University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Starts Las Vegas Games Slate With Clemson Monday
November 22, 2015 | Men's Basketball
| UMass Men's Basketball Weekly Release: Men Who Speak Up MGM Grand Main Event | |
| Game Four | Massachusetts (3-0 overall) vs. Clemson (3-0) |
| Date | Time | Monday, Nov. 23, 2015 | 9:30 p.m. ET |
| Location | MGM Grand Garden Arena (16,800) | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Live Statistics | StatBroadcast |
| Watch | YouTube |
| Listen (Radio) | 105.5 FM WEEI (Western Massachusetts), 830 AM WCRN (Worcester), 95.9 FM WATD (South Shore), 1200 AM WXKS (Boston, Manchester, Providence) |
| Listen (Online) | WEEI Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Tournament Info | Men Who Speak Up MGM Grand Main Event |
| Series History | Series tied, 1-1. Last meeting: UMass 62, Clemson 56; Nov. 24, 2013 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | Clemson | Atlantic 10 | ACC |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Clemson |
| @UMassAthletics | @UMassBasketball | #GoUMass | |
| UMass Athletics | |
| Buy Tickets | Available here |
UMass-Clemson Scouting Report
Massachusetts and Clemson meet for the third time in the history of the programs during the semifinal round of the 2015 Men Who Speak Up MGM Grand Main Event, hosted in Las Vegas. Both squads sport identical 3-0 record heading into the game. The winner of the contest goes on to face either Creighton or Rutgers in the tournament's championship game on Wednesday.
The Tigers sport wins over North Carolina Center, 74-40; Texas-San Antonio, 78-45 and Texas Southern, 76-56. Jaron Blossomgame's 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks paved the way for Clemson's undefeated start. Donte Grantham's 14.7 points follows while Jordan Roper scores 10.0 a game with 5.3 assists dished out on average.
UMass came away victorious during the most recent meeting between the sides, a 62-56 decision in the Charleston Classic Championship Game on Nov. 24, 2013. Recent NBA draft pick Cady Lalanne put together a dominant performance with 20 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks as the Minutemen led for all but two minutes, nine seconds of the game.
Follow UMass Athletics And UMass Basketball On Twitter
Instant information on the basketball program, including an inside look at key points and statistics in each game as well as updates from practice and other team events are available via the Twitter handle @UMassBasketball. Follow the Minutemen there and catch information about each University of Massachusetts Athletic Department program through @UMassAthletics.
Davis, Hinds Reach Games Played Century Mark
Senior guard Trey Davis and redshirt senior guard Jabarie Hinds played in their 100th career games against Central Arkansas on Nov. 19. Each of Davis' 100 career appearances came as a member of the UMass men's basketball squad while Hinds' total includes his two seasons at West Virginia, during which he played in 65 contests. Davis was a starter in 35 of his appearances through three games of the 2015-16 season. Hinds heard his name called for lineups nine times at UMass with 59 games as a starter at West Virginia.
Hinds' High-Scoring Start To The Season
Jabarie Hinds reset or tied his UMass single-game scoring high in each of the opening three contests of the 2015-16 season. After Hinds entered the year with a personal best of 17 while wearing the Maroon and White he eclipsed that total with 19 points in the season opener against Howard. At Harvard, Hinds poured in 24 points and matched that output versus Central Arkansas. His former one-game high mark at West Virginia, where he played in 2011-12 and 2012-13, was 20.
Swishing And Dishing
In addition to pouring in the points, Jabarie Hinds dishes out the second-most assists per game in the Atlantic 10 through three contests with an average of 6.0 per appearance (18 total). Starting at point guard and averaging 35.3 minutes per game, he owns a +4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio on the strength of only four turnovers in 106 minutes on the floor. His assist-to-turnover ratio currently ranked tied for seventh in the A-10.
New Faces Crashing The Boards
A pair of Minutemen eclipsed double-digits in rebounds for the first time in their collegiate careers over the opening three contests of the season in C.J. Anderson and Zach Coleman. Anderson, a 6-foot-6 guard, ripped down 12 boards, including 10 from the defensive glass, during the 89-62 victory over Central Arkansas on Nov. 19. Coleman produced a dozen (nine defensive) at Harvard in the 69-63 victory two days prior. Anderson's previous one-game best was five while Coleman's was six.
Hinds' Career High Helps Minutemen To Road Win At Harvard
Jabarie Hinds tallied a career-best 24 points (8-16 FG, 4-8 3FG, 4-4 FT) and led UMass to its 69-63 victory at Harvard. Hinds' previous high came at West Virginia when he poured in 20 points against Iowa State on Jan. 16, 2013. His 24-point game at Harvard marked the second 20-plus point performance of his career. His previous UMass best was the 19 points he scored against Howard in the 2015-16 season-opener.
