UMass Faces Lafayette On Saturday

Dec. 20, 2002

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GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
The Teams: Massachusetts (2-5) vs. Lafayette (2-5)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Place: Springfield Civic Center (8,100), Springfield, Mass.
UMass Sports Radio Network: WRNX 100.9 FM, Holyoke, flagship; Bob Behler, play-by-play; Jack Leaman, color
UMass Student Radio: WMUA 91.1 FM, Amherst, Mass.

Probable Massachusetts Starters
Pos. No.  Name                Ht.   Wt.   Yr.
F      0  Brennan Martin      6-6   185   So.
F      2  Jackie Rogers       6-8   217   Sr.
C     40  Micah Brand        6-11   262   Sr.
G     12  Anthony Anderson   5-11   164   Jr.
G     50  Marcus Cox          6-4   200   Jr.


Probable Lafayette Starters
Pos. No.  Name                Ht.   Wt.   Yr.
F     12  Andrew Pleick       6-5   205   Sr.
F     40  Mike Farrell        6-8   235   Jr.
C     33  Rob Dill            6-9   200   Jr.
G     10  Justin DeBerry      6-3   190   Jr.
G     21  Winston Davis       6-6   188   Jr.

The Game: On basketball's 111th birthday, Massachusetts and Lafayette meet in the city in which Dr. James Naismith's great game was born, as the Minutemen and Leopards face off for the first time ever on the hardwood. Coach Steve Lappas' team, which has spent the past week in final exams, is 2-5 on the year and has been idle since scoring a 67-62 homecourt victory over Florida International a week ago today. After playing five of its first six games away from the Mullins Center, UMass is in the midst of a five-game homestand that continues Monday night in Amherst against Rider. After Monday's contest, the Minutemen host Marshall a week from today (Dec. 28) and North Carolina State (Jan. 2) before opening Atlantic 10 play at Fordham (Jan. 5). For Massachusetts, which downed eventual NCAA Elite Eight entrant and Pacific-10 champion Oregon, 62-58, here a year ago, today's game marks the third consecutive season it has played in Western Mass' largest city. The Minutemen have won six straight and 13 of their last 14 tilts within the friendly confines of the Springfield Civic Center, with the lone loss over that stretch coming at the hands of then-No. 16 Cincinnati, 64-53, Jan. 7, 1993. Armed with only two seniors on its 13-man 2002-03 roster (and just one other player, Connecticut transfer Marcus Cox, with more than a year's worth of collegiate experience under their belt), Massachusetts has played the nation's 13th most challenging schedule (and toughest in the Atlantic 10) to date according to College Basketball News' RPI Report. The five teams that have beaten UMass this season all played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago and through games of Dec. 19 had fashioned a 27-7 (.794) record this year. Coach Fran O'Hanlon's squad, meanwhile, is also 2-5 after Thursday's 64-53 come-from-behind victory at Saint Peter's. Lafayette, which went 15-14 a year ago and tied for third place in the Patriot League with an 8-6 mark, opened the year with five consecutive losses, but has since won its last two, beating Ursinus (87-70) in Easton and the Peacocks. The Leopards are 1-3 away from home this season, having just won at Saint Peter's and lost at Binghamton (77-68), La Salle (70-66) and Arizona State (85-62). Lafayette has allowed 70 or more points in five of seven starts this season, but has reached that mark just twice itself.

Minute-Matters: An inside look at Massachusetts as the Minutemen aim for their seventh straight Civic Center victory against a Lafayette team that is riding a two-game win streak . . .

All five UMass setbacks this season have been to teams which earned 2002 NCAA Tournament bids, while four of the losses have come outside the Mullins Center.

The five teams that have beaten the Minutemen this season have fashioned a 27-7 (.794) record through games of Dec. 19, as UMass has played the nation's 13th-toughest schedule (and the A-10's hardest) according to College Basketball News' RPI Report.

Massachusetts drained a season-high 51.1 percent of its field goals in its 67-62 victory over Florida International a week ago today, including 61.1 percent marksmanship in the second half. The Minutemen also shot a season-best 53.3 percent from three-point range against the Golden Panthers, and recorded season-highs in assists (19), steals (11, tied) and turnovers (20).

