University of Massachusets Athletics
Undefeated UMass Men's Basketball Hosts Northeastern On Wednesday
November 30, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2004
UMASS (2-0) vs. NORTHEASTERN (1-2)
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 1, 2004 • 7 p.m.
MULLINS CENTER (9,493)
AMHERST, MASS.
UMass Radio Network
Undefeated UMass Hosts Northeastern
• The undefeated UMass men's basketball team closes out its season-opening three-game homestand, as the Minutemen host Northeastern and the nation's leading scorer Jose Juan Barea (29.7 ppg) on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. Of the 330 Division I teams, the Minutemen are one of 55 remaining undefeated squads in the nation. Following Wednesday's game, UMass heads into the toughest three-game stretch of the non-conference season. The Minutemen travel to Seattle to take on Gonzaga at Key Arena on Dec. 4. The Minutemen host defending national champion #6/7 Connecticut at the Mullins Center on Dec. 9 before returning to the road for a game at Miami (Fla.) on Dec. 12 at 2 p.m.
• UMass is a 2-0 for just the second time since the Final Four year of 1995-96 after beating Yale, 70-56, last Sunday at the Mullins Center. The only other time in the last nine years UMass started 2-0 was 2001-02, in Steve Lappas' first year in Amherst.
• In the win over Yale, Preseason First Team A-10 selection Rashaun Freeman scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed five rebounds in leading three players in double-figures. Sophomore Maurice Maxwell netted 12 and had a game-high six assists. Freshman Lawrence Carrier scored the first 10 points of his collegiate career in the win. UMass outrebounded the Bulldogs, 51-37 as senior guard Anthony Anderson hauled in a career-high 13 boards and Stephane Lasme had his second career double-figure rebound game with 10. Lasme also blocked six shots.
• With a win vs. Northeastern, UMass would start the year 3-0 for the first time since that 2001-02 season when the Minutemen opened with wins over Arkansas-Little Rock, Marist and Oregon. That team went on to beat NC State to stand 4-0 before losing. Prior to that season, UMass had not been 3-0 to start a year since the Final Four year of 1995-96 when the Minutemen opened the year 26-0.
Northeastern Notables
• The Huskies come into the game with the nation's top scorer, early this season in junior guard Jose Juan Barea. The preseason America East First-Team selection is scoring 29.7 points per game including 30-plus in each of the last two games. He scored 35 in the Huskies' lone win, an 88-85 victory at the Pepsi Marist Tournament in Poughkeepsie. The Huskies have lost to Birmingham-Southern (81-70), whom UMass beat 64-60 on Nov. 23 and fell at Harvard (85-75) in their last game. Marcus Barnes is expected to be back in uniform for Northeastern after missing the last game due to a suspension for violation of team rules. Barnes transferred from Miami (Fla.) prior to last season, averaged 20.5 points in the first two games this year. Freshman Shawn James scored 18 points and had eight rebounds in his collegiate debut at Harvard last Saturday. Northeastern averages 26 three-point shots per game, led by Barea, who takes 10 a game, making 37.5 percent.
Schedule Irony
• UMass faces Northeastern on Wednesday for the first time since 1989 -- marking the second team in as many games which the Minutemen have not played since the 1989-90 season, as they beat Yale last Sunday. Ironically, the last time UMass played Yale and Northeastern, came in back-to-back games just three days apart on Dec. 6 and 9, 1989, which is similar to this year's games on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1, 2004.
The Series With Northeastern
• The longtime rivalry with Northeastern has been renewed this season after 15 years off. UMass leads the all-time series, 33-16, having won two of the last three meetings.
• UMass and the Huskies last played on Dec. 9, 1989 in Boston, as Northeastern won, 79-73. In that loss, Tony Barbee had 22 points, all-time leading scorer Jim McCoy and Harper Williams each had 16.
• The teams played once every calendar year from 1974-to-1989 -- as they did not play during the 1983-84 season.UMass won nine of those 14 meetings.
• The series started in 1922, as UMass beat Northeastern 30-12 on Feb. 18, 1922. NU's first win in the series came on Jan. 26, 1929, a 32-17 victory.
