University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Basketball To Face St. Joseph's
February 27, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2001
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Probable UMass (13-12/11-3) 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 St. Joseph's (23-4/13-1) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 21 Frank Wilkins 6-9 200 Sr. F 24 Bill Phillips 6-10 240 Jr. C 25 Damian Reid 6-9 240 Jr. G 11 Marvin O'Connor 6-4 200 Jr. G 14 Jameer Nelson 6-0 190 Fr.
About the Minutemen: Two of the Atlantic 10's hottest teams square off, as coach Bruiser Flint returns to Hawk Hill with his Minutemen to face his nationally-ranked alma mater before the national spotlight of ESPN2. Massachusetts, which has won two straight and nine of its last 11, moved to 11-3 in the A-10 and 13-12 overall with Saturday's 64-56 victory at George Washington. UMass is above .500 for the first time since its season-opening victory over Iona. The Minutemen, who have reached the 11-win mark in league play for the eighth time in the last 12 years (including three of five seasons under coach Flint), own their second-best A-10 mark after 14 games in Flint's tenure behind a 12-2 record in 1997-98, and are shooting for their first 12-win A-10 campaign since then. Picked for third in the A-10 preseason coaches and media poll (behind Xavier and Temple, teams that UMass went 3-1 against this season) but left for dead after posting a 2-9 non-league record, UMass finds itself fighting for the A-10 title, but in need of help to reach that goal. Alone in third-place, the Minutemen are two games behind first-place St. Joseph's (13-1), a half-game behind second-place Xavier (12-3, at Dayton on Sunday) and a game in front of fourth-place Temple (10-4, hosts La Salle tomorrow). For UMass to earn a share of the title, it must beat the high-scoring Hawks tonight and St. Bonaventure in Amherst on Saturday, and have St. Joseph's lose Saturday at crosstown rival La Salle. The Minutemen, though, are assured of one of the five first-round A-10 Tournament byes, as are St. Joseph's, Xavier and Temple.
About the Hawks: St. Joseph's, meanwhile, is one of the feel good stories of the college basketball season. The Hawks were picked sixth in the A-10 preseason poll, but are 23-4 overall, 13-1 in the A-10, and winners of nine straight after Sunday's 90-70 victory at Duquesne. St. Joseph's, assured of a share of its third A-10 crown ever, can claim the title outright with a victory over the Minutemen. The Hawks, ranked 18th (Associated Press) and 22nd (ESPN/USA Today) this week, lead the A-10 in scoring (79.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (.489), and are shooting for their first undefeated season here since the 1985-86 season (Flint's junior season, when SJU was 7-0 here). St. Joseph's is 10-0 at the Fieldhouse this year, including a 7-0 mark against A-10 opponents.
Last Time Out: The Minutemen led from start to finish en route to Saturday's 64-56 victory at George Washington, and moved their overall record above .500 (13-12) for the first time since their season-opening victory over Iona. In the process, UMass won for just the fourth time in 22 tries at the Smith Center, swept the Colonials for the first time since the 1992-93 season and reached the 11-win mark in A-10 play for the eighth time in the last 12 seasons. Massachusetts scored the game's first five points, and the closest GW would get after that would be two points, the last at 13-11 with 8:10 left in the opening half. UMass led by as many as eight in the first half, and held a 27-19 lead at intermission. In the second half, the Minutemen stretched their advantage to as many as 15 (49-34 at the 7:11 mark) and held a 12-point lead at 56-44 with 1:48 to play before the Colonials hit four treys to make things interesting. UMass, though, hit eight-straight free throws in the final 45 seconds (all by Jonathan DePina) to secure the victory. Monty Mack led UMass with a game-high 24 points, while DePina, Eric Williams and Jackie Rogers each netted eight points, and Kitwana Rhymer had seven (and a team-high eight rebounds). The Minutemen held GW to 34.0 percent shooting from the field for the game (and just four field goals among the Colonials' starters), held a 38-30 advantage on the glass, and forced 17 turnovers. Chris Monroe paced the George Washington attack with 22 points off the bench.
