Men's Basketball Heads To Philadelphia To Face Temple

Feb. 14, 2002

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GAME DAY QUICK FACTS

The Teams: Massachusetts (10-12/4-7) at Temple (10-13/7-4)

Date: Saturday, Feb. 16, 2002

Time: 1:05 p.m.

Place: The Liacouras Center (10,206), Philadelphia, Pa.

Television: ABC Regional (Dave Strader, play-by-play, Quinn Buckner,color)

Radio: UMass Radio Network (Bob Behler, play-by-play, Jack Leaman, color, WLZX 99.3 FM, Springfield, flagship)

Probable Massachusetts Starters
Pos. No.  Name                Ht.   Wt.   Yr.
F     34  Raheim Lamb         6-5   190   So.
F     40  Micah Brand        6-11   243   Jr.
C     33  Kitwana Rhymer     6-10   256   Sr.
G     12  Anthony Anderson   5-11   175   So.
G     30  Shannon Crooks      6-2   222   Sr.

Probable Temple Starters
Pos. No.  Name                Ht.   Wt.   Yr.
F     23  Alex Wesby          6-6   190   Sr.
F     42  Kevin Lyde         6-10   260   Sr.
C     30  Ron Rollerson      6-10   295   Sr.
G     14  Lynn Greer          6-2   175   Sr.
G     34  David Hawkins       6-4   215   So.

The Game: After Wednesday's heartbreaking 60-56 homecourt loss to St. Bonaventure, coach Steve Lappas' Massachusetts basketball team aims to sweep the regular-season series from Temple for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign, and just the fourth time ever, as the Minutemen and Owls square off before a regional ABC television audience. UMass, which beat Temple in Amherst last month, 63-53, is 10-12 overall and fourth in the A-10 East at 4-7. Lappas, who returned the Villanova program to national prominence during his nine-year tenure on the Wildcats' sideline, is making his first trip to the City of Brotherly Love as the UMass bench boss. He ranks as 'Nova's fourth-winningest coach ever, as he led the school to a 174-110 (.613) mark and seven postseason appearances during his tenure. The Minutemen are 3-6 away from home this season, 1-4 in A-10 play. UMass owns road wins at North Carolina State, Central Connecticut State and St. Bonaventure, while its losses have come at Boston College, Marshall, Fordham, Richmond, Rhode Island and Duquesne. In its three road wins, UMass has allowed 58.7 ppg and has held the home team to 65 or fewer points in each victory, but in its six road setbacks it has yielded 77.8 ppg and allowed 70 or more points five times. Temple, meanwhile, is 10-13 overall and second in the A-10 East at 7-4 after Wednesday's 71-67 loss at crosstown rival La Salle ended its season-long four-game win streak. The Owls, who have earned postseason bids in each of the last 18 years, feature the nation's ninth-leading scorer in senior guard Lynn Greer (22.6 ppg). Hall of Fame coach John Chaney's team, which opens a three-game homestand today, is 6-4 at home this season, 4-1 vs. Atlantic 10 foes. The Owls are 47-12 (.797) all-time at the Liacouras Center, 29-4 (.879) here against A-10 opponents. With a victory, UMass would become the first A-10 school and just the second ever, joining Wisconsin, to beat the Owls twice in this building.

Minute-Matters: Trends to consider as Massachusetts aims to sweep the regular-season series from Temple for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign . . .

Since posting a 4-5 regular-season A-10 road record in 1990-91, the Minutemen have gone 57-28 (.671) away from home in conference play, including last year's 5-3 mark. UMass is 1-4 on the road in league play this season.

Massachusetts held the A-10's highest scoring team, St. Bonaventure (82.9 ppg), to season-low point totals in both meetings with its East Division rival. In Olean, the Minutemen held Bona to 65 points, then limited them to 60 points last Wednesday in Amherst.

In Wednesday's loss to the Bonnies, the Minutemen limited the nation's top three-point shooting team (10.6 made per game) to a season-low four three-pointers (in 21 attempts).

In its 10 victories this season, UMass has shot 45.8 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent at the free throw line while averaging 67.0 ppg, but in its 12 defeats it has averaged 62.6 ppg and shot 37.9 percent from the floor, 29.9 percent from beyond the arc and 68.5 percent at the foul line.

The Minutemen have out-shot their opponent from the field in nine of their 10 wins (the Temple game was the exception) this year and 12 times overall.

In 16 of UMass' 22 starts, the winning team has shot 44.2 percent or better from the field.

Massachusetts is 6-0 on the year when shooting 48.0 percent or better from the field, with four of those efforts coming outside the Mullins Center.

UMass has averaged 68.0 ppg and shot 41.9 percent from the field in nine road games this year, but has averaged just 62.2 ppg and hit 40.8 percent from the floor in 13 home tilts.

The Minutemen are 7-0 on the year when attempting 16 or fewer three-pointers, 3-12 when they've launched 17 or more shots from beyond the arc.

UMass, which has made at least one trey in 115-consecutive games (its opponents have a string of 59-straight games with at least one trey) and in 491 of 498 games it has played since the arc was added to the college game (1986-87), has averaged 8.36 made bonus baskets against A-10 foes this season, compared to 6.59 for all games.

The Minuteman bench has provided 17.1 ppg (compared to the opponent's 12.5 ppg) and has outscored the foe's men of pine in 14 of 22 outings.

In its wins, the UMass bench has averaged 16.0 ppg, compared to 18.1 ppg in its losses. In seven of 10 victories, the Minuteman bench has outscored the opponent's bench.

Massachusetts has averaged 15.5 assists per game in its victories, but just 12.9 apg in its losses. In seven of their 10 victories the Minutemen have recorded at least 15 assists, a mark they haven't hit in nine of their 12 defeats.

The Minutemen rank third in the Atlantic 10 in three-point percentage defense (.321), fourth in both scoring (66.0 ppg) and field goal percentage (.408) defense.

UMass has held 15 of 22 opponents under both their season scoring average and field goal percentage mark that they brought into the game. The Minutmen are 10-5 when holding their opponents under their scoring and shooting averages, 0-7 when allowing foes to top their season marks.

