University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Closes Out Homestand Vs. Defending A-10 Champs Xavier
January 07, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2005
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MASSACHUSETTS (6-5, 0-1) vs. XAVIER (6-4, 0-0)
Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005 • 2 p.m.
Mullins Center (9,493)
Amherst, Mass.
A-10 TV (NESN) • UMass Radio Network
UMass Closes Out Homestand Vs. Defending A-10 Champs Xavier
• UMass (6-5, 0-1) closes out its longest homestand in more than 70 years as defending A-10 champion Xavier (6-4, 0-0) comes to the Mullins Center for a conference match-up on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be the first A-10 contest for the Musketeers which captured last year's A-10 Tournament and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The game will be broadcast live on the A-10 Television network with Dave Weekley and Ron Perry calling the action. In the New England region, the game will be aired on NESN. The game is second in a doubleheader on the A-10 Network with Saint Joseph's and Rhode Island playing at Noon.
• UMass is 3-2 in the first five games of the six-game stretch at Mullins. The last time the program had as many games at home in a row came in the 1930-31 season when UMass had seven games in a row at home at Drill Hall, the team's last season in the facility before legendary Curry Hicks Cage was opened in 1931-32.
• The game with Xavier is the second of a four-game stretch of televised games for UMass, as the Temple game last Wednesday was carried on CN8. When UMass finally hits the road after a month at home, the Saint Joseph's game on Jan. 12 will air on CN8 and the game at nationally-ranked George Washington on Jan. 15 will be on the A-10 Network again (NESN in New England).
UMass Honors Hall of Fame Inductees
• Three former All-Americans, a two-sport standout and a pair of former head coaches comprise the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame's Class of 2004 which was inducted on Friday night and will be recognized at halftime of the Xavier game. This year's class includes All-Americans Bob Foote (Class of 1962, football), Mark Millon (Class of 1994, lacrosse) and Michael Quinn (Class of 1979, cross country, track and field); two-sport star Marjorie Anderson (Class of 1982, lacrosse, soccer); and head coaches John Calipari (men's basketball) and Dick MacPherson (football).
• In all, 43 nominations were received for consideration this year. The Class of 2004 is scheduled to be honored on the UMass campus this winter. The Hall of Fame was resurrected in 1996 following a 15-year period of dormancy, and today boasts 73 members.
Taking On The Tough Teams
• UMass comes into the game having played the seventh-most difficult slate according to College RPI (as of Jan. 3). Through Monday, UMass' opponents had a combined record of 70-36 for a 66.0 win percentage. The Minutemen have played or will play five teams ranked in the top 25 by the RPI: No. 3 Boston College, No. 9 George Washington, No. 11 Gonzaga, No. 20 Temple and No. 25 UConn. Temple, which beat UMass last Wednesday plays the nation's toughest schedule according to College RPI.
Freeman Named A-10 Co-Player of the Week
• UMass' sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman was named co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on Sunday, Jan. 2. He shared the honor with LaSalle's Steven Smith.
• In Massachusetts' only game of the week, Freeman recorded 25 points and 13 rebounds as the Minutemen downed Boston University, 67-65, on Dec. 28. The game marked his seventh double-figure scoring game of the season. He was 6-11 (.545) from the field and 13-14 (.929) from the foul line. The 13 free throws represent a career-high. He also had two blocks, an assist, and a steal.
• It was Freeman's second Player of the Week citation of the season. He also earned the honor after the win over UConn, taking home the accolade on Dec. 12.
The Series With Xavier
• Saturday's game marks the 15th meeting between Massachusetts and Xavier. With the series beginning in the 1990-91 season, the Musketeers hold a 6-8 series advantage entering Saturday's tip-off as the Musketeers have won four in a row.
• Prior to the Musketeers' current win streak, UMass had won two straight and four of the previous six meetings between the schools.
• The Minutemen are 2-2 against Xavier in the Mullins Center. The Feb. 20 1999 contest against the Musketeers stands as the last home overtime game for Massachusetts. UMass gave the fans a thriller that night as they held on for a 78-77 double-overtime win. For all games played in Cincinnati, the series is tied 3-3, including a 1-1 mark at the Cintas Center. UMass gave Xavier its first-ever loss at the Cintas Center on Jan. 9, 2001, and remains one of only four A-10 teams to ever win in the building. Minuteman head coach Steve Lappas has a career record of 1-4 against the Musketeers, while Xavier head coach Sean Miller is in his first game vs. UMass.
The Last Meetings...