In their two victories this year, the Minutemen have hit 49.0 percent from the field, 41.0 percent from three-point range and 72.7 percent at the free throw line while playing even on the glass and averaging 68.0 ppg. However, in five losses, they've averaged 55.8 ppg and shot 38.7 percent from the field, 22.8 percent from three-point range and 54.5 percent at the foul stripe, while being outrebounded by 4.0 boards per game.

Massachusetts has out-shot its opponent from the field in 14 of 15 victories (the Temple win in Amherst last year was the lone exception) and 19 times all-told with Steve Lappas on the sideline. In both of its victories this season, UMass out-shot its foe from the floor.

UMass has connected on less than 41.0 percent of its field goals in five of seven starts this season, while its opponents have shot 43.8 percent or better from the floor three times.

The Minutemen are 8-2 over the last two years when shooting 48.0 percent or better from the field, but six of those efforts came outside the Mullins Center.

Massachusetts has won 21 of its last 22 games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field, including a 1-0 mark this year and a 3-1 record in Steve Lappas' tenure in Amherst. Last Saturday's 51.1 percent effort from the floor against FIU was the second-best shooting game for a Lappas-coached UMass squad behind a 51.9 percent effort last year at Central Connecticut State.

The Minutemen own a 25-8 (.758) record over the last three-plus seasons when scoring 70 or more points, but are 0-1 this season when hitting that plateau.

UMass has made at least one trey in 129-consecutive games (its opponents have a string of 73-straight games with at least one bonus basket) and in 505 of 512 games it has played since the arc was added to the college game in 1986-87.

The Minutemen drained a season-high-tying eight three-point buckets (in just 15 attempts) against Florida International, and shot a season-best 53.3 percent from beyond the arc against the Golden Panthers. UMass also drained eight three-balls against both Boston College and Chaminade.

UMass has made five or more trifectas in 12 of its 15 victories (and 27 of 36 starts all-told) in the Steve Lappas Era. The Minutemen are 12-15 under Lappas when making five or more three-point baskets, including a 2-2 mark this season.

Massachusetts, which averaged 7.0 made three-pointers a year ago to set a school single-season record with 204 treys, has averaged 5.3 made triples this year. The Minutemen, who hit 34.8 percent from three-point range last season (the program's eighth-best one-year mark), have connected on 28.2 percent of their treys in the early going this year.

The UMass bench has outscored its opponent's men of pine in four of seven outings, while providing an average of 17.9 ppg (compared to 14.4 ppg for its foe). The Minuteman bench tallied a season-high 38 points against Boston College, then had a season-low two points in its next outing against UConn, but bounced back with 24 points against FIU.

After averaging just 13.2 turnovers over the season's first five games, the Minutemen have averaged 18.5 miscues in their last two outings. UMass, which had a season-low 10 turnovers in its opener against Indiana, has had 32 turnovers in its last three halves of basketball (12 in the second half at UConn and a season-high 20 against FIU).

Massachusetts has forced 15 or more opponent turnovers four times, with a high of 19 against both Indiana and FIU. For the year, UMass foes are averaging 15.1 turnovers per game.

After being outrebounded in four of its first five games, UMass has outrebounded its last two foes. The Minutemen held a 29-28 advantage on the glass against FIU after recording a 41-31 edge versus Connecticut. For the year, though, opponents are outrebounding Massachusetts by 2.9 rpg.

Five different players have led the Minutemen in rebounding at least once this season, with Jackie Rogers and Micah Brand being the only players to have paced the team's rebound effort twice. The duo ranks 1-2 on the squad in rebounding, with Brand pulling down 5.9 rpg and Rogers averaging 5.7 rpg.

UMass had a season-high 19 assists (on 23 made field goals) against Florida International after recording a season-low nine helpers against UConn.

Under Steve Lappas, Massachusetts is 13-3 when allowing 62 or fewer points, 2-18 when giving up 63 or more points. UMass has yielded 58.3 ppg in its victories during Lappas' tenure, 71.0 ppg in its losses.

When UMass held UConn to nine first-half points Dec. 10 in Hartford, it marked the fewest points allowed by the Minutemen in a half since Trinity's eight-point effort on Feb. 5, 1958, and the lowest ever in a half for a Jim Calhoun-coached Husky team.

In their five setbacks, the Minutemen have yielded 67.6 ppg, while watching foes hit 43.4 percent of their field goals, 37.1 percent of their three-pointers and 67.6 percent of their free throws. But, in its two victories, UMass has given up 58.5 ppg, while holding the opposition to 41.0 percent field goal shooting, including 30.3 percent from three-point range, and 58.3 percent foul shooting.