Massachusetts is 9-2 on the year when holding its opponent to a field goal percentage mark below 38.0 percent, but is 1-10 when its foe has shot 38.0 percent or better from the floor.

The Minutemen are 9-1 when yielding 62 or fewer points, and have won 18 of their last 20 games when allowing 62 or fewer points.

Conversely, Massachusetts is 0-4 this season, and has lost 25-straight games when allowing its opponent to score 80 or more points since recording a 93-89 win at Duquesne, Jan. 20, 1996.

Steve Lappas-coached teams own an all-time record of 95-16 (.856) when scoring 80 or more points, including an 0-1 mark at UMass. His Manhattan teams were 16-3 (.842) when scoring 80-plus points, while his Villanova squads went 79-12 (.868) when reaching the 80-point plateau.

In its wins this year, UMass has limited its foes to 35.0 percent field goal shooting, including just 29.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc, and 57.3 ppg, but in its losses, foes have shot 46.2 percent from the field, including 36.0 percent from three-point range, and averaged 73.3 ppg.

Massachusetts has utilized eight different starting combinations this season, and senior guard Shannon Crooks is the only Minuteman to start all 22 games. Nine Minutemen have started at least one game this year.

The Minutemen are 4-0 this season when Shannon Crooks, Micah Brand and Kitwana Rhymer score 10 or more points in the same game with the victories coming over Marist, Maine, George Washington and La Salle.

UMass ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 in rebound margin (+1.0 rpg). In their wins, the Minutemen have outrebounded their foe by an average of +4.2 rpg, but they are a -1.6 rpg in their losses. Massachusetts has outrebounded its foe in seven of 10 victories this season and 12 times overall.

Over the last four games, the Minutemen have shot 79.6 percent (43-of-54) at the free throw line to improve their season percentage from .655 to .676. That stretch includes a 1.000 percent effort against St. Bonaventure (four-of-four) and a 92.3 percent (12-of-13) performance at Rhody.

Massachusetts opponents have made more free throws (362) than the Minutemen have attempted (358) for the year, as its foes have shot 186 more free throws on the season. Against St. Bonaventure, the Minutemen were outscored at the foul line, 22-4, and did not attempt their first free throw until 1:52 remained in the game.

The Minutemen have overcome double-digit opponent leads in three (Arkansas-Little Rock, Oregon and at St. Bonaventure) of their 10 victories, and have trailed at some point in 20 of 22 outings. The only games UMass led from start to finish were the Marist and Temple contests.

UMass opened the season at 4-0 for the first time since the 1995-96 season (when it began 26-0 en route to a 35-2 finish and a Final Four trip), but is just 6-12 since then.

Last year, the Minutemen were 11-11 after 22 games, and finished 15-15. Since making the last of seven-straight NCAA Tournament trips in 1997-98, UMass owns a 56-59 (.487) record.

The Massachusetts offensive attack is balanced, as seven players contribute at least 5.3 ppg, led by Shannon Crooks' 14.7 scoring average. Crooks, who has recorded a team-high 19 double-figure scoring games this season and has led the Minutemen in scoring 11 times, has made at least one three-pointer in each of his last 10 starts (21-of-57, 36.8 percent over that stretch).

Crooks enters today's game with 1,018 points in his collegiate career, including 43 during his freshman season at St. John's. He needs 25 points to become the 35th 1,000-point scorer in UMass history, and 20 assists to become the fourth Minuteman to record 1,000 points and 300 assists.

Senior Kitwana Rhymer ranks fourth in the A-10 in blocks with 1.77 bpg. The fourth-leading shot-blocker in school history (176), Rhymer has blocked at least two shots 10 times this year, including a career-high-tying six snuffs vs. Holy Cross and five against both La Salle and Oregon.

Rhymer has averaged 12.7 ppg and 6.3 rpg in UMass wins, while shooting 63.3 percent from the floor, but has averaged 5.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg in its losses, and shot 38.1 percent from the field.

Sophomore Anthony Anderson was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the second-straight week and the fourth time this season after averaging 12.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg in a pair of games for the Minutemen a week ago. He shot 45.0 percent from the field (nine-for-20), 41.2 percent from three-point range (seven-of-17), and had just four turnovers in 75 minutes of action.

Anderson has hit 45.5 percent (35-of-77) from beyond the arc over the last 10 games, while averaging 12.5 ppg. He has eight double-figure scoring games over that stretch, one of which was a career-high 20-point performance against Dayton in Amherst.

Junior Micah Brand fouled out in just 10 minutes of work against St. Bonaventure. He did not score against the Bonnies, but grabbed two rebounds.

Brand has tallied 10 double-digit scoring games on the year, and ranks as UMass' second-leading scorer (9.7 ppg, tied with Anderson) and rebounder (5.8 rpg).

Sophomore Raheim Lamb tallied a career-high 18 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals in a career-high 33 minutes of work vs. the Bonnies. He has averaged 8.4 ppg over his last five starts.

UMass Coach Steve Lappas: A new chapter in UMass basketball history began on March 26, 2001, when athletic director Bob Marcum introduced Steve Lappas (City College of New York, 1977) as the school's 19th basketball coach. In his 14th season as a head coach, Lappas owns a 240-184 (.566) record, including a 10-12 (.455) mark in his first year on the Minuteman bench. Just the third rookie UMass coach to start his career in Amherst 4-0, and first since Johnny Orr in 1963-64, Lappas is 3-3 all-time against Temple and coach John Chaney, 0-1 at the Liacouras Center. Lappas came to Amherst after nine highly-successful years at Villanova (1993-2001), 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 (1988-92), 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) appearance. Equally impressive as Lappas' on-court record is the classroom performance of his players, as all of his seniors at both Villanova and Manhattan graduated. Prior to moving to Manhattan, Lappas spent four seasons as an assistant to Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and was a member of the Wildcats' 1985 national championship staff.