• Last season, five players scored in double-figures to lead Xavier to a 64-44 win in Cincinnati on Feb. 14, 2004. Art Bowers was the lone Minuteman to reach double-digits as he scored 10 points. The Musketeers hit 10 three-pointers for the game and held UMass to just 19 first-half points in the win. Justin Cage had a game-high 12 points for Xavier.
• The last game at Mullins came on Jan. 18, 2003, as Xavier beat UMass, 86-73. In that game, Jackie Rogers had a team-high 23 for UMass. The only current team members to play in that game were Anthony Anderson and Jeff Viggiano. For XU, Romain Sato had 24 points and All-American and current New Orleans Hornet David West had 21.
Xavier Capsule
• Xavier (6-4) enters today's match-up on a four-game win streak after defeating Iowa State on Monday, 72-59. Brian Thornton leads the Musketeers with 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. In the win streak, they also picked up wins over Lehigh (69-63), IPFW (80-74) and Marshall (69-46).
• Miami (Fla.) is the only common opponent thus far on Xavier's schedule and the Musketeers beat the Hurricanes, 83-70 in overtime on Nov. 27.
Off to the Good Start
• The Minutemen look for their fourth win in six games on Saturday -- all at home. The Mullins Center has proven a true `sixth-man' this season as the squad has produced a 6-3 record in front of the home crowd.
• Last season, UMass didn't pick up its seventh win of the season until Jan. 24, 2004 -- the 17th game of the season. In fact, since 1995-96, the earliest UMass won its seventh game of the season came in the 1997-98 season when they won the 12th game of that season on Jan. 3, 1998 beating Saint Joseph's (72-66).
Historic Milestones Keep On Coming
• The milestones continue to come for UMass basketball. The game vs. Boston College on Jan. 2 was the 150th all-time at the Mullins Center, as UMass comes into the game with a 106-45 recording including 6-3 this season.
• The game with Boston University on Dec. 28 was the 2,000th game in program history for UMass. All-time the Minutemen -- as they are currently known -- are 1050-952. The first game in school history was played on Jan. 10, 1900 as UMass defeated the Northampton YMCA, 14-9 at a game played in Amherst at Drill Hall. The 1,000th game in school history came on Jan. 31, 1972 as the then-Redmen defeated Springfield College, 82-63 at Curry Hicks Cage.
• The Jan. 5 game with Temple was the 500th game which UMass' Steve Lappas has served as a head coach in the college basketball ranks. Lappas has a 270-230 career record in 16-plus seasons at Manhattan (1988-92), Villanova (1992-2001) and UMass (2001-present). Lappas coached 118 games with the Jaspers, compiling a 56-62 record; he coached 284 games with the Wildcats, posting a 174-110 record and is 40-58 in 98 career games at UMass.
• He will coach his 100th game at UMass a week from Wednesday at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 12.
• Earlier this season, UMass welcomed its millionth men's basketball fan to the Mullins Center, as 10-year old Zachary Gabor, came through the turnstiles at the Davidson game on Dec. 19. Currently 1,017,341fans have come to men's basketball games at Mullins.
Bowers and Freeman Lead The Charge
• Sophomore Rashaun Freeman has scored in double-figures in four of his last five games as he had a team-high 13 vs. Boston College last Sunday. It was his eighth double-figure game this season and 32nd in 40 career games. Freeman had 25 points, including 15 in the second half against Boston University on Dec. 28. Freeman had his second straight game of 20 or more points and eighth of his career as he netted 20 against Rider on Dec. 23. The BU game was also his third career game with 25 or more points and first this season.
• Against BU Freeman also had 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double (third this season and 15th of his career). He also hauled down 13 boards vs. Rider. The 13 rebounds were his most since his career-high and Mullins Center record 18 vs. St. Bonaventure on Feb. 28, 2004. • Freeman also made a career-high 13 free throws on 14 attempts against the Terriers. It was the best percentage of his career (92.9). This came on the heels of an 8-for-15 shooting performance vs. Rider. Also, he was shooting 55.1 percent from the line this season (27-for-49) coming into the BU game.
• Overall, Freeman is the team's top scorer at 15.0 points per game, which ranks seventh in the A-10. His team-best 7.6 rebounding average is sixth in the A-10 and his 50.4 field goal percentage is fourth in the league.
• Freeman was named A-10 Player of the Week for the second time this season on Jan. 2 after his BU performance.