Clark Picks Up Where He Left Off
Donte Clark scored in double figures during each of the final five games of his true freshman season in 2014-15 and averaged 14.4 points per game in the span. He started the 2015-16 campaign on a similar note as Clark finished 8-of-12 on field goal attempts for 16 points during the comeback win over Howard (11/14).
Davis' Late-Game Heroics Versus Howard
Trey Davis scored 19 points over 34 minutes played against Howard in the season-opener, 12 of which came during the final three minutes, 30 seconds of the contest. These 12 points spurred the Minutemen on to their 14-point comeback as Davis went 7-of-8 at the foul line and 2-of-3 from the floor in that span. One of his two made baskets late in the game was a long-range 3-pointer Davis swished from just outside the edge of UMass center court logo.
Starting The Season Off Right
UMass began its 2015-16 campaign with an 85-79 victory over Howard on Nov. 14, marking the sixth consecutive season Massachusetts opened with a win. The last time the Minutemen did not start the year triumphantly was 2009-10, when the squad dropped an 84-67 game at UCF. Massachusetts is 7-1 during its first game of each of Derek Kellogg's seasons as head coach and 74-34 all-time (.685) in its openers.
The Good Start Continues At Harvard, Versus Central Arkansas
Massachusetts made it three wins in a row to start the season with its 69-63 victory at Harvard on Nov. 17 and an 89-62 rout of Central Arkansas two days later. The 3-0 start marks the third consecutive season UMass began the year with as many victories and fifth in Derek Kellogg's eight seasons as head coach.
Playing Clean Leads To Wins
UMass only turned the ball over six times during the 69-63 win at Harvard on Nov. 17, 2015, its fewest giveaway since the squad had five in n 80-62 win over Saint Joseph's on Feb. 9, 2013. It was a span of 77 contests between the two outings. Over the previous five seasons, the Minutemen have committed less than 10 turnovers on 10 occasions and are 7-3 in those contests.
Cady Lalanne Chosen In 2015 NBA Draft UMass men's basketball senior center Cady Lalanne was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round with the 55th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Lalanne became the first Minuteman since Stephane Lasme (2007) to be chosen in the NBA Draft and 16th all-time from UMass. He was the only player picked from an Atlantic 10 Conference school.
14-Point Comeback Vs. Howard Among Best In Kellogg's Era
UMass men's basketball erased a 14-point second half deficit against Howard in the 2015-16 season-opener, the largest comeback by the program since Massachusetts turned a 17-point disadvantage at Drexel into a 72-70 victory on March 20, 2012.
It was 99 games between Minuteman comebacks of at least 14 points. During Derek Kellogg's tenure as head coach, the Minutemen own five victories after they trailed by 14 or more points. It is also the second-largest second half deficit overcome by a Kellogg-led team behind only the triumph over Drexel.
Basketball Moves In To Champions Center
The University of Massachusetts men's and women's basketball program moved into their first dedicated team facility during the Summer 2015 with the introduction of the John Francis Kennedy Champions Center for UMass Basketball. The 53,000-square foot building offers a state-of-the-art facility for the Minutemen and Minutewomen that will benefit generations of basketball student-athletes to come.
The structure is named in honor of longtime athletics support John Francis Kennedy, who donated the lead gift of $11 million toward the project. The 53,000-square foot facility houses the daily operations for the UMass men's and women's basketball programs. The $22-million facility features dedicated practice courts for each team, office space for the coaching staffs, locker rooms and areas for strength and conditioning along with athletic training services. It also contains Legacy Hall, which will display the rich history of UMass basketball along the building's Eastern corridor.
The creation of the facility has several additional benefits for the University, the community and other programs within the athletics department. Current space utilized in the Mullins Center for basketball will be converted to additional support areas for athletics. The dedicated practice space for the basketball program will allow more open dates for the Mullins Center to schedule entertainment groups such as concerts, theatrical productions and other performers. The teams will no longer need to schedule practices in the Curry Hicks Cage as well, which will allow more time for other athletics programs and University-related organizations to use the space.
John F. Kennedy holds multiple degrees from a pair of University of Massachusetts campuses, including a bachelor's in mathematics UMass Lowell (then known as Lowell Technological Institute) in 1970 and a master's in accounting from the flagship campus in Amherst in 1976. The Naples, Fla., resident is the retired President and CFO of Nova Ventures Corp., of Woburn, Mass. Kennedy founded the Kennedy Foundation, which supports academic efforts at the University of Massachusetts and UMass Lowell. In the Spring 2014, he was awarded the UMass Amherst Distinguished Achievement Award. Additionally, he is the Past President of the UMass Amherst Foundation.