Minuteman Coach Bruiser Flint: UMass' James "Bruiser" Flint (St. Joseph's, 1987) stands 84-69 (.549) 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 Massachusetts coaches to take three teams to postseason play in their first four seasons at the helm (John Calipari was the other). His 84 career wins rank fourth on the school's all-time list, just one behind No. 3 Harold M. Gore (85 wins in 11 years from 1916-17, 1918-19 and 1920-29). Only three other men, Jack Leaman (343 games), Calipari (264) and Robert T. Curran (161), have coached in more games at UMass than Bruiser's 153, and only Calipari (91 victories) has won more A-10 regular-season games on the Minuteman bench than Flint (52). Flint, who took hist first two Minuteman squads to the NCAA Tournament and his fourth to the NIT, owns a 52-26 (.667) record in regular-season Atlantic 10 Conference play. Each of his 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. Flint's teams have won at least nine conference games every season, with three of his teams posting at least 11 league victories. In addition, his program has produced at least one all-conference performer each year, 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 sideline. A Philadelphia native, he is 6-2 vs. his alma mater, 3-1 at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. Flint, of course, was a standout point guard for the Hawks from 1984-87, and still ranks sixth on the school's all-time assist list (402). He helped St. Joseph's to an 81-40 (.669) record, three postseason bids (one NCAA, two NITs) and an A-10 title in 1985-86, when the Hawks posted a school-record-tying 26 victories. A member of the school's athletic hall of fame, Flint was a second-team all-Atlantic 10 pick as a senior.
Hawk Coach Phil Martelli: St. Joseph's Phil Martelli (Widener, 1976) owns a 104-75 (.581) record in his sixth season as a head coach, all with the Hawks. He was an assistant coach on the Hawk staff during Flint's junior and senior seasons, and would serve St. Joseph's 10 seasons in all before being selected to lead the program prior to the 1995-96 campaign. Martelli's first two St. Joseph's teams posted a 45-20 (.692) record and advanced to postseason play both years, his next three teams went 36-51 (.414), including last year's 13-win season, before this year's turnaround. He is 2-8 vs. UMass, 1-4 here.
The Series: This is the 40th meeting in a series that Massachusetts leads, 24-15, and that has seen it win six straight and 20 of the last 23 meetings between the schools. A year ago, the Minutemen scored a 73-69 victory here, then beat the Hawks in Amherst, 76-65. St. Joseph's last wins over UMass came during the 1996-97 season, when it swept the series, winning 72-68 at the Mullins Center and 78-63 at Memorial Fieldhouse. St. Joseph's holds a 10-8 advantage vs. the Minutemen in regular-season games played in Philadelphia, but UMass is 8-7 against the Hawks at Alumnia Memorial Fieldhouse.
Active UMass Players vs. St. Joseph's
GP FG% 3FG% FT% Reb. PPG A TO BK ST MP
Blizzard 1 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 4
Brand 2 .571 .000 .667 3.0 6.0 1 4 2 2 26
Crooks 2 .500 .375 .727 2.5 14.5 5 2 1 3 56
DePina 6 .400 .667 .400 0.3 2.3 10 7 0 9 100
Mack 6 .425 .351 .714 3.8 17.0 22 7 0 4 218
Rhymer 4 .556 .000 .786 4.8 5.3 0 8 3 1 75
Smith 6 .500 .000 .000 0.5 0.7 2 4 0 1 41
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 good success away from the Mullins Center. Including games played at neutral sites, UMass is 45-49 (.479) all-time outside of Amherst under Flint, including a 25-14 (.641) record in regular-season A-10 road games under his leadership. Massachusetts, 6-9 outside of the Mullins Center this season (5-2 vs. Atlantic 10 conference foes), has posted a .500 or better record away from home 10 times in the last 11 seasons. Under Flint, the Minutemen have posted four winning A-10 road records, including this year's 5-2 mark. St. Joseph's has won six league road games this year, while Temple, UMass and Xavier each have five league road victories to their credit. The other seven schools have posted a combined seven road wins in A-10 play this season.