Temple Coach John Chaney: The dean of Atlantic 10 coaches, John Chaney (Bethune-Cookman, 1955) owns a 666-251 (.726) mark in his 30th season as a head coach, and stands 441-192 (.697) in his 20th season with the Owls. The seventh-winningest active Division I coach, and the 16th-winningest all-time, Chaney needs 10 wins to pass No. 15 Denny Crum on the all-time career victory list. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last fall, Chaney has led the Owls to 18-straight postseason appearances (17 NCAA, one NIT), including NCAA trips in each of the past 12 seasons. His 23, 20-win seasons rank second among active Division I coaches behind Jerry Tarkanian's 28, 20-win campaigns. Chaney owns a 31-16 all-time mark against the Minutemen, including a 16-4 mark in games played at either the Liacouras Center (3-1) or McGonigle Hall (13-3).

The Temple Series: This is the 48th meeting in a series that Temple leads, 31-16, after last month's 63-53 UMass victory in Amherst ended the Owls' two-game series win string. The teams split the regular-season series last year, with each team winning on the other's homecourt, before Temple captured the rubber game of the season series and claimed the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by scoring a 76-65 victory over UMass in the title game of the A-10 Verizon Tournament. A UMass victory today would give it a sweep of the regular-season series for the first time since the 1996-97 season, and just the fourth time ever (1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97 seasons were the other times). This series has been one of streaks. Temple won the first 21 games in the series, UMass responded by winning 13 of the next 15, but the Owls have won eight of the last 11 meetings, including three of the four meetings played in the Liacouras Center. Temple holds a 16-4 series advantage in games played on its homecourt (and an 18-5 edge for all games played in Philadelphia), but the Minutemen scored a 65-64 overtime victory here a year ago. The Owls won the first three meetings at the Liacouras Center by scores of 74-66 in 1998, 65-57 in 1999 and 72-54 in 2000 before UMass' win a year ago. Steve Lappas is the fifth different coach to lead the Minutemen in this series, while the Owls' John Chaney has coached every series game for Temple.

Minutemen-Owls Round I in 2002: UMass never trailed in beating Temple, 63-53, last month in Amherst. The Minutemen opened a 20-10 advantage eight minutes into the game, and the closest the Owls would get the rest of the way would be three at 38-35 with 13:54 left in the game. A 9-0 Minuteman run kicked the lead to 12 at 47-35, and Temple got no closer than six over the game's final 8:57, as Massachusetts beat the Owls in Amherst for the first time since the 1998-99 season. Freshman Kyle Wilson tallied a career-high 17 points, on five-of-seven shooting from three-point range and a two-for-two effort at the foul line, to lead the Minutemen. UMass hit 11-of-25 three-pointers against the Owls, but was just five-of-25 on shots inside the arc. The 11 treys were a then-Mullins Center-record for UMass, a mark it broke two games later against Dayton. Shannon Crooks also had 17 points (and a team-high seven rebounds), while Anthony Anderson added 10. Lynn Greer led Temple with a game-high 23 points.

St. Bonaventure Review: Neither team led by more than four points in the first half, and St. Bonaventure enjoyed a 26-25 halftime lead. The game remained close for the first five minutes of the second half, before the Bonnies broke a 35-all tie with a 5-0 run to take a 40-35 lead with 11:47 to play. Bona extended the lead to nine, at 52-43, with 5:37 left, but UMass closed to within 57-54 with 21 seconds left on a pair of free throws by Anthony Anderson. After forcing a turnover, UMass then turned the ball right back to SBU when it couldn't get the ball inbounds. The Bonnies made three of four free throws in the game's final 13 seconds to seal the win. For the second-straight game, UMass held St. Bonaventure to a season-low point total (60) and held the nation's top three-point shooting team to just four made treys. The Bonnies' J.R. Bremer poured in a game-high 31 points, while Marques Green added 19. Raheim Lamb led UMass with a career-high 18 points and Shannon Crooks tossed in 13. The Minutemen outscored St. Bonaventure from the field, 52-38, but were done in at the free throw line, as they hit all four attempts compared to 22-of-29 marksmanship for Bona. UMass did not attempt its first free throw in the game until 1:52 was left in the game.

Returnees Picking Up Slack: One of the biggest questions surrounding the 2001-02 UMass basketball team was who would replace Monty Mack and his team-leading 19.5 per game scoring average. Massachusetts' seven returnees have picked up most of the slack, as they are averaging 14.4 ppg more as a group this year than they did a year ago. Senior Shannon Crooks, a strong candidate for the A-10's Chris Daniels Most Improved Player Award and all-league honors, has shown the biggest scoring improvement, as his average has increased from 9.0 ppg a year ago to a team-high 14.7 ppg this season. Senior Eric Williams (+1.8 ppg), junior Micah Brand (+1.3 ppg) and sophomores Jameel Pugh (+4.1 ppg) and Willie Jenkins (+2.2 ppg) have increased their scoring production, while seniors Kitwana Rhymer (-1.0 ppg) and Ronell Blizzard (-0.5 ppg) have seen slight dips in their scoring averages this year. While most of the Minutemen have increased their scoring marks, the team average of 64.6 ppg is down 3.4 ppg from last year's 68.0 ppg. Conversely, UMass allowed 2.2 ppg fewer this year, as it has surrendered 66.0 ppg this season, compared to 68.2 ppg a year ago.

Getting it Done with Defense: The key to UMass' success has been its play at the defensive end of the floor, a longtime trademark of the Minuteman program that has continued under coach Steve Lappas. Massachusetts ranks third in the A-10 in three-point percentage defense (.321), fourth in both scoring (66.0 ppg) and field goal percentage (.408) defense. The Minutemen are 9-1 this season when allowing 62 or fewer points, and have allowed just 57.3 ppg in their wins compared to 73.3 ppg in defeat this year. How good has UMass' defense been this season? Consider that the Minutemen have held 15 of 22 opponents below both their season scoring average and field goal percentage mark that they came into the game with. In each of the last 10 seasons, Massachusetts has held its opponents to season marks below 70.0 ppg and 42.0 percent shooting from the floor. Here's a look at UMass' defensive efforts game-by-game this season:

In second meeting with St. Bonaventure, UMass held the nation's eighth-highest scoring team to a season-low 60 points and just four three-point goals (the Bonnies entered the game as the nation's top three-point shooting team at 10.6 made per game).

The Minutemen held La Salle to a season-low field-goal percentage (.306) and its second-lowest point total of the year (47), while holding the A-10's fourth-leading scorer in Rasual Butler to a season-low-tying four points and just seven field goal attempts (he was averaging 17.0 fga).