UMass has won 29 of its last 30 games when holding its opponent to 49 or fewer points. On the flip side, the Minutemen have lost 27-straight games when they've allowed 80 or more points since scoring a 93-89 win at Duquesne, Jan. 20, 1996.

In Steve Lappas' tenure, Massachusetts is 10-5 when holding its opponent to a field goal percentage mark below 38.0 percent, 5-16 when its foe has shot 38.0 percent or better.

Opponents have made (96) nearly as many free throws as the Minutemen have attempted (99) this season. A year ago, foes made more free throws (481) than UMass attempted (459), as they went to the line 715 times, some 256 more trips than Massachusetts took. This season, UMass opponents have toed the line 147 times, compared to 99 attempts for the Minutemen.

Massachusetts is 90-11 (.891) since the start of the 1996-97 season when leading after 35 minutes, including 2-1 this season and 12-2 in Steve Lappas' tenure.

Over the last eight years, UMass has produced 20 double-digit comeback to win efforts, including three a year ago (St. Bonaventure, Oregon and Arkansas-Little Rock).

Seven Minutemen are contributing 5.0 points or more per game, but only two, Jackie Rogers (10.7 ppg) and Anthony Anderson (10.1) own a double-digit marks.

Six of nine players in coach Steve Lappas' rotation are averaging at least 21.0 minutes per game, paced by Anthony Anderson's 36.0 mpg.

First-year scholarship Minutemen Marcus Cox, Alassane Kouyate, Michael Lasme, Gabe Lee and Jeff Viggiano have combined to average 20.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per outing over the season's first seven games. Against FIU, they tallied 24 points and 16 rebounds.

2002 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.) had a career-high 22 points, six assists and just one turnover in 37 minutes against FIU. He was 5-for-6 from three-point range against the Golden Panthers, 7-for-8 from the floor overall.

Last week, in games against then-No. 9 UConn and FIU, Anderson averaged 17.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 3.5 apg in 38.5 mpg, while shooting 64.7 percent from the field (11-for-17), 57.1 percent from three-point range (8-for-14) and 83.3 percent (5-for-6) at the foul line.

Anderson has played 34 or more minutes in six of seven starts this season with a high of 40 against Connecticut. In 77 minutes of action over the last two games, he's had just two turnovers while handing out seven assists.

In UMass' two victories this season, Anderson has averaged 21.0 ppg and 7.5 apg, while shooting 65.0 percent (13-for-20) from the field, 56.3 percent (9-for-16) from three-point range and 77.8 percent (7-for-9) at the foul line. In the Minutemen's five losses, though, he has averaged 5.8 ppg and hit 22.2 percent from the field, including 20.6 percent from three-point range.

Anderson has three double-figure scoring games to his credit this season, two of which have been 20-point or better outings. He had a then-career-best 20 points against Chaminade earlier in the season and a team-high 13 points at UConn to go with his 22-point outing versus FIU.

Anderson leads the Minutemen in minutes played (252), field goal attempts (65), three-point goals made (16) and attempted (50), assists (25) and steals (11), while ranking second in scoring (10.1 ppg), three-point (.320) and free throw (.750, tied with Raheim Lamb) percentage and fourth in rebounding (3.9 rpg).

In 36 career games, Anderson has 30 multiple-assist contests and has been credited with two or fewer turnovers 23 times. In seven games this year, he has 25 assists, 12 steals and 10 miscues, and is the only Minuteman to record more steals (12) than turnovers (10).

After shooting just 45.3 percent at the free throw line a year ago, Anderson has hit 75.0 percent (9-for-12) from the stripe in the early going this season.

Senior center Micah Brand (Middletown, N.Y.) had six points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a pair of steals against Florida International.

Brand turned in his second double-double of the season (and the fifth of his career), a 12-point, career-high 13-rebound effort against Connecticut. He also recorded three blocks against the Huskies.

For the season, Brand leads UMass in rebounding (5.9 rpg) and blocked shots (five) and ranks third in scoring (8.3 ppg).

Brand's first double-double of the year was an 11-point, 10-rebound effort against Central Connecticut State.

Brand tallied a season-high 13 points (all in the first half) against Indiana. He has three double-digit scoring games to his credit this season, as 44 of his 58 points on the season have come in the game's first 20 minutes.