Welcome Home: In addition to coach Flint, two members of his staff have ties to St. Joseph's, UMass associate coach Geoff Arnold and administrative assistant Patrick Plunkett. Arnold was a tri-captain of the Hawks' 1985-86 team which won a school-record-tying 26 games and played in the NCAA Tournament in his senior season. Arnold would return to his alma mater as an assistant coach for five seasons, first for John Griffin and then for Phil Martelli, before becoming reunited with Flint in Amherst five years ago. Plunkett, a 1992 St. Joseph's graduate, was Director of Basketball Operations for Martelli from 1995-97.
Against Ranked Opponents: Despite playing one of the nation's toughest schedules this season, tonight's game marks just the third time this season that the Minutemen have faced a nationally-ranked opponent. Earlier this year, UMass dropped games to then-No.11 UConn (82-67) and to then-No. 14 North Carolina (91-60). The Minutemen are 6-17 vs. Associated Press Top 25 teams in Flint's tenure, 4-13 outside of Amherst. In each of his first three seasons, Flint's squads beat at least two ranked teams every year, before being shutout last season in four games against rated foes. His teams have lost six-straight games to ranked opponents since beating then-No. 24 Temple, 57-49, Feb. 28, 1999, while their last win over a ranked opponent away from home was a 73-62 victory over then-No. 21 Xavier, during the 1997-98 season. Since then UMass has lost six straight outside of Amherst to ranked foes.
Mack's Still Hot: A-10 player-of-the-year candidate Monty Mack has been on fire of late, scoring 20-or-more points in nine of his last 10 (22.4 ppg over that stretch) starts and in 14 of his last 16 outings (21.6 ppg in that period) overall after Saturday's 24-point performance against George Washington. A week ago tonight against Rhode Island in Amherst, Mack's career-long string of eight-straight 20-point outings ended, as the Rams held him to 14 points. Fifty-two of Mack's 105 career double-figure scoring games have been 20-point scoring games, six more than Erving produced in his two-year, 52-game career, and five shy of Jim McCoy's school-record 57 from 1988-92. Mack has recorded at least one 20-point scoring game against every league opponent, and has two-or-more such performances against nine of 10 A-10 foes, including St. Joseph's (two such efforts). The 373rd Division I player to reach the 2,000-point plateau, Mack's 2,085 points rank second to McCoy's 2,374 in UMass annals, and he is the first player in A-10 history to record career totals of 2,000 points, 300 made treys (has 311), 250 assists (has 253) and 150 steals (has 151), while playing 4,000 minutes (4,208). In fact, only one other A-10 player, Duquesne's Tom Pipkins (311), has nailed as many career treys as Mack.
Mack's an Ironman, Too: In addition to being one of the most prolific scorers in A-10 history, Monty Mack is one of the league's most durable players, too. He enters tonight's game with a school-record 4,208 career minutes played (in 118 games), 28 more than Jim McCoy played during his four-year, 126-game career. Mack, who has played at least 30 minutes 108 times in his Minuteman career, has 16 complete games to his credit. He has played 30 or minutes in 21 of 24 games this season.
Another Tough Slate: Grueling. Tough. Hard. Difficult. Take your pick. They're all words that can be used to describe the UMass schedule this season, which is ranked as the nation's 14th-(Sagarin), 24th (College Basketball News) or 30th-(CollegeRPI.com) toughest in college basketball. Using the latest CollegeRPI.com rankings, 15 of the Minutemen's 25 games thus far have been against teams with an RPI of 90 or better. UMass is 3-6 vs. opponents ranked from 1-50 in the RPI, 1-5 vs. teams ranked from 51 through 100, 4-1 vs. teams ranked from 101 to 150 and 5-0 vs. teams ranked worse than 151. Every team that has beaten UMass this season has a .500 or better record, and seven have already won at least 18 games. The 12 teams that have beaten the Minutemen this season are a combined 214-103 (.675) to date. UMass' RPI is No. 67 entering tonight's game, while St. Joseph's checks in at No. 22. The Minutemen would appear to be on track to have a schedule ranked among the nation's top 30 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.