Massachusetts held St. Bonaventure, a team that owned an 85.1 ppg (92.0 ppg in seven home appearances) scoring average to a season-low 65 points, including 29 in the second half, at Olean.

UMass held Temple to a season-low 53 points, the Owls lowest point total in 35 games.

Massachusetts limited an Ohio State team that had hit at least 50.0 percent from the field in eight of its first 12 games to 44.9 percent shooting, its second-lowest shooting game of the year.

The Minutemen held St. Joseph's to a season-low 63 points and snapped the Hawks' 43-game streak of scoring at least 65 points, which was the school's longest such string since the mid-1960s.

UMass handed Maine its biggest loss of the season, and limited a team that was shooting 45.7 percent from the field to 36.4 percent marksmanship.

Central Connecticut State had hit 46.7 percent from the floor and averaged 70.3 ppg in the nine games prior to being limited to 33.3 percent shooting and 49 points by the Minutemen.

Massachusetts held UConn 15.6 points below its then-season average of 84.6 ppg.

The Minutemen held North Carolina State, a team that had averaged 76.4 points in its first five home games, to 62 points and 33.9 percent field goal shooting.

UMass put the breaks on an Oregon team which had scored 90 or more points in each of its first four games, allowing the Ducks 58 points and 35.8 percent shooting from the field.

The Minutemen limited Marist to 32.7 percent field goal shooting for the game (just 21.7 percent in the first half, the lowest mark in a half by a UMass opponent since Temple's 10.3 percent second-half performance, Feb. 28, 1999) and 59 points (just 17 in the first half, the fewest allowed by UMass in a half since holding Rhode Island to 15 first-half points, Feb. 22, 2000).

In its season-opening victory over Arkansas-Little Rock, UMass held the Trojans to 36.2 percent shooting from the floor, and just six points over the game's last 9:25 as it rallied for the victory. The 60 points were the fewest allowed by the Minutemen in their season-opener since holding Chaminade to 48 points in 1996-97, and the fewest allowed against a Division I opponent in an opener since limiting Cleveland State to 60 points in the 1993-94 lid-lifter.

                        Avg. Entering UMass Game              vs. UMass
Opponent                     PPG        FG%              Points        FG%
Arkansas-Little Rock       *70.9      *.474                  66       .362
Marist                      74.7       .440                  59       .327
Oregon                      92.5       .541                  58       .358
North Carolina State        72.0       .461                  62       .339
Holy Cross                  61.6       .353                  67       .532
Boston College              86.5       .508                  80       .371
Connecticut                 84.6       .479                  69       .478
Central Connecticut State   70.3       .467                  49       .333
Maine                       64.7       .457                  60       .364
Marshall                    75.2       .463                  81       .481
St. Joseph's                78.6       .472                  63       .431
Ohio State                  75.3       .513                  70       .449
Fordham                     69.5       .429                  95       .514
Richmond                    61.7       .379                  63       .388
Temple                      68.3       .406                  53       .339
George Washington           73.8       .420                  60       .364
St. Bonaventure             85.1       .449                  65       .418
Dayton                      70.4       .440                  83       .585
Rhode Island                60.4       .368                  70       .469
Duquesne                    63.0       .411                  78       .522
La Salle                    66.1       .412                  47       .306
St. Bonaventure             82.9       .445                  60       .347
*UALR's final 2000-01 marks are listed.

The SWAT Team is Back: Led by 2001 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year Kitwana Rhymer, the Minutemen continue to rank among the league leaders in blocked shots. Rhymer ranks fourth in the A-10 in blocks (1.77 bpg), while UMass ranks third in the league at 4.18 bpg, and has had at least four rejections 12 times with a high of eight three times. Rhymer, Micah Brand (23) and Ronell Blizzard (12) have accounted for 74 of the Minutemen's 92 blocks this season, a total that would rank the trio ahead of five league teams.

Halftime Talk: Whatever coach Steve Lappas and his staff have said to the Minutemen at halftime this season appears to be working. UMass has averaged just 27.7 ppg in the first half of its games, but halftime, has put 36.9 ppg on the board in the second stanza. Massachusetts has been outscored by an average of 2.4 points in the first half, but has outscored its opponents by an average of 0.9 points in the second half. In their 10 victories, the Minutemen have averaged 28.6 points in the first half and 38.4 in the second stanza, while yielding 25.7 in the first half and 31.6 points in the last half, but in their defeats they've put 26.9 up in the first half and 35.7 in the second, while allowing 33.7 in the first 20 minutes and 39.6 in the final half.

Board Games: Going into the season, rebounding was expected to be a strength for the 2001-02 Minutemen, and through 22 games, they've done nothing to dispel that notion. UMass has outrebounded 12 of its 22 opponents, and holds a +1.0 margin (sixth-best in the A-10) over its opponents (36.1 rpg-35. rpg) on the glass. After outrebounding its 11 non-conference opponents by an average of 5.4 rpg, Massachusetts is ninth in the league in rebound margin for A-10 games only at -3.2 rpg. For the season, Kitwana Rhymer leads the team and ranks 18th in the A-10 in rebounding (6.0 rpg), while Micah Brand is second on the team and 19th in the A-10 (5.8 rpg) and Eric Williams is third (5.0 rpg). Six UMass players, including guards Shannon Crooks (3.7 rpg) and Anthony Anderson (3.7 rpg), are averaging at least 3.7 rpg.

Another Tough Slate: After playing one of the toughest schedules in school history a year ago (20 of their 30 games were against 2001 postseason tournament teams) the Minutemen are tackling another challenging slate in 2001-02. But that's really nothing new, as over the last eight seasons, only once has the Massachusetts strength of schedule been ranked lower than 56th among Division I institutions, and four times in that stretch it has had an SOS among the nation's top 20. Through games of Feb. 13, 2002, UMass was ranked 97th in the RPI calculated by CollegeRPI.com and had the nation's 44th-toughest slate (and second-strongest among A-10 schools behind No. 36 Temple), as its opponents have posted a 296-212 (.583) record. Massachusetts' 11 non-league foes own an impressive record of 169-87 (.660), as 10 of the 11 own .500 or better records, and eight have already won at least 16 games. UMass, 2-8 this season against teams which went to postseason play a year ago, is 2-3 vs. teams ranked from 1-50 in the RPI, 3-4 vs. teams ranked 51-100, 2-0 vs. squads that are 101-150, and 3-5 vs. teams 151 or higher.