A 2002-03 UMass co-captain, Brand stands 58th on the school's all-time scoring chart with 689 career points. He needs two points to overtake No. 57 Ken Mathias (1968-71) on the list. Brand has 80 career blocks, and needs just six to crack the school's top 10 in that category.

Junior guard Marcus Cox (Bridgeport, Conn.) has averaged 6.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in his first seven starts in a Maroon & White uniform. Against FIU, he had two points, two assists and a pair of steals in 17 minutes, but committed six turnovers.

Cox had a collegiate career-high 14 points in his first game as a Minuteman against Indiana. On the season, he ranks as UMass' fifth-leading scorer (6.0 ppg), and has contributed five or more points three times.

One of two former Connecticut High School Player of the Year winners on this year's UMass roster, Cox was 5-for-10 from the field in his debut against Indiana, but has hit just 10-for-38 (26.3 percent) from the floor over the last six games while averaging 4.7 ppg.

Cox, who ranks second on the team in assists with 14, is one of only two Minutemen (Anthony Anderson is the other) to have collected at least one assist in every game this season.

Of Cox's 19 rebounds on the year, 12 have come off the offensive glass.

Second-year walk-on Paco Kotaridis (Athens, Greece), a junior guard, netted two points on a pair of free throws against Boston College in his only appearance of the 2002-03 season.

Freshman forward Alassane Kouyate (Bamako, Mali) has not played the past two games. He grabbed a rebound in a career-long three minutes off the bench against Boston College, while his other appearance came versus Chaminade, when he played one minute in the first half.

Junior forward Raheim Lamb (Boston, Mass.), who celebrated his 22nd birthday this past Monday, came off the bench for the first time this season against FIU, and had two points, two steals, a rebound and an assist in 12 minutes of action.

Lamb ranks second on the team in steals (nine) and free throw percentage (.750, tied with Anthony Anderson), third in rebounding (4.0 ppg) and blocks (three, tied with Jeff Viggiano), sixth in scoring (5.3 ppg).

Lamb recorded his first career double-double, a 17-point, 12-rebound effort, against Indiana. His rebound total against IU was a career-high, while he just missed matching his career scoring best (18 vs. St. Bonaventure last year in Amherst).

Over the first three games of the season, Lamb averaged 8.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg, while shooting 57.1 percent from the field. But, the past four games he's averaged 3.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg, and connected on 31.6 percent of his fielders.

Freshman guard Michael Lasme (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) celebrated his 20th birthday last Saturday by scoring eight points to go with career-highs of five rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes against Florida International.

Lasme tallied a career-high 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench against Chaminade. He was 6-for-8 from the floor against the Silverswords, including 2-for-4 from three-point range.

Lasme's 7.6 ppg average ranks fourth on the team, and tops among UMass reserves. The preseason All-Atlantic 10 Rookie team member has scored five or more points in six of seven appearances this season, including a pair of double-digit outings.

Lasme has hit at least one three-point goal in four of seven appearances, two or more twice. He ranks third on the team in three-point percentage (.318), three-pointers made (seven) and assists (11, tied with Jackie Rogers).

Lasme has averaged 11.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg in UMass wins, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field. In its losses, he's averaged 6.2 ppg and 2.4 rpg, while hitting 30.8 percent from the floor.

Sophomore forward Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.) recorded career highs of 12 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench against Florida International.

Lee came off the bench to record the first double-figure scoring game of his young career, an 11-point effort, against Boston College.

Lee has hit 65.0 percent from the field (13-for-20) over the last five games, while averaging 6.2 ppg. For the year, he is hitting a team-best 55.6 percent from the floor and ranks as the squad's seventh-best scorer at 5.0 ppg.

Lee's longest playing stint of the season came against Chaminade, when he recorded then-career highs of eight points and six rebounds in a career-long 22-minute outing.

Sophomore forward Brennan Martin (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) did not play against UConn, then made his first career start the following game against Florida International. He responded with a career-high-tying nine points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in a career-long 30-minute stint against the Golden Panthers.

Martin was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc against the Golden Panthers, matching his career-high in made triples for the second time this season. Over his last two appearances, he has hit 66.7 percent (6-for-9) from three-point range, while averaging 9.0 ppg.

Martin leads the UMass attack in three-point percentage (.500), ranks second in three-point goals made (nine), third in field goal percentage (.500) and fourth in three-point attempts (18). His three-point percentage ranks in a tie for second among A-10 performers.