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 rallied to win 11 of 14 games in A-10 play. Five players are scoring at a higher rate than they did in the non-league season, and the result is that UMass is averaging 5.4 points more per game against its league foes (70.1 ppg) than it did in the non-conference (64.7 ppg) portion of the schedule. Those Minutemen stepping up include:
Player Non-League A-10 Difference Monty Mack 16.3 ppg 21.8 ppg +5.5 Jackie Rogers 5.2 ppg 7.9 ppg +2.7 Kitwana Rhymer 8.6 ppg 10.6 ppg +2.0 Micah Brand 8.2 ppg 8.9 ppg +0.7 Ronell Blizzard 1.7 ppg 2.0 ppg +0.3
As a team, UMass has stepped up its game in just about every facet since the arrival of A-10 play, as the comparison listed below illustrates:
UMass Non-League vs. A-10 Offensive Statistical Comparison
G FG% 3FG% FT% Reb. Mar. PPG A TO BK ST
Non-Conf. 11 .385 .296 .626 -2.1 64.7 11.5 16.3 5.2 6.6
A-10 14 .448 .358 .687 +3.0 70.1 13.7 13.7 5.6 6.4
Why We Win: Saturday's victory against George Washington marked the first time this season that the Minuemen won without having their bench score more points than their opponents' bench. In 12 of 13 victories this season, UMass has outshot its opponent, a trend which continued Saturday when it hit .415 from the field and held GW to .340 marksmanship. In its 13 wins, UMass has shot 46.1 percent (331-of-718) from the field, 34.9 percent from beyond the arc (67-of-192), 66.0 percent at the foul line (194-of-294), outrebounded its opponents by +4.4 rpg, while averaging 71.0 points and 13.9 turnovers per game. Those numbers compare to 37.6 percent field goal shooting (259-of-689), 31.2 percent three-point shooting (62-of-199), 65.7 percent free throw marksmanship (190-of-289), a -3.1 rebound margin, 64.2 points and 15.9 turnovers in the Minutemen's 12 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 58.9 ppg and 37.4 percent (259-of-693) field goal shooting, while forcing 15.5 turnovers in its 13 wins, but in defeat, the 12 opponents have averaged 77.1 points per game and shot 44.9 percent (301-of-671) from the field. Opponent three-point shooting has also been a key, as the opposition has shot just 28.9 percent from beyond the arc in UMass victories this season, but 35.1 percent in its losses. In 10 of its 12 losses, though, UMass led at some point in the game before falling (the exceptions were at Ohio State and to Boston College at home).
The SWAT Squad: Through 25 games, UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots with an average of 5.40 rejections per game (a league-best 135 on the season, two more than it recorded in 33 games a year ago). The Minutemen, who have had five or more rejections 15 times, had a season-high 13 snuffs against Duquesne, and have had at least one blocked shot in 91-straight games since being held without one in a 74-66 loss at Temple, March 1, 1998. Kitwana Rhymer leads the team and the Atlantic 10 Conference with 2.24 bpg (56), while Micah Brand (30, 1.20 bpg) ranks second on the team and seventh in the A-10 and Ronell Blizzard (26, 1.04 bpg) is third on the squad and eighth in the league. Those three players have blocked more shots (105) as a trio than eight A-10 teams have recorded for the season, and Rhymer's total by itself would stand ahead of one team.
70 or More Usually Means Good Things: The Minutemen are 6-3 this season when scoring 70-or-more points, a number that continues to be a good indicator to use in predicting their success. UMass is 19-5 (.792) when scoring 70-plus points over the past two seasons, but just 21-33 (.389) when scoring 69 or fewer points. Under coach Bruiser Flint, the Minutemen are 45-13 (.776) all-time when reaching the 70-point mark, but just 39-56 (.411) when scoring 69 or fewer points. UMass is also 11-41 (.212) under Flint when it allows 70 or more points, including an 0-8 mark this season.