Consistent Success: The Minutemen, who have posted 12-straight winning A-10 records (after posting no winning marks, just two .500 records and 53 victories in their first 13 seasons in the league) since a 5-13 mark in 1988-89, own a 142-64 (.689) record in regular-season league play since then and have captured 10 league titles (five regular season, five tournament) in that time frame. In its 26th season as an A-10 member, UMass owns a 195-196 (.499) all-time regular-season record in league play. Over the last 12-plus seasons, Massachusetts owns a 279-137 (.671) overall record (includes 2001-02 record, too), an average of 22.4 wins per season, and has posted seven 20-win seasons, 11, .500 or better campaigns, and made 10 postseason appearances (seven NCAA, three NIT). The A-10 is one of only six conferences to send at least two teams to the NCAA Tournament every year since 1991, joining the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC. Temple is the only league team with more NCAA appearances (11) than UMass (seven) over that 11-year stretch.

The Comeback Kids: It really shouldn't come as much of a surprise that UMass has overcame double-digit deficits to beat St. Bonaventure, Oregon and Arkansas-Little Rock this year, as those type of comebacks have happened before in Amherst. Including those games, the Minutemen have now recorded 20 double-digit comebacks to win over the last eight seasons. At St. Bonaventure, Massachusetts trailed by 10 midway through the first half, but rallied for a 67-65 victory. In the Oregon game, the Minutemen were down by as many as 11 points in the first half, but came back to score a 62-58 win over the Ducks at the Springfield Civic Center. Against Arkansas-Little Rock, UMass trailed by 10 points, 37-27, with 19:31 left in the game, but came back to score a 66-60 victory. In last year's game against George Washington in Amherst, UMass overcame a 15-point deficit with 1:07 left in the first half to beat the Colonials, 76-60. That was the largest deficit the Minutemen had overcome to win since rallying from 16 down to beat Maryland, 50-47, Dec. 2, 1995.

Quick Tips: UMass had a season-low five turnovers against Dayton, a mark which equalled its lowest total ever in the Mullins Center, and also drained an arena-record 12 treys against the Flyers...Massachusetts has shot better from the field on the road (.419) than it has at home (.408), and as a result has averaged 68.0 points away from home, compared to 62.2 ppg on its home floor...over the last three years, Massachusetts owns a 23-7 record when scoring 70 or more points, including a 2-2 mark this season...UMass has won 19-straight games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field since an 88-83 loss to George Washington in the quarterfinals of the 1998 A-10 Tournament...UMass is 7-6 in games decided by five or fewer points the last two years (2-2 this season), after going just 1-6 in such games during the 1999-2000 season...the Minutemen, 8-0 this season and winners of 22-straight when leading with 5:00 to play, own an 86-9 (.905) record since the start of the 1996-97 season when leading after 35 minutes of action...UMass has produced at least one all-conference performer for 18-straight seasons.