Of Martin's 20 field goal attempts this year, 18 have been launched from bonus distance.

Martin has provided five or more points three times on the season, matching his career-high of nine against both Boston College and FIU.

Freshman forward Arthur Onuora (Baldwin, N.Y.) saw his first career action against Boston College, and recorded a block in one minute of work. The former All-Long Island selection made the club as a walk-on just before the start of practice back in October.

Onuora attended Long Island Lutheran High School, where he averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds and three assists as a senior.

Senior forward and co-captain Jackie Rogers (Syracuse, N.Y.) continues to lead UMass in scoring (10.7 ppg), while ranking second in both rebounding (5.7 rpg) and field goal percentage (.525), and third in assists (11, tied with Michael Lasme).

Rogers hit 60.6 percent from the field and averaged 12.5 points over the season's first four games, but has averaged 8.3 ppg and shot 42.3 percent from the field the last three games.

Rogers tallied four points and three rebounds in 25 minutes before fouling out against FIU.

Rogers has scored in double figures a team-high four times in seven starts this season, and has grabbed six or more rebounds five times, too. He netted a season-high 17 points against Indiana.

Rogers was 2-for-6 from the foul line against Indiana in the season opener, but has hit 78.6 percent (11-for-14) the past six games.

Freshman forward Jeff Viggiano (Suffield, Conn.), like teammate Marcus Cox, is a former Connecticut High School Player of the Year. He collected two points, two rebounds and a steal in 12 minutes off the bench against Florida International.

Viggiano turned in an outstanding all-around game against Chaminade, with career-highs of seven rebounds and four steals, to go with two assists and a pair of blocks in a career-long 23 minute outing.

Viggiano, who leads the Minutemen in free throw shooting at .800 (4-for-5), is second in blocked shots (three, tied with Raheim Lamb), is still looking for his first career three-pointer (0-for-9). He also ranks third on the team in steals with six (tied with Marcus Cox).

Sophomore guard Kyle Wilson (White Rock, B.C.) did not play against either UConn of FIU. He saw his first action of the season against Boston College, and responded with three points, an assist and a rebound in seven minutes of work.

The Coaches: Massachusetts coach Steve Lappas (City College of New York, 1977) owns a 15-21 (.417) record in his second season on the Minuteman bench and a 245-193 (.559) mark in his 15th season as a Division I head coach. Lappas, who last year became just the third UMass rookie coach to start his career 4-0, and the first since Johnny Orr in 1963-64, has enjoyed tremendous success in year two of his rebuilding projects in stops at both Villanova and Manhattan. In fact, he won an average of eight more games in his second year than he did in his rookie campaign at those institutions. At Villanova, Lappas won 20 games and the school's first NIT championship in 1993-94 after a debut season that produced an 8-19 record, while his second season at Manhattan saw the Jaspers post an 11-17 record after a 7-21 mark in his rookie campaign. Introduced as UMass' 19th basketball coach on March 26, 2001, Lappas came to Amherst after nine highly-successful years at Villanova (1992-93 through 2000-01), where he guided the Wildcats to a 174-110 (.613) record and seven postseason appearances (four NCAA, three NIT). He ranks as the sixth-winningest coach in Big East history (and was the third-winningest among active league coaches when he left the Main Line) with 97 league victories. At Manhattan (1988-89 through 1991-92), Lappas improved the Jaspers' win total every year, going from seven in 1988-89, to 11 the following year, 13 in his third season and 25 in his fourth and final campaign (1991-92) en route to a 56-62 (.475) four-year mark and one postseason (NIT in 1991-92) appearance. Equally impressive as Lappas' on-court record is the classroom performance of his players, as all of his seniors at Massachusetts, Villanova and Manhattan have graduated. Prior to moving to Manhattan, he spent four seasons as an assistant to Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and was a member of the Wildcats' 1985 national championship staff. Lappas is 1-0 all-time against Lafayette, as his 1999-2000 Villanova team beat the Leopards, 74-70, in Philadelphia. His staff includes second-year assistant coaches John Leonard, Andrew Theokas and Chris Walker, as well as Director of Operations Paul Culpo and Administrative Assistant Carey Edwards. Lafayette's Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, 1970) owns a 112-96 (.539) record in his eighth season as a head coach, all with the Leopards. He led the school to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, two 20-win campaigns and three Patriot League regular-season titles. Before moving to Lafayette, O'Hanlon served as an assistant coach at Penn from 1989 until 1995. The two-time Patriot League coach-of-the-year selection was a standout player at Villanova, where he earned three letters from 1967 through 1970. O'Hanlon, who helped the Wildcats to the East Regional title game as a senior in 1970, collected a VU single-game record-tying 16 assists against Toledo during his final season, one of four career double-digit assist efforts he recorded. O'Hanlon is 0-1 against Lappas, but is facing UMass for the first time.