• Sophomore Art Bowers was red-hot averaging 16.3 points over four games from Dec. 12-28, after starting the year with a 7.4 ppg average through five games. Even with an eight-point game vs. Temple, he is scoring 13.0 points in his last six games. Bowers has also hit 17 of his last 46 from three-point range (37 percent) after starting the year 1-for-23. That included a stretch of 14-for-28 (50 percent) from Dec. 12-23.
• Bowers is second on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game.
• Bowers set his career-high in points with 21 vs. Rider. He previously scored 19 vs. Temple on Jan. 24, 2004. He tied his career-best for made field goals, as he also set that original mark in that Temple game. Bowers' five made three-pointers was a career-high as he made four on three previous occasions.
• Bowers continued his heroics as he converted the game-winning three-point play against Boston University on Dec. 28 with 19 seconds remaining. Bowers finished that game with 15 points for his fourth consecutive contest in double-figures and 17th of his career with 10-or-more points.
Anderson Climbs The All-Time Charts
• 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.
• After starting the year 36th in career scoring, Anderson is now 27th all-time in career scoring with 1,088 points. He passed Shannon Crooks (1,074) and Jack Foley (1,081) in the Boston College game after moving past Alex Eldridge (1,053) in the Gonzaga game. He moved past four players in the Northeastern game: Dana Dingle (1,043), Charlton Clarke (1,041), David Brown (1,037) and Derick Claiborne (1,033).
• He is now second on the school's all-time chart for three-pointers made (248) as he passed Carmelo Travieso (245) in the Boston College game. Anderson is third in three-point attempts (643) and fifth in three-point percentage (.390). Anderson needs to hit 85 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 2003-04, 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 eighth all-time in career assists at UMass with 334 as he passed current Boston College coach Al Skinner (320) in the Gonzaga game and Louisville mentor Rick Pinto, who had 329 from 1973-74.
• In career steals, Anderson is just four away from being tied for ninth in career thefts, as he has 131. Both Tony Barbee and Anton Brown had 135 in the early 90s.
• This season, Anderson is third on the team in scoring (10.1), second in assists (3.1) and second in rebounding (5.0). He hauled down a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Yale. Anderson is also shooting a strong percentage from three-point range, (.356), hitting 21-of-59 this season.
More Minute Matters
• Senior guard Chris Chadwick led UMass to a perfect 3-0 record as the team's starting point guard in Anthony Anderson's absence. In fact, UMass is 4-2 this season when Chadwick starts as he also was in the starting five for the win over Yale. The only loss came in the last game vs. Boston College.
• In his three starts when Anderson was out, Chadwick played 34.3 minutes per game including a career-high 38 vs. Boston Univ. on Dec. 28. He averaged 8.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
• Sophomore Maurice Maxwell broke out of a mini-slump with his first double-figure game in five games with 11 against BU. He averaged just 6.3 over his previous four games after scoring 14.5 over the first four games.
• Freshman Olivier Lamoureux made his collegiate debut against Boston University entering the game with 10:23 left in the first half. The Montreal native had been hampered by various injuries this season (hernia, shoulder, Achilles).
• Freshman Lawrence Carrier, who is seeing increased time with the ankle injury to Jeff Viggiano played a career-high 24 minutes vs. BU. He also made the first free throw of his collegiate career early in the second half as he missed his first five this season.
• Fellow freshman Jeff Salovski played a career-high 18 minutes vs. Temple and hauled down a career-best nine rebounds. He scored four points in the game for the fifth time this season.
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 106-45 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.
• This year, UMass is 6-3 at the Mullins Center as they host a school-record 17 games. UMass hosted the 150th game at the building on Jan. 2, as Boston College beat the Minutemen, 67-48.
• 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 1992-93. 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.
Congrats To Our Millionth Fan
• Ten-year old Zachary Gabor of Amherst, Mass. was the millionth fan to attend a men's basketball game at the Mullins Center as he was the 1,680th person to enter the Dec. 19 game vs. Davidson. He received two season tickets and free concessions for two to the 2005-06 men's basketball season along with two plane tickets courtesy of USAir and hotel accommodations to the 2005 Atlantic 10 Tournament in Cincinnati, along with tickets to the games.
• The all-time attendance at the Mullins Center is 1,013,202 for an average of 6,755 in 150 games at the building.
• This season, UMass drew 9,037 to the UConn game on Dec. 9 which was the largest in four seasons and the biggest since the last sellout at the Mullins Center, when 9,493 came to the UMass-Temple game on Feb. 17, 2001.
• The 6,837 for the Boston College game was the most for a non-UConn game since that last sellout.