Fast Breaks: St. Bonaventure (Bonnies, 60-56)--Minutemen held St. Bonaventure to season-low point total (60) and just four three-point field goals, but visitors hit 22-of-29 at the foul line (compared to just four-of-four for home team) to gain a split of the season series, Neither team led by more than five points for first 30 minutes before Bonnies built lead to nine at 52-43 with 5:37 left, UMass pulled to within 52-50 with 1:52 left, and had a chance to tie but turned the ball over, then down 57-54 with 17 seconds left couldn't get the ball in bounds after a timeout and gave the ball back to the Bonnies, Raheim Lamb had career-high 18 points, but Bonnies became first visiting team to beat UMass three-straight times at Mullins Center. La Salle (Minutemen, 62-47)--UMass overcame a slow offensive start to snap a three-game losing streak with the win, leading 20-18 at halftime, Minutemen used 14-2 spurt to open second half, watched La Salle close to within five, then put the game away with 7-1 run, Crooks had team-high 15 points, topped 1,000-point mark for collegiate career, Micah Brand returned to starting lineup after missing two games with left ankle sprain, had 10 points and seven rebounds. At Duquesne (Dukes, 78-69)--Massachusetts held 14-point lead twice in first half, and was up by 10 at halftime, but Duquesne shot 56.5 percent from the field in the last half to end Minutemen's 16-game series win streak, Trailing, 61-52 with 9:57 left, the Dukes used a 20-4 run to take a 72-65 lead with 3:25 left to steal the win, Crooks led Minutemen with 19 points, while Kitwana Rhymer had third double-double of the season (17 points, 12 rebounds). At Rhode Island (Rams, 70-59)--Rhode Island broke 39-all second-half tie with 7-0 run, and the closest UMass would get after that would be five points (46-41), as Rams beat Minutemen for first time in five games, Anthony Anderson had a game-high 17 points, while Eric Williams added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Dayton (Flyers, 83-68)--Dayton opened the game on a 13-0 run, then after allowing the Minutemen to get within eight at 19-11 with 8:51 left in the first half, used a 17-0 run to put the home team away for good and end its three-game win streak, Crooks had a game-high 21 points, while Anderson tallied a career-best 20 points, Five Flyers scored in double figures, as Dayton recorded the highest field goal percentage mark against UMass since 1996-97 season. At St. Bonaventure (Minutemen, 67-65)--UMass overcame 10-point first half deficit to end Bonnies' 10-game homecourt win string, record first win at Reilly Center in five years with third-straight A-10 victory after an 0-3 start, Brand slammed home a Crooks miss with 9.2 seconds left to break a 65-all tie, as visitors ended game on 12-3 run, Rhymer had team-high 23 points and seven rebounds, while Crooks added 17, Anderson 11 and Brennan Martin a career-high nine, J.R. Bremer led the Bonnies with a game-high 27 points, UMass held St. Bonaventure, a team that had averaged 85.1 ppg, to a then-season-low 65 points. George Washington (Minutemen, 73-60)--Minutemen overcame early seven-point Colonials' lead to beat visiting George Washington for fourth-straight time, UMass used a 9-0 run late in first half to take control of the game, Massachusetts hit season-best 53.3 percent from three-point range, shot 48.9 percent for the game overall, including 73.7 percent in the second half, Brand turned in second career double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds). Temple (Minutemen, 63-53)--Massachusetts led from start to finish in ending Owls' two-game Mullins Center win streak, Minutemen hit 11-of-25 three-pointers, Kyle Wilson had career-high 17 points, while Crooks added 17 and Anderson 10, Minutemen had 20-10 lead eight minutes into game, held 29-21 halftime advantage, but watched Owls get within 38-35 with 13:54 left before a 9-0 run put the game away. At Richmond (Spiders, 63-54)--Spiders shot 45.0 percent (nine-of-20) from three-point range to hand Minutemen fifth-straight loss, UMass held 24-23 lead early in second half, but Richmond used an 8-0 run to take a 31-24 lead and the visitors would get no closer than three the rest of the way, Anderson led the UMass attack with 15 points, while Lamb netted 10 off the bench. At Fordham (Rams, 95-86)--UMass scored a season-high 86 points, but gave up an opponent-high 95 points and lost fourth-straight game, Crooks had season-best 24 points, while Jameel Pugh added career-high 22 points, Minutemen held 37-33 lead late in the first half, but Rams held 40-39 lead at halftime, then used a 9-0 second-half run to push the lead from 47-46 to 56-46 and the closest UMass would get the rest of the way would be five points. Ohio State (Buckeyes, 70-62)--Ohio State broke open a close game with a 9-0 run to end the first half, then stretched the advantage to as many as 18 midway through the second half, Minutemen refused to fold, pulled to within 65-60 with 59 seconds to go, but Buckeyes hit five of eight free throws in final minute to hold on, Crooks tallied then-season-high 22 points, while Brand had 15 points and game-high nine rebounds. Saint Joseph's (Hawks, 63-38)--Minutemen went scoreless for over eight minutes to start game, fell behind 29-17 at intermission and never got closer than 11 in the second half in dropping A-10 opener to defending league champions, offensive output was lowest in a game since 1985-86 season, lowest in home contest since 1948-49 campaign, Saint Joseph's handed UMass third-worst loss in Mullins Center history, Crooks was lone Minuteman in double figures (10 points). At Marshall (Herd, 81-66)--Game was close throughout first 33 minutes, but with visiting Minutemen holding 59-58 lead, Herd went on a 12-1 run to seal their third-straight win over UMass, Crooks led UMass scoring attack with 15 points, while Brand turned in first career double-double (12 points, career-high 11 rebounds), former Temple guard Ronald Blackshear had game-high 26 points for Herd. Maine (Minutemen, 78-60)--Massachusetts ran win streak to two and ended three-game losing streak to Maine with come-from-behind victory over visiting Black Bears, Minutemen held 28-27 halftime lead, fell behind by five early in second half, but closed game on 29-13 run to record 18-point win, five UMass players scored in double figures, led by Brand's 17 points, all of which came in second half, for second-straight game Pugh established new scoring (12) and rebounding (six) career-highs. At Central Connecticut State (Minutemen, 64-49)--Playing in first men's collegiate basketball game ever at Mohegan Sun Arena, UMass overcame early six-point deficit to post win, Minutemen went scoreless for nearly eight minutes in first half, but used late run to take 25-21 halftime lead, then opened second half with 20-3 spurt to put game away, Rhymer had season-highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Pugh netted then-career-high 11 points as UMass snapped three-game losing streak by hitting season-high 51.9 percent from the field. UConn (Huskies, 69-59)--For second-straight game, UMass found itself down by double-digits in the opening half, as the visiting Huskies owned 13-point halftime lead and went on to beat the Minutemen for the 11th-straight time, UMass cut Husky lead to four in the second half, but could get no closer, as visitors made seven of eight free throws in the final minute to hold on, Crooks led UMass attack with 14 points, while Rhymer turned in his first double-double of the season (12 points/12 rebounds) and Anderson was in double figures for the third-straight game (10 points), UMass hit 32.9 percent from the field, made just one three-point attempt (in 18 tries), outrebounded Huskies, 46-28, but UConn hit 47.8 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three-point line. At Boston College (Eagles, 80-78)--No. 13 Eagles roared to 23-point halftime lead, led by as many as 26 early in second half, before Minutemen got back in game and nearly pulled off dramatic comeback, Anderson drained three treys in game's final 15.1 seconds but BC held on for the victory to capture second consecutive Commonwealth Classic title, Anderson had career-high 19 points, while Crooks added 18, as Minutemen had five double-figure scorers for first time since Dec. 7, 2000, game against Providence, Troy Bell poured in a career-high 34 points to lead Eagles, who were outscored 67-53 from the field, but hit 27-of-38 at the line (compared to UMass' 11-of-21) to secure the win. Holy Cross (Crusaders, 67-56)--Crusaders overcome four-point halftime deficit to beat Minutemen for second-straight season, Brand led UMass scoring attack with 15 points, while Anderson added a then-career-best 13 points and a career-high seven assists in 39 minutes, Holy Cross shot 53.2 percent from the floor against UMass (including 61.9 percent in second half and 72.7 percent from beyond the arc), while Minutemen hit then-season-low 42.9 percent. At North Carolina State (Minutemen, 69-62)--In first road game of season, Minutemen respond with victory, holding hometown Wolfpack to 33.9 percent shooting from the floor, Crooks scored season-high 20 points, Brand added 14 and Willie Jenkins a career-high 12 as UMass moved to 4-0 for 16th time in school history and made Steve Lappas the first rookie UMass mentor to start career 4-0 since Johnny Orr in 1963-64, Minutemen became only third non-ACC team to win in N.C. State's three-year-old Entertainment & Sports Arena. Oregon (Minutemen, 62-58)--Ducks jumped to an 11-point lead in game's first nine minutes, only to watch Minutemen storm back for win, Brand scored four points in game's final 1:16 as UMass posted 13th win in last 14 games played at the Springfield Civic Center, Crooks in double figures for third-straight game with 13 points, Minutemen held an Oregon team, which had scored 90 or more points in each of its first four games, to 58 points and 35.8 percent shooting from the field, while hitting 50.0 percent (seven-of-14) from three-point range. Marist (Minutemen, 66-59)--Minutemen raced to a 12-2 lead in game's opening minutes, held 19-point halftime advantage, but watched visiting Red Foxes get within three in second half, first 2-0 start for UMass since 1995-96 season, Rhymer came off bench, had 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while Crooks added 14 and Brand 10. Arkansas-Little Rock (Minutemen, 66-60)--UMass overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to give coach Lappas a victory in his first game on the Minuteman bench, Brand netted a career-high-tying 23 points as UMass won season opener for eighth time in the last nine years, despite the Trojans' 10, three-pointers, Wilson first "true" freshman to start for Massachusetts since 1996-97 season (Winston Smith).