FIU Review: Massachusetts snapped a three-game losing streak with a 67-62 homecourt victory over Florida International a week ago today in Amherst. The visiting Golden Panthers led by as many as four points in the first half, but Massachusetts closed the half on a 10-3 run to take a 33-23 halftime lead. The second half saw the Minutemen maintain their lead, although FIU did pull to within two points (43-41 with 10:56 left) once. UMass, though, scored the game's next six points and FIU got no closer than three the rest of the way, as the home team built its lead to as many as 10 points in the game's final 91 seconds. Anthony Anderson led the UMass attack with a career-high 22 points, while Gabe Lee recorded career-highs of 12 points and eight rebounds. The Minutemen recorded season-highs for field goal percentage (.511), three-point percentage (.533), three-point goals made (eight), assists (19), turnovers (20) and steals (11) en route to the victory.

The Series: This is the first-ever meeting between the Minutemen and Leopards. UMass is 21-43 (.328) all-time vs. current members of the Patriot League, most-recently dropping a 67-56 decision to Holy Cross last year in Amherst. Fifty-three of Massachusetts' 64 games against Patriot League schools have come against the Crusaders. UMass is 17-36 all-time vs. Holy Cross, 4-7 vs. other Patriot League institutions (2-0 vs. Colgate, 2-0 vs. Navy and 0-7 vs. Army).

Civic Duty: The UMass basketball team has enjoyed success in the Springfield Civic Center, winning six straight and 13 of its last 14 played here, including last year's 62-58 victory over eventual Elite Eight entrant and Pac-10 champion Oregon. Two years ago, playing in the Civic for the first time since posting a 95-65 victory over West Virginia, Jan. 3, 1995, the Minutemen beat Duquesne, 80-69. Massachusetts, which scored a 78-71 victory over Holy Cross in its first-ever appearance in this building, Jan. 30, 1973, owns an all-time record of 36-21 (.632) at the Civic Center. The lone team to beat UMass in its last 14 games here was Cincinnati, which scored a 64-53 victory, Jan. 7, 1993.

Preseason Forecast: The Atlantic 10 preseason coaches and media poll pegged UMass third in the East behind Temple and Saint Joseph's, but ahead of St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island and Fordham. Meanwhile, the West Division was forecast as a Xavier, Dayton, Richmond, La Salle, George Washington and Duquesne finish. Anthony Anderson earned preseason third team All-Atlantic 10 honors, while Michael Lasme was named to the league's preseason All-Rookie unit.

Another Tough Slate: Challenging schedules and UMass basketball have gone hand and hand for more than a decade now, and that beat continues for the Minutemen in 2002-03. Through games of Dec. 19, Massachusetts had played the nation's 13th most difficult schedule and owned an RPI of No. 133 according to The RPI Report. That same publication ranked UMass' 2001-02 slate as the nation's 49th-toughest, the 10th time in the last 11 seasons the Minutemen ranked among the nation's top 50 in schedule strength. UMass, 0-5 against 2002 NCAA Tournament teams, still must face a North Carolina State team which advanced to the NCAAs for the first time in more than a decade a year ago, next month in Amherst. In the A-10, Massachusetts will play more than half (nine) of its 16-game league slate against league members that earned postseason bids a year ago. The Minutemen will tackle NIT entrants Temple, Saint Joseph's and St. Bonaventure on a home-and-home basis, while meeting NCAA Tournament team Xavier, and NIT participants Richmond and Dayton once each.

Second-Year Success: While Steve Lappas has enjoyed tremendous success in the second year of his rebuilding projects at both Villanova and Manhattan, improvement in year two has been a trend among basketball coaches in Amherst, too, as eight of UMass' last nine head coaches have won more games in their second campaign than they did in year one. Coach Robert T. Curran engineered the biggest turnaround over that stretch, a nine-game improvement in the win column from four victories in 1952-53 to 13 in his second year, while John Calipari saw a seven-game improvement in his victory total from 10 wins in his rookie season to 17 and a postseason bid (NIT) in year two. Calipari is the only UMass coach to follow a losing rookie campaign with a postseason bid the next season.