UMass Shocks Champion UConn; Freeman Honored By A-10
• UMass shocked defending national champion No. 7/6 UConn on Dec. 9 with a stirring 61-59 win over the Huskies. Before a national audience on ESPN2 and the largest crowd in four years at the Mullins Center. Rashaun Freeman scored the game-winning layup with 4.3 seconds left on the clock. After Denham Brown's three-point field goal came up short the Mullins Center crowd went wild storming the court. The game was featured as the lead story on SportsCenter.
• For his efforts in the 61-59 upset victory over No. 7 UConn on Dec. 9, Freeman was tabbed the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week. He shared the weekly honor with senior guard T.J. Thompson of George Washington who averaged 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in two wins.
• Pacing UMass with 18 points and eight rebounds against UConn, the Preseason A-10 First Team selection came up big time and again for the Minutemen, who beat the Huskies for the first time in 14 meetings.
• The Huskies came back from a 12-point, first-half deficit and held a tenuous five-point lead late in the game until Freeman hit consecutive baskets with under four minutes left, pulling the Minutemen within 55-54. His layup to win the game snapped UConn's 13-game win streak versus UMass and, more impressively, UConn's 88-game streak extending back to 1986 versus non-conference New England teams.
• UConn entered the game averaging 60.0 rebounds per game and outrebounding their opponents by 25.0 per game. UMass tied them on the glass in the game, 39-39. The Minutemen outrebounded the Huskies in the first half, 23-21. UMass outscored Connecticut 42-24 in the paint for the game.
• The win over UConn came in the first instance that a defending national champion had visited Amherst, and the Mullins Center.
• UMass is now 3-1 all-time against defending national champions, as the Minutemen posted win in back-to-back seasons in their first ever meetings with the NCAA trophy holders. UMass knocked off North Carolina, 91-86, in overtime on Nov. 24, 1993 as part of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden. One year later, UMass thumped Arkansas, 104-80, on Nov. 25, 1994 in the Tip-Off Classic at the Springfield Civic Center. UMass' last game against a champ came on Nov. 22, 1999, as the Minutemen lost to UConn at Gampel Pavilion, 79-65, on Nov. 22, 1999.
• The crowd of 9,037 was the largest in four seasons and the biggest since the last sellout at the Mullins Center, when 9,493 came to the UMass-Temple game on Feb. 17, 2001.
• UMass picked its first win over a ranked team since March 9, 2001 when they beat No. 21 Saint Joseph's, 75-70 in the A-10 Tournament.
• It was UMass' first win over a top-10 team since a 78-61 win over No. 10 Maryland on Feb. 15, 1997.
• It was UMass' first win over UConn since Dec. 15, 1983, with UMass winning 67-65 in overtime at the Cage.
• UMass was the first team from New England outside of the Big East to beat UConn since 1986.
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 2004-05 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, sophomores Rashaun Freeman, Art Bowers and Maurice Maxwell. Junior Jeff Viggiano started last season but was coming off the bench prior to his injury as sophomore Stephane Lasme has taken over as the starting power forward. Thus, UMass starts four sophomores and one senior with the top four reserves as a senior (Chris Chadwick), a junior (Viggiano) and two freshmen (Lawrence Carrier and Jeff Salovski).
UMass Among League Favorites
• As the preseason basketball publications rolled 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.
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 was in Seattle to face Gonzaga at Key Arena on Dec. 4. That trip was the longest on the schedule at 2,980 miles.
• The weekend following the trip to Seattle, UMass headed to Coral Gables, Fla., home of the University of Miami for a game on Dec. 12. That trip was 1,471 miles. Sandwiched between those cross-country ventures was the match-up with defending national champion UConn on Dec. 9.
• Overall, UMass travels 14,258 (7,129 each way) miles during the regular-season for an average trip of 713 miles each way.
Tough Stretch
• UMass finished its most difficult three-game stretch of the season, having played at perennial NCAA team Gonzaga in Seattle on Dec. 4 (losing, 68-57), beating No. 7/6 UConn (61-59) before falling at ACC newcomer Miami (Fla.) on Dec. 12, 80-53, in Coral Gables. UMass's two trips sandwiched around the UConn game, covered more than 8,900 miles, hitting two of the furthest corners of the country. The games in Seattle and Miami were UMass' only two road games prior to Jan. 12, but happened just eight days apart and covered nearly 4,500 miles each way.
Starting 2-0
• UMass started the year 2-0 for just the second time since the Final Four year of 1995-96 after beating Yale, 70-56, on Nov. 27, 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.