Noting the 2001-02 Minutemen

#0 Brennan Martin, 6-6, 190, Fr., F, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.

Did not score in one minute off the bench against St. Bonaventure. Hasn't scored in last four appearances (21 minutes played), going 0-for-five from the field over that stretch.

Was scoreless over his first seven collegiate appearances, but came off the bench at St. Bonaventure to score a career-high nine points and collect two assists in a career-high 22 minutes.

Averaging 1.2 ppg and 0.4 rpg in 13 appearances on year, Martin has slipped into coach Lappas' rotation over the last eight games (72 of his 82 minutes have come in that stretch).

#1 Willie Jenkins, 6-6, 200, So., G/F, Memphis, Tenn.

Has appeared in 18 games on the year, drawing nine starts, while averaging 2.9 ppg and 2.3 rpg.

Had five points and a rebound in 18 minutes off the bench against St. Bonaventure in Amherst.

Tallied career-highs of 12 points and three assists in victory at North Carolina State.

Minutemen are 3-0 on the year when he contributes eight or more points, as 36 of his 53 points have been scored in UMass victories.

Has grabbed five or more rebounds four times, while contributing five or more points six times.

Averages 6.0 ppg and 3.5 rpg in UMass victories, 1.4 ppg and 1.7 rpg in its losses.

Struggled shooting the ball from the field (.279, on 17-of-61 shooting), but is 14-of-14 (a team-best 1.000) at the free throw line with 12 attempts in the game's final 4:50.

#3 Ronell Blizzard, 6-8, 205, Sr., F, Waterbury, Conn.

One of four, fifth-year seniors on the 2001-02 UMass roster, Blizzard has appeared in 18 games, averaging 1.1 ppg and 1.7 rpg in 8.8 minutes of work per outing.

Did not play against St. Bonaventure (coach's decision).

Made first start of season (and seventh of career) against Ohio State. Did not score against the Buckeyes, but contributed four blocked shots and a pair of rebounds in 14 minutes.

#11 Kyle Wilson, 6-2, 175, Fr., G, White Rock, British Columbia

True freshman has played in all 22 games, averaging 3.5 ppg and 1.3 rpg in 15.5 minutes.

Had six points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes off the bench against St. Bonaventure in Amherst.

Over the last 10 games, he's averaged 5.3 ppg and shot 40.0 percent (14-of-35) from three-point range and 70.0 percent (seven-of-10) at the free throw line.

Tallied career-high 17 points against Temple, and has contributed five or more points six times. He was five-of-seven from three-point range against the Owls in Amherst.

Against A-10 foes, he's shooting 36.6 percent from three-point range and averaging 5.3 ppg.

Was in the starting lineup for season-opener vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, the first true freshman in the UMass opening-day starting five since Winston Smith debuted against Chaminade in 1996-97.

Minutemen are 5-2 on the year with Wilson as a starter.

Ranks third on the team in three-point percentage (.333), three-pointers made (20) and attempted (60), and assists (44), fifth in steals (14), seventh in minutes (342).

Has collected at least one assist in 17 of 22 appearances, including 12 multiple-assist outings, and a high of five at Richmond.

Drained at least one trey in 12 appearances, two or more five times.

#12 Anthony Anderson, 5-11, 175, So., G, Lynn, Mass.

Four-time A-10 Rookie of the Week pick has averaged 13.6 ppg over the last five games, while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from the three-point line.

UMass' second-leading scorer overall (9.7 ppg, tied with Micah Brand) and in A-10 play (11.4 ppg) is A-10 Rookie of the Year contender.

Tallied six points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes vs. St. Bonaventure.

Was 0-for-five from three-point range against Bonnies, which ended his 10-game streak with at least one made trey. Has drained at least one three 17 times, two or more 12 times.

Poured in a career-high 20 points to go with four assists, two rebounds and no turnovers in 28 minutes of work against Dayton. Was six-of-seven from three-point range vs. the Flyers.

Produced 13 double-digit scoring games on the year, including eight in his last 10 starts.

Over the last 10 games, he's averaged 12.5 ppg and hit 35-of-77 (45.5 percent) three-pointers.

Ranks sixth in the A-10 in both assist/turnover ratio (1.58/1) and three-point goals made per game (2.27 mpg), eighth in three-point percentage (.382) and 13th in assists (3.59 apg).

In A-10 games only statistics, he's tied for second in three-point goals made per game (3.18), fifth in three-point percentage (.443), 14th in assist/turnover ratio (1.24/1) and tied for 15th in assists (3.27 apg).

Leads the Minutemen in three-point goals made (50), attempted (131) and percentage (.382), is second in assists (79), minutes played (743), steals (23) and scoring (9.7 ppg, tied with Brand) and fourth in rebounding (3.7 rpg, tied with Shannon Crooks).

Has dished out at least three assists in 17 of 22 games with a high of seven, twice.

Minutemen are 5-8 on the season when he scores in double figures.

Has played 30 or more minutes 16 times this season.

#14 Paco Kotaridis, 5-11, 185, So., G, Athens, Greece

Made squad as walk-on, and has appeared in five games, averaging 0.6 ppg and 0.2 rpg.

Tallied only career points on three-point goal as time expired against Central Connecticut State.

#21 Eric Williams, 6-8, 243, Sr., F, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tri-captain has been a steady performer, averaging 5.6 ppg (sixth on team) and 5.0 rpg (third-best on club) in 22 appearances with three starts to his credit.

Had four points and five rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench against St. Bonaventure.