International Flavor: UMass freshmen Michael Lasme and Alassane Kouyate both played prep hoops in the United States, but claim hometowns on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Lasme, who can speak four languages (English, French, German and Spanish), is a native of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in Africa. He moved to France when he was 12, and has lived in the United States the past two and a half years. Not to be out done by his new teammate, Kouyate, a native of Bamako, Mali, can speak five languages -- English, French, and three African dialects. He has been in the United States for the last three years. In addition, sophomore Kyle Wilson is from White Rock, British Columbia, and junior Paco Kotaridis hails from Athens, Greece, giving the Minutemen a foursome of international diplomats on their 2002-03 roster.

The Baker's Dozen: Over the last 13-plus seasons, Massachusetts owns a 284-146 (.660) overall record, an average of 21.7 wins per season. The Minutemen have made 10 postseason appearances over that stretch, while recording seven 20-win campaigns, 12 winning conference records and 11 .500 or better campaigns in that stretch. After posting no winning campaigns, just two .500 records and a 53-133 (.285) record in its first 13 seasons in the A-10, UMass has gone 144-66 (.686) in regular-season league play over the last 13 campaigns en route to 10 conference crowns (five regular season, five tournament). Eight times over the last 13 seasons the Minutemen have won at least 11 league games. In the Atlantic 10, no program that has called the league home in each of the last 13 years has won more games overall than UMass (284). Xavier, though, does have 290 victories to its credit over that time frame, but the Musketeers didn't join the A-10 until the 1995-96 campaign.

Fast Breaks: Florida International (Minutemen, 67-62)--The Minutemen snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory; Anthony Anderson netted a career-high 22 points, while Gabe Lee had career bests of 12 points and eight rebounds; UMass hit season-best 51.1 percent from the floor, while also recording season-highs for three-point percentage (.533), assists (19), turnovers (20) and steals (11); Game was close for much of first half, but Massachusetts broke 23-all tie with 10-3 run to close first half, then led by as many as 10 points in the second half, although Golden Panthers did get within two points once and three points on another occasion. At Connecticut (Huskies, 59-48)--The No. 9 (both polls) Huskies overcame a 25-point second-half deficit to hand UMass its 12th straight loss in the series; Minutemen held 30-9 halftime lead, yielded fewest points in a half since the 1957-58 season, and extended lead to 25 at 34-9 with 18 minutes to play; Huskies responded with 29-2 run, which included a 22-0 spurt, to take control; Massachusetts was within two at 46-44 with 2:33 left, but UConn closed game on 13-4 run to seal the deal; Anderson led UMass with 13 points, while Micah Brand had 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, and Jackie Rogers added 12 points. Boston College (Eagles, 80-62)--Minutemen raced to 7-0 lead in game's first 90 seconds and hit 9-of-12 from the field in the early going, but Boston College broke a 24-all tie with a dunk by Troy Bell and never trailed again in beating UMass for second straight time in the Mullins Center and the fourth consecutive time overall; UMass was within four at 34-30 with 19:51 left in the game, but a 14-0 Eagles' run put the game away, as BC built lead to as many as 23 in second half; Michael Lasme led UMass with a 13-point effort off the bench, while Gabe Lee tallied career-high 11 and Brennan Martin added a career-high-tying nine points; BC outrebounded UMass, 44-31, and hit 49.2 percent from the field, including 54.3 percent in the second half; Crowd of 6,392 was largest for home opener since 7,536 were on hand for the Dec. 2, 1997 opener against College of Charleston. Central Connecticut State (Blue Devils, 46-45)--Central Connecticut State overcame a 15-point second half deficit to hand Minutemen their third loss in four games to open the season; Blue Devils closed the game on a 16-5 run to erase UMass' 40-30 advantage in the game's final 7:44; Loss ended UMass' 29-game win streak when holding an opponent to 49 or fewer points, dating to 1986-87 campaign; Brand recorded his first double-double of the season (and the fourth of his career), an 11-point, 10-rebound effort; Rogers recorded his third double-figure scoring game of the season, a 13-point performance. Chaminade (Minutemen, 69-55)--UMass picked up first win of season behind Anderson's 20 points and career-best nine assists; Minutemen trailed by six early, but rallied to take 34-33 halftime lead; game was close early in final half, before Massachusetts used runs of 7-0 and 12-1 to push the lead to 16 at 65-49 with 4:33 left in the game, and the Silverswords would get no closer than 12 the rest of the way; Lasme tallied career-best 14 points in third career game; UMass hit then-season-high 47.2 percent from the field, including 52.2 percent in the second half. Utah (Utes, 69-53)--In first-ever meeting between the schools, UMass had 23-18 lead with 3:15 left in the first half, but Utah scored final 12 points to take 30-23 halftime lead; Utes pushed lead to 16 at 51-35 with 10:55 left in the game, but Minutemen used 12-2 run to pull within 53-47 with 6:11 to go; Down 55-49 at the 4:22 mark, UMass watched Utah score the game's next eight points to put the game away, as Utes closed game with 14-4 run; Rogers was lone Minuteman to score in double-digits (17 points), as Massachusetts started the season 0-2 for the first time since the 1982-83 campaign (0-4); Nick Jacobson led the Utes, who shot 58.5 percent from the field for the game (68.8 percent in the second half), with a game-high 21 points. Indiana (Hoosiers, 84-71)--Minutemen held four-point lead (11-7) at the 15:56 mark, but 2002 NCAA runner-up Indiana broke 16-all tie with a 6-0 run to take a 22-16 lead and the closest UMass would get the rest of the way would be four points, the last time at 44-40 with 2:29 left in the first half; Hoosiers scored final six points of first half to push halftime lead to 50-40, and Minutemen got no closer than seven in the second stanza; Four Minutemen scored in double figures, led by Raheim Lamb's first career double-double, a 17-point, career-high 12-rebound effort; UConn transfer Marcus Cox had collegiate high 14 points in his UMass debut; All five Indiana starters scored in double figures, led by Tom Coverdale's 20 points and George Leach's 19-point, 16-rebound double-double; Hoosiers went on to win Maui title.

