University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Hosts ACC Foe Florida State
February 14, 2005 | Men's Basketball
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Feb. 14, 2005
MASSACHUSETTS (12-9) vs. FLORIDA STATE (11-13)
Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2005 • 7 p.m.
Mullins Center (9,493)
Amherst, Mass.
UMass Radio Network
• UMass steps out of conference to take on Florida State of the ACC on Tuesday night at the Mullins Center at 7 p.m. The Minutemen come into the game at 12-9 overall while the Seminoles are 11-13 having lost their last four games in a row. The game ends a three-game road trip for Florida State as the Seminoles lost at Virginia last Wednesday and at No. 6 Wake Forest last Saturday.
• UMass' Bob Behler and Kevin Kennedy call the game on the UMass Radio Network, available on WRNX (100.9 FM) and via umassathletics.com.
• UMass is a perfect 3-0 all-time against teams in the ACC at the time of the game, in games played at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen defeated NC State, 69-62 on Jan. 2, 2003; Wake Forest, 60-46 on Dec. 6, 1995 and Florida State, 62-58 on Feb. 3, 1994.
• In the state of Massachusetts, UMass is also perfect at 5-0 against teams from the ACC with additional wins over Maryland in Springfield and Worcester coming in 1993 and 1997, respectively.
• All-time, UMass is 17-15 against teams from the current ACC, but all 17 wins have come in the last 23 games, dating to the 1993-94 season. UMass has won eight of its last 10 vs. ACC teams and 14-of-19.
• With its win over UConn earlier this season, UMass is looking to beat a Big East team and an ACC team in the same season for the first time since the 1999-2000 season when UMass beat Boston College and Villanova of the Big East and Florida State of the ACC.
Taking On The Tough Teams
• UMass played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation this season, taking on three teams which are ranked in this week's top 25: Boston College (20-1), No. 14/17 Gonzaga (19-4) and No. 19/14 UConn (15-6).
• The Minutemen were ranked in the RPI's top 10 in strength of schedule until late January, ranking as high as No. 4 in mid-January. With some late conference games, UMass has fallen to the Mid-30s in strength of schedule.
• Additionally, UMass has faced three Elite Eight teams from last season's NCAA Tournament: UConn (W, 61-59), Xavier (W, 90-86 3OT), and Saint Joseph's (L, 52-59).
• On Jan. 15, UMass defeated the Atlantic 10's top team, George Washington who was ranked 21st nationally heading into the game. Sophomore Rashaun Freeman's lay-in with 0.4 seconds to play gave the Minutemen a 76-74 overtime win and their second win over a top-25 opponent. Earlier this season, Freeman hit a game-winner against then-No. 7/6 UConn on Dec. 9.
• Prior to this season, the last time UMass beat two ranked teams in the same season was in 1998-99, when the Minutemen upset No. 15 Kansas, 64-60 (1/16/99) and No. 24 Temple, 57-49 (2/28/99). All-time, UMass is 29-61 against ranked teams.
The Series With Florida State
• UMass is 2-1 all-time against Florida State with wins coming in 1994 and 1999. The Seminoles picked a win in the series first match-up in 1992.
• The Minutemen are 17-15 all-time against teams from the current ACC including a 5-2 mark against Virginia Tech -- a former member of the Atlantic 10.
• Against teams from the state of Florida, UMass is 4-6 all-time. The Minutemen have the following marks against the state's teams: Florida (1-1), Florida International (1-0), Florida State (2-1), Florida Tech (0-1), Jacksonville (0-1), Miami (0-1) and South Florida (0-1).
The Last Meeting
• Monty Mack scored a season-high 30 points and hit eight free throws in the final minute as Massachusetts beat Florida State 69-60 in the Orange Bowl Classic Dec. 18, 1999 in Sunrise, Fla. Mack was fouled four times after the Seminoles cut the lead to 60-58, and was flawless from the free-throw line. The senior point guard didn't miss from the free-throw line as he hit all 12 of his free throws. Chris Kirkland added 16 points for the Minutemen. Massachusetts led 39-31 with 14 minutes to play in the second half and looked as if it would pull away. But the Seminoles used an 11-0 run to regain the lead for the first time since having a 19-18 edge early in the first half. Ron Hale ignited the run with seven straight points before teammates Delvon Arrington and Adrian Crawford chipped in with baskets. Hale finished with 22 points. Arrington and Anderson added 10 points apiece for the Seminoles, who shot 45 percent from the field.
Florida State Capsule
• The Seminoles come into the game on a four-game losing streak after falling at No. 6 Wake Forest, 87-48, last Saturday. FSU has won just one of their last six games. Von Wafer leads Florida State with a 14.4 scoring average. Alexander Johnson leads Florida State in rebounding with a 4.7 average.
Winning The Close Ones
• UMass has made a practice of winning the close games this season. The Minutemen are a remarkable 8-1 in games decided by five points or less, suffering their first loss against Richmond (67-63) on Jan. 29. UMass picked up a five-point win at Rhode Island (49-44) on Feb. 9. The Minutemen are 4-0 in two-point games and 1-0 and three-point games. They are also a perfect 3-0 in overtime games winning the triple-OT game over Xavier, 90-86, on Jan. 8; the 76-74 overtime victory over No. 21/22 George Washington on Jan. 15; and most recently, an 82-78 double-overtime win at St. Bonaventure on Jan. 29.
• It is a great turnaround for UMass, which went 2-4 in games decided by four points or less last season.
Overtime Wonders
• This also marks the first time in school history that the Minutemen have won two games in a season which featured multiple overtime periods. It is only the second season that UMass has played in two or more games with multiple OT's.
• Throughout the program's history, UMass has a 50-49 record in overtime.
• In case you're wondering, the most overtime games in one season was five during the 1997-98 season. The Minutemen posted a 2-3 record in those games.
• At 3-0 this season, UMass has posted its second-best overtime win total for a season: 4-0, 1995-96.
The Magic 70 Mark
• UMass is a perfect 8-0 in games the Minutemen score 70 or more points. The St. Bonaventure game was the last instance as the Minutemen posted an easy 74-58 win over the Bonnies on Feb. 5. They have also won games against Fordham (76-63), Yale (70-56), Davidson (70-67), Rider (73-63), Xavier (90-86) and GW (76-74 in OT) this season. Last year, UMass was 7-4 when they scored 70 points.
• Since Steve Lappas took over at UMass, the Minutemen are 25-9 in games which they score 70 points.
