and Temple)...UMass, the only A-10 team which went to postseason play last year that must face each of the league's 2000 postseason entrants home and home this year, is 3-5 vs. 2000 NCAA Tournament teams, 1-1 vs. 2000 NIT participants...UMass is one of 15 schools to have made at least one Final Four appearance since 1996, as it made its first and only trip in 1996.
Noting the 2000-01 Minutemen
#1 Jonathan DePina, 5-9, 185, Sr., Boston, Mass.
#2 Jackie Rogers, 6-8, 230, Jr., Syracuse, N.Y.
#3 Ronell Blizzard, 6-8, 205, Jr., Waterbury, Conn.
#4 Willie Jenkins, 6-6, 200, Fr., Memphis, Tenn.
#5 Monty Mack, 6-3, 200, Sr., Boston, Mass.
#20 Winston Smith, 6-5, 228, Sr., Summit, N.J.
#21 Eric Williams, 6-8, 243, Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y.
#24 Jameel Pugh, 6-5, 200, Fr., Sacramento, Calif.
#30 Shannon Crooks, 6-2, 222, Jr., Everett, Mass.
#33 Kitwana Rhymer, 6-10, 256, Sr., St. Thomas, Virgin Islands