Looking Ahead to 2003-04: Art Bowers, a 6-4, 200-pound shooting guard from St. Benedict's (N.J.) Prep School, signed a National Letter of Intent during the recently completed early-signing period to play for the Minutemen next season. "We are really excited to sign Art," UMass coach Steve Lappas said. "He's a player who will really fit into our system. Art is a tremendous athlete and a gifted offensive player. I'm really looking forward to having him in our program, because he's a special talent. Art's a driver, but he also has the ability to hit the three-pointer, too, so his versatility is a huge plus." As a junior for coach Danny Hurley, Bowers, a native of Wilmington, Del., averaged 16 points per game en route to first team All-State honors. He led St. Benedict's, located in Newark, N.J., to a 22-7 record and the state championship. Ranked as the nation's 32nd-best prep prospect by ESPN.com and the 44th-best by PrepStars, he earned All-Tournament honors at the PowerAid and Slam Dunk to the Beach events as a junior. Bowers is also a two-time Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions Most Valuable Player. Bowers, who selected UMass over Wake Forest, Rutgers, De Paul and Pittsburgh, outscored 2002 Ohio high school Player of the Year and Sports Illustrated coverboy Lebron James, 21-18, in a head-to-head match-up last season, but James' St. Vincent-St. Mary's team pulled out a 67-60 victory. In addition to Bowers, top 100 recruit Rashaun Freeman (Schnectady, N.Y.), who signed with UMass in 2001, is attending Massachusetts this season and will be eligible next year.

Family Day Returns: The highly-popular Family Day promotion will return this season for UMass' Mullins Center contests against Marshall (Dec. 28), Fordham (Feb. 1) and Duquesne (Feb. 23). For $50.00 per game on Mullins Center Family Days, fans will receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas. UMass' game against Lafayette will also feature the opportunity for fans to purchase four tickets for $50.00. Fans who buy the Lafayette family package will also receive four admissions into the Birthday of Basketball party at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame that same day, beginning at 9 a.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the UMass Athletic Ticket Office at 1.866.UMASS.TIX.

From Here: The Minutemen return to Amherst to host Rider on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Mullins Center, then break for the holiday before hosting Marshall a week from today at 2 p.m. Lafayette returns to action on Dec. 30 against Albany in Easton, Pa.

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University of Massachusets Athletics

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