Watch the Clock: Under coach Bruiser Flint, UMass has been nearly unbeatable when leading with 5:00 remaining, as the Minutemen are 77-9 (.895) all-time under his leadership when ahead after 35 minutes of play, including a 13-0 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 5-58 mark (.079), which includes an 0-11 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, won 73-71) in 1996-97, Charlotte (behind 48-45, won 68-62 in OT) and St. Joseph's (behind 63-58, won 82-79 in OT) in 1997-98 and Villanova (down 40-38, 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, at the Mullins Center, Jan. 18. Earlier this year against George Washington, the Minutemen overcame a 15-point deficit with 1:07 left in the first half to beat the Colonials, 76-60, at the Mullins Center. 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: To say the least, New Year's have been good for coach Bruiser Flint and the Minutemen. Under Flint's direction, UMass is a combined 21-33 (.389) in games played through Dec. 31, but is 63-36 (.636) from Jan. 1 through the end of the season. Flint's best month for success has been January, as the Minutemen own a 34-10 (.773) all-time record in the first month of the New Year on his watch. This year's 7-1 (.875) mark gave UMass its second-best January record (by percentage) in Flint's tenure behind a 9-0 (1.000) record in 1997-98 and ahead of a 7-2 (.778) slate in 1996-97.
Field Goal Shooting is Up and Down: 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), but have since hit 50.0 percent in four of their last 11 outings (.510 vs. Dayton, a season-high .552 vs. Duquesne, .524 against Fordham and .508 vs. Rhode Island). 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 44.8 percent of its fielders against A-10 foes (en route to 70.1 ppg) to move its season mark to 41.9 percent. The Minutemen, who have won 16-straight games when reaching the 50.0 percent mark since an 88-83 loss to George Washington in the quarterfinals of the 1998 Atlantic 10 Tournament, own a 30-4 mark under coach Flint when hitting better than half of their fielders, including a 5-0 record this year. UMass' top guns this season are Eric Williams (.548), Jackie Rogers (.539) and Kitwana Rhymer (.516).
Balancing Act: While there is no question that Monty Mack is the Minutemen's go-to player, their offensive attack after him is balanced, as four players behind him are contributing between 6.8 and 9.8 points per game. Mack's 19.5 ppg average leads the team, while Kitwana Rhymer (9.8 ppg), Shannon Crooks (8.9 ppg), Micah Brand (8.6 ppg) and Jackie Rogers (6.8 ppg) rank second through fifth. For the season, UMass is 6-5 when placing three or more players in double figures (with a high of five in a loss to Providence), 7-7 when two or fewer players reach double-digits. A year ago, UMass had three players average in double-digits, and a fourth at 7.8 ppg. The last time the Minutemen finished the season with just one double-figure scorer was in 1985-86 when Lorenzo Sutton averaged 17.1 ppg. Since then, UMass has had at least three players finish the year with double-figure scoring averages every season.
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 67.5 percent (316-of-468) from the stripe since then to improve their season mark to 65.9 percent. UMass has hit 70.0 percent or better in 10 of its last 21 games, including a season-high 83.3 percent effort at Ohio State and 78.6 percent performances against both Dayton and Temple away from home. The Minutemen, who have watched their opponents hit 70.9 percent from the line, have been outscored by 66 points (450-384) at the stripe. However, in A-10 action, UMass is shooting 68.7 percent at the free throw line (compared to 62.6 percent in the non-league season) and has shot 70.0 percent or better six times. The Minutemen have only been outscored by 12 points at the line (225-213) in league play. UMass' top free throw shooter is Monty Mack at 78.8 percent (89-for-113), while Jonathan DePina is second (.702) and Kitwana Rhymer third at .696.
Cleaning the Glass: While its free throw shooting has improved in its last 21 games, UMass' rebounding has been better over the last 19 games, too. After being outrebounded in each of their first six games, the Minutemen have outrebounded 13 of their last 19 opponents, and for the season are +0.8 (36.4-35.6) on the glass. In A-10 play, UMass is a +3.0 rpg on the boards and has outrebounded eight opponents. Last month at Rhode Island, the Minutemen held a +23 advantage on the glass (45-22), their biggest rebound advantage since a +26 effort against St. Joseph's, Feb. 28, 1996. Kitwana Rhymer is UMass' top rebounder at 7.0 per game (7.4 rpg in A-10 play), as six of the nine players in the rotation are averaging at least 3.0 rebounds per game.