Has provided five or more points 12 times, including four double-digit efforts, one of which was a season-best and UMass career-high-tying 14-point performance at Marshall.

Grabbed five or more rebounds 13 times on the year with a high of nine at Rhode Island.

Ranks second on the team in free throw percentage (.821), third in field goal percentage (.450), fourth in three-point percentage (.323), three-point goals made (10) and attempted (31).

#24 Jameel Pugh, 6-4, 200, So., G, Sacramento, Calif.

Hasn't played in last three games (coach's decision) or scored in his last four appearances since a career-high 22-point effort at Fordham.

Averaging 5.3 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 11.4 minutes over 12 appearances off the bench this season.

Ranks third on the team in free throw percentage (.750), fifth in both three-point goals made (seven) and attempted (29, tied with Willie Jenkins), seventh in scoring (5.3 ppg).

Has three double-digit scoring games to his credit this season.

Stands 33rd on Slam's all-time list of the world's top 50 dunkers. UMass alum Julius Erving ('72) ranks third.

#30 Shannon Crooks, 6-2, 222, Sr., G, Boston, Mass.

Tri-captian leads UMass in scoring (14.7 ppg), steals (30), assists (86) and minutes played (772), ranks second in three-point goals made (38), attempted (110) and percentage (.345), fourth in re- bounding (3.7 rpg, tied with Anthony Anderson and Raheim Lamb) and sixth in field goal percentage (.411).

Candidate for A-10's Most Improved Player Award and all-league honors, he had 13 points, four assists and four steals in 36 minutes against St. Bonaventure in Amherst.

Among A-10 leaders in scoring (14.7 ppg, 11th), field goal percentage (.411, ninth), assists (3.91 apg, 11th), assist/turnover ratio (1.43/1, seventh) and steals (14th, 1.36 spg).

The only Minuteman to start all 22 games, he tallied a season-high 24 points at Fordham.

Crooks has produced a team-high 19 double-digit scoring games this season, including four, 20-point efforts, and has led the team in scoring 11 times.

UMass is 5-3 all-time when Crooks scores 20 or more points in a game, 1-3 this season.

The fifth-year senior reached the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career in the La Salle game (has 1,018 points), and needs 25 to reach that mark at UMass.

Ranks 10th on the school's career three-point attempts list (280) and is tied for eighth on the steals list (135). He needs 21 assists (has 280) to crack that top 10, too.

One of three former Bay State preps on this year's roster, Crooks has had at least one assist in 82 of 84 career games as a Minuteman. He has dished out five or more assists eight times this year.

Has averaged 14.5 ppg and shot 44.0 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from three-point range in UMass victories, but averages 14.9 ppg and has hit 39.1 percent from the field and 26.6 percent from behind the arc in its losses.

Over the last seven games, he's hit 87.0 percent (20-of-23) at the foul line to move his season mark from .638 to .696.

In A-10 games only statistics, he's eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.74/1) and assists (4.27 apg), 13th in scoring (14.6 ppg).

#33 Kitwana Rhymer, 6-10, 256, Sr., C, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Tallied four points and six rebounds in 24 minutes against St. Bonaventure his last time out.

Ranks fourth in the A-10 and leads the Minutemen in blocks (1.77 bpg), and has had at least two blocks in 10 outings. He blocked a career-high-tying six shots against Holy Cross.

Averages 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in UMass' wins, but just 5.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg in its losses.

Is fifth on the school's all-time block chart (176), 14 behind No. 4 Edwin Green (1980-84).

Has recorded eight twin-digit scoring games, three double-doubles, and has grabbed five or more rebounds 13 times.

UMass is 6-2 this year when he scores in double figures, 3-0 all-time when he scores 20 or more.

Leads UMass in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and field goal percentage (.521), is fourth in scoring (8.9 ppg) and minutes played (526).

Among A-10 leaders in rebounding (6.0 rpg, 18th) and offensive rebounds (2.36 orpg, 12th).

Averaged 18.0 ppg and 13.5 rpg in UMass' games against UConn and Central Connecticut State, and was rewarded with Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career.

#34 Raheim Lamb, 6-5, 190, So., F, Boston, Mass.

Has averaged 6.3 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 20.1 minutes of work over 22 appearances as a rookie with 10 starts.

Tallied career-high 18 points and five rebounds in career-high 33 minutes vs. St. Bonaventure.

Over his last five starts, he's averaged 8.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg with just three turnovers in 25.0 mpg.

Ranks second on the team in field goal percentage (.460), tied for third in free throw percentage (.750, with Jameel Pugh), and is fourth in blocks (eight), steals (16) and rebounds (3.7 rpg), fifth in minutes (455) and scoring (6.3 ppg).

Averages 5.2 ppg in UMass wins, 7.3 ppg in its losses.

Lamb has scored six or more points 12 times on the year, including five double-digit efforts (UMass is 1-4 in those games), and has grabbed five or more rebounds nine times.

#40 Micah Brand, 6-11, 243, Jr., F, Middletown, N.Y.

UMass' second-leading scorer (9.7 ppg, tied with Anthony Anderson) and rebounder (5.9 rpg).

Did not score in 10 minutes of work before fouling out against St. Bonaventure. Had two rebounds and an assist.

Recorded 10 double-figure scoring games this year, one of which was a career-high-tying 23-point effort against Arkansas-Little Rock in the season-opener.

The Minutemen are 6-4 this season when he scores in double-digits after recording a 4-8 mark in his double-figure scoring games a year ago.

Is second on the team in blocks (23), third in steals (18) and minutes played (570), fourth in field goal shooting (.449).

Ranks 10th in the A-10 in blocks (1.15 bpg) and defensive rebounds (4.25 drpg), 19th in rebounding (5.8 rpg).

Grabbed five or more rebounds 11 times, including three twin-digit efforts, and two double-doubles.

Averaging 11.2 ppg and 5.7 rpg in UMass wins, while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 74.1 percent at the line, but in losses has averaged 8.2 ppg and 5.8 rpg, while hitting 40.7 percent from the field and 52.6 percent at the free throw line.

Shooting 40.0 percent (four-of-10) from three-point range this season.

Twelve of his 16 career 30-plus minute playing stints have come as a junior.

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