SEASON OUTLOOK CAPSULE
• Heading into the 2004-2005 season, the UMass basketball team looks to return to its place among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference. With all five starters returning from last year's squad, and some talented newcomers joining the team, the Minutemen should once again have the ingredients necessary to contend in the league, and make a run at their first postseason tournament bid since 1999-2000.
• Although last year's Minutemen were only able to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 East Division, they showed some flashes of what UMass fans can expect to see in years to come. UMass led the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots with an average of 5.3 per game, while standing second in assists with an average of 15.4 per contest.
• To build the 2004-2005 team, the Minutemen have 11 players returning, including all five starters and nine of the 10 scholarship lettermen off last year's squad. All told, the 11 returnees provided 93.4 percent of the scoring and 91.3 percent of the rebounding a year ago. They will be joined by a cast of three newcomers, who will look to help the Minutemen return to the postseason this spring. The returning starters for the Minutemen this year are senior Anthony Anderson, junior Jeff Viggiano, and sophomores Rashaun Freeman, Art Bowers and Maurice Maxwell.
UMASS AMONG LEAGUE FAVORITES
• As the preseason basketball publications continue to roll in, the UMass men's basketball team continues to garner national attention. In CBS Sportsline/Basketball News Preview, the Minutemen have been picked as the favorites to win the Atlantic 10 East Division. UMass was also selected as the No. 1 team in the East by Lindy's preseason magazine.
• In addition to being picked as the top team in the East, Rashaun Freeman has also been named CBS Sportsline/Basketball News Preview's Conference Player of the Year. Freeman has also been named to the publication's preseason Atlantic 10 first team while senior guard Anthony Anderson has been named to the preseason second team.
• According to this preview magazine, "Massachusetts has five starters back and hopes to return to glory ... UMass might start to wake some of the echoes of old as they make some noise in the A-10."
• According to Lindy's, "UMass will win the A-10 East because it has the best returning talent. ... The Minutemen return the A-10's best low-post scorer (Freeman), two gifted young wings (Art Bowers, Maurice Maxwell) and a senior point guard (Anthony Anderson)."
• Freeman has also been named the league's top rebounder, is a member of the preseason all-conference first-team and is ranked as the 17th center in the nation according to the magazine.
• Anderson was also named to the preseason all-conference third team. Additionally, the magazine is quoted as saying, newcomer front-court player Lawrence Carrier will be a player to "keep an eye on."
• In checking other preseason magazines, Freeman has also been named to the preseason All-Atlantic 10 first team according to Athlon Sports College Basketball as well as in Street & Smith's College Basketball Preview. In Street & Smith's, Freeman was named the A-10's best rebounder.
ANDERSON LEADS MINUTEMEN IN BACKCOURT
• Senior captain Anthony Anderson is once again be the leader on the court for UMass this season. Last year, Anderson averaged 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest, while hitting 38.7 percent from three-point range and posting a 1.7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. In addition, he became the 36th career 1,000-point scorer in UMass history during the game at Richmond on March 6, 2004, finishing the year with 1,007 career points scored. Anderson also hit the 200th three-point shot of his UMass career at Fordham on January 28, becoming only the fourth player in school history to accomplish that feat.
• Anderson passed Tyrone Weeks for 35th on the all-time scoring list in the season opener vs. Birmingham Southern with 14 points and moved to 34th vs. Yale with six points. With 1,027, he should continue to fly up the all-time list in the next few games.
• He is ranked third on the school's all-time chart for three-pointers made (233), and three-point attempts (598) and fifth in three-point percentage (.390). Anderson needs to hit 99 three-point shots to break Monty Mack's school record for three-pointers made (331), which was set from 1997-2001.
• In addition, Anderson totaled 102 assists in 2003-2004, becoming only the sixth player in school history to record 100 or more assists in three consecutive seasons (joining Charlton Clarke, Joe DiSarcina, Alex Eldridge, Derek Kellogg and Carl Smith). If he posts 100 or more assists again in 2004-2005, Anderson will join Smith as the only Minutemen to reach triple digits in assists four times.
• Anderson is now 10th all-time in career assists at UMass with 316. He passed Shannon Crooks (310) in the season opener with three vs. Birmingham Southern. Next on the list are a pair of major college coaches: Boston College coach Al Skinner, who had 320 from 1972-74 and Louisville mentor Rick Pinto, who had 329 during the same era.