On the Inside: In A-10 action, the Minuteman frontline has played an important role in the team's 11-3 start, accounting for 50.8 percent of the offensive production (35.6 ppg, compared to 31.9 ppg vs. non-league foes). While packing an offensive punch, the frontline has also allowed UMass to outrebound its opponent by +3.0 per game in conference play (compared to a -2.1 rpg margin in non-conference play). In last Tuesday's homecourt win over Rhode Island, the UMass frontline tallied a season-high 61 points, including career-high efforts from Kitwana Rhymer (30 points) and Jackie Rogers (18). In league play, Rhymer, Micah Brand and Rogers have done most of the damage. Rhymer has averaged 10.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg vs. league foes, while Brand averages 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds, and Rogers contributes 7.9 ppg and 4.3 rpg.
Getting Defensive: A trademark of the UMass basketball program over the last 13 years has been stingy defensive play, and that appears to again be the case again this season. For the year, Minutemen opponents are shooting 41.1 percent (39.4 percent by A-10 foes) from the field, including 31.7 percent (30.7 percent by A-10 opponents) from three-point range, and have topped the 50.0 percent mark only five times. The Minutemen have held 56 of their last 68 opponents, including 20 of 25 this season, to under 50 percent shooting from the field (UMass is 33-23 in those games), and 34 foes to under 40 percent shooting (25-9). Under coach Flint, UMass has held an opponent to under 40 percent shooting 79 times (in 153 total games) and owns a 61-18 (.772) record in those contests. In its last two losses, though, at Dayton and to Temple at Amherst, the UMass defense has allowed its foe to shoot 53.3 percent from the field and average 86.5 ppg. The Minutemen rank third in the A-10 in both scoring defense (67.6 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (.411) for all games, and are second (63.4 ppg) and third (.394), respectively in both categories for conference games only. 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), as his teams have allowed 65.1 ppg in his tenure.
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 includes:
The Minutemen, who are assured of their 12th-straight winning A-10 record (after posting no winning marks, just two .500 records and 56 victories in their first 13 seasons in the league) since a 5-13 mark in 1988-89, own a 138-54 (.719) record 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 267-122 (.686) overall record, an average of 23.1 victories per season.
Fast Breaks: At George Washington--The Minutemen scored the game's first five points and never looked back in posting just fourth win (in 22 games) at the Smith Center and swept Colonials for first time since the 1992-93 season, as Monty Mack tallied game-high 24 points in 38 minutes and became school's all-time leader for minutes played...Rhode Island--Kitwana Rhymer and Jackie Rogers record career scoring highs of 30 and 18 points, respectively, but Mack's string of 20-point scoring games ended at eight-straight, as Minutemen swept season series from Rams for second straight season and the ninth time in the last 12 seasons, win 10th league game for 10th time in last 12 years...Temple--Owls nail Mullins Center-record 11 treys to hand UMass worst loss ever in building, worst loss in Amherst since 1985-86 season, Mack recorded eighth-straight 20-point game, finished with 21, Rogers contributed first career double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds)...Xavier--Minutemen overcame 29-25 halftime deficit to sweep season series from Musketeers, 59-49, hand coach Flint 50th regular-season A-10 win as Mack reached 20-point mark for seventh-straight game (23)...At Dayton--Flyers hit an opponent-high 54.2 percent from field and ended six-game UMass win string, 89-76, Mack became second player in school history to reach 2,000-point plateau on a pair of free throws with 2:31 left, Micah Brand had career-high 23 points...Fordham--UMass won sixth-straight, squared overall record at .500 for first time since late November, Mack recorded fifth-straight 20-point game and 100th career double-figure scoring effort, Rogers had 16 points and nine boards as Minutemen scored season-high 85 points...At Rhode Island--Minutemen held Rams to 46 points while recording second-best offensive game of season (78 points), Mack tallied season-high 29 points...At Temple--UMass posted first-ever win at Liacouras Center (in four tries), ended