FREEMAN HAS IMPRESSIVE START
• Center/Forward Rashaun Freeman, who established himself as one of the top young players in the nation last season, should be a top candidate for All-America and Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year honors in 2004-2005. Freeman was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year last season, in addition to being selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District I second team and the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team.
• In 29 games played last year, Freeman averaged team bests of 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds, while hitting 54.9 percent of his shots from the floor and posting 12 double doubles. A seven-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week selection last season, Freeman had his top game in the victory over St. Bonaventure on February 28, when he totaled 31 points and a Mullins Center-record 18 rebounds, while hitting 14 of 19 field goal attempts.
• Among Atlantic 10 players who are returning for the 2004-2005 season, Freeman ranks first in both rebounding and field goal percentage, and third in scoring.
BOWERS, MAXWELL & VIGGIANO FILL KEY ROLES
• Sophomore guard Art Bowers, sophomore guard Maurice Maxwell and junior forward Jeff Viggiano will all be key players for the Minutemen this year, after starting for most of the 2003-2004 season. Bowers was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team last season, after averaging 9.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest. Maxwell just missed a spot on last year's Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team, as he averaged 8.1 points, 3.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Viggiano, who was a starter for the Minutemen for the majority of the last two seasons, averaged 9.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest in 2003-2004.
DIALING LONG DISTANCE
• The three-point shot has become an important part of the UMass offense since Steve Lappas began his tenure as head coach, and that should continue in 2004-2005. Last season, UMass was 192 of 573 from three-point range (33.5 percent), to record the second-highest totals in school history for both three-point shots made and attempted. In addition, the Minutemen set school single-game records for both three-point field goals made (18) and attempted (40) during last year's game at Temple on March 3. During Lappas' first season at UMass in 2001-2002, the Minutemen set the school records for both three-point field goals made (204) and three-point field goals attempted (587). In 2002-2003, UMass sank 164 three-pointers (fifth-most in school history), while attempting 544 shots from beyond the arc (third-most in school history). Massachusetts has made at least one three-point goal in 180 straight games, heading into the 2004-2005 season.
BLOCK PARTY
• The Minutemen to once again be among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 at blocking shots during the 2004-2005 season. Last year, UMass totaled 155 blocks in 29 games, good for an average of 5.34 blocks per contest. The Minutemen stood far ahead of every other school in the Atlantic 10, as Richmond finished the season ranked second with an average of 4.33 blocks. In the final NCAA statistics, UMass ranked 12th in the nation with its average of 5.33 blocks per game. Leading the way for the Minutemen was freshman forward Stephane Lasme, who totaled 51 blocks to rank second in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 1.8 blocks per game.
MULLINS MAGIC
• UMass is in its 13th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, and has posted an all-time record of 102-42 in the building. The Minutemen went 8-7 at the Mullins Center last season, recording their 100th all-time victory at Mullins against St. Bonaventure on February 28.
• With the addition of last year's 8-7 mark at Mullins, UMass has not had a losing record at home since moving into the new arena in 1992-1993. In fact, UMass has gone 21 straight seasons without having a losing record on its home court. The Minutemen also own a 62-27 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.
• UMass will welcome its 1,000,000th fan to a men's basketball game at Mullins early this season as 985,604have come through the turnstiles following the first game this season (14,394 more fans). The 1,000,000th fan will receive two season tickets to the 2005-06 season and two plane tickets to anwhere USAir flies in the country.
• This season, UMass will play a school-record 17 home games at Mullins.
Making The Road Trips Count
• UMass has just 10 road games this season and only two prior to Jan. 12. The Minutemen will travel far and wide as part of their road schedule this season with trip to opposite corners of the country. UMass heads to Seattle to face Gonzaga at Key Arena on Dec. 4. That trip is the longest on the schedule at 2,980 miles.
• The following weekend after the trip to Seattle, UMass heads to Coral Gables, Fla., home of the University of Miami for a game on Dec. 12. That trip is 1,471 miles. Sandwiched between those cross-country ventures is a match-up with defending national champion UConn on Dec. 9.
• Overall, UMass travels 7,129 miles during the regular-season for an average trip of 713 miles.