three-game Owl series win streak with exciting 65-64 overtime victory, as Rhymer recorded 14-point, 11-rebound effort...At La Salle--Mack scored 17 of team's final 21 points as Minutemen overcame three-point deficit to win, 62-58, Mack moved past Lou Roe into second-place on UMass all-time scoring list...Duquesne--Returning to the Springfield Civic Center for the first time since the 1994-95 season, Minutemen beat Duquesne for 16th consecutive time, 80-69, and record best shooting game of season (.552)...Dayton--Minutemen overcame 11-point Flyer first-half lead to win, 62-57, as UMass frontline accounted for 51 points, Rhymer had then-career-high-tying 19 points and Rogers added 16 points in school's 1,000th all-time victory...At St. Bonaventure--Bonnies' Vidal Massiah hit trey in closing seconds to lift his team to 66-65 win, end UMass' bid for 3-0 A-10 start, Mack hit 20-point mark for fifth-straight game...At Xavier--Minutemen jumped out to 18-8 lead in game's first 10 minutes, never let hometown Musketeers get closer than four after that in becoming first visiting team to win at new Cintas Center, 75-64, and improved to 2-0 in A-10 for third time in four years...George Washington--UMass overcame 15-point Colonial lead to record largest comeback win in Flint-era, 76-60, in A-10 opener for both teams, as Mack scored 28 points and Minutemen recorded season-low eight turnovers...Richmond (Tournament of Champions)--In preview of future A-10 foe, Spiders hand Minutemen 63-59 loss, as UR shoots 20-of-24 at foul line to UMass' 13-of-17 to get the victory, Winston Smith had career-high 14 rebounds...North Carolina (Tournament of Champions)--Minutemen were within five early in second half, but Tar Heels would hand UMass its worst loss since a 105-74 setback to Duquesne, Feb. 18, 1989...Boston College--Eagles ended Minutemen's five-year grip on Commonwealth Classic trophy by posting victory in their first-ever visit to the Mullins Center...At Boston U.--Ronell Blizzard sparked UMass with career-high-tying nine points, career-high 14 rebounds and career-best seven blocks, as Minutemen ended longest losing streak since 1986-87 campaign with 16-point victory...At UConn--Minutmen dropped sixth-straight overall, 10th-straight to Huskies, 82-67, as Mack scored season-low three points...At Ohio State--UMass shot just 16.7 perecent from field in first half, finished game at 26.7 percent (lowest-ever in Flint-era), and dropped 54-51 decision to Buckeyes...Providence--Season-high five Minutemen score in double figures, but Friars overcame nine-point second-half deficit to beat UMass...At Oregon--Brand tallied then-career-high 19 points off the bench, but UMass fell, 91-76, at Portland's Rose Garden...At Holy Cross--Crusaders overcame eight-point UMass halftime lead to post victory as Minutemen shot just 21.6 percent (after a 52.4 percent first-half effort) in decisive second half and lost at Centrum Centre for first time in nine games...At Marquette--Four players score in double figures, but UMass dropped 68-64 decision to Golden Eagles, despite limiting home team to 32.7 percent field goal shooting...Iona--Minutmen won season opener for eighth time in last nine years, as Shannon Crooks had season-high 20 points and Eric Williams had 14 off the bench.
Quick Tips: 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 37 points against Fordham, has provided 456 points (18.2 ppg overall, 18.9 ppg vs. A-10 foes) on the season compared to its opponents' 401 (16.0 ppg, 10.6 in A-10 play)...UMass is 4-4 in games decided by five or fewer points after recording a 1-6 mark in such games a year ago...the Minutemen have hit at least one three-point goal in 88-straight games since a first-round 1998 NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Louis, while their opponents have at least one trey in 32-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, wears No. 12 and saw his first action of the season at Rhode Island (two minutes, no points and two rebounds), then scored his first collegiate points on a trey late in the Fordham victory and saw less than a minute of work in UMass' homecourt victory over Rhody...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...UMass is 5-8 vs. 2000 postseason tournament teams (3-7 vs. 2000 NCAA teams, 2-1 vs. NIT entrants), and is the only A-10 team which went to postseason play last year that faces each of the league's 2000 postseason entrants home and home this year...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
#40 Micah Brand, 6-11, 243, So., Middletown, N.Y.
