University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Meet VCU in A-10 Quarterfinals Friday
March 11, 2016 | Men's Basketball
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information | |
| Game 32 | #10 Massachusetts (14-17 overall) vs. #2 VCU (22-9) |
| Date | Time | Friday, March 11, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. ET |
| Location | Barclays Center (18,103) | Brooklyn, N.Y. | Directions |
| Live Statistics | Link available here at tipoff |
| Watch | NBC Sports Network |
| Listen (Radio) | 105.5 FM WEEI (Western Massachusetts), 830 AM WCRN (Worcester) 95.5 WATD (South Shore) and 1200 AM WXKS (Boston, Manchester, Providence) |
| Listen (Online) | WEEI Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Series History | VCU leads 3-2. Last: Massachusetts 69, VCU 63; Feb 11, 2016 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | VCU |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | VCU |
| @UMassAthletics | @UMassBasketball | #GoUMass | |
| UMass Athletics | |
| Buy Tickets | Available through Ticketmaster |
| Tournament Info | 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship Central |
UMass-VCU Scouting Report
No. 10 seeded Massachusetts continues its Atlantic 10 Championship run with a tough test in the quarterfinal round when the Minutemen challenge No. 2 VCU at the Barclays Center on Fri., March 11 in a 6:30 p.m. game broadcast live on NBC Sports Network.
UMass was one of four Atlantic 10 teams to defeat VCU during the regular season as the Maroon and White took down the Rams, 69-63, in the Mullins Center on Feb. 11. Donte Clark when for 22 points while Trey Davis and Jabarie Hinds dropped 18 points apiece in the win. The trio shot 21-for-38 overall (55.3 percent), including 7-of-12 from outside (58.3 percent).
Melvin Johnson leads four Rams in double-figures this season at 18.0 points per game. Johnson is a threat to connect from anywhere on the court as he hits 42.4 percent of his field goals (197-of-465), 40.6 percent of his 3-pointers (102-of-251) and 82.7 percent of his free throws (62-for-75).
After Johnson's production, Korey Billbury adds 11.2 points per game while JeQuan Lewis chips in 10.3 and Mo Alie-Cox tallies 10.2 more. Lewis leads the team in assists (4.9; 153) while Alie-Cox provides security near the hoop with 58 blocks through 31 games played and started (1.9 per game).
Will Wade is in his first season as the head coach at VCU after two years guiding the Tennessee-Chattanooga squad. He previously assisted now-Texas Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart at VCU from 2009-13 before taking over the Mocs program and guiding it to 40 wins in his two seasons. Wade, a 2005 graduate of Clemson, is one of the youngest head coaches in Division I men's basketball at 33 years old.
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.
UMass In The Atlantic 10 Championship
Massachusetts is 36-34 all-time in the Atlantic 10 Championship with seven appearances in the tournament finale, where the Minutemen won five titles (1992-96) and also appeared 1990 and 2001. It is the second appearance as a No. 10 seed, which the team also held in 2009 when it dropped a first round game to No. 7 Duquesne, 91-81.
The Minutemen had success historically against Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 Championship and now own a 6-2 record versus the Rams. Those wins include a 65-61 victory over Rhode Island during the 2014 first round and a 67-62 win in the 2016 second round, which accounts for the two meetings during Derek Kellogg's tenure as the UMass head coach.
How The Atlantic 10 Championship Second Round Was Won
UMass led by as much as 18 points in the first half but needed a late push, including a step-back 3-pointer from Trey Davis for the 67-62 victory over Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 Championship Second Round Thursday night. Here were some of the keys to the win...
• Davis had seven points in the final 84 seconds of the game to seal the win. Down 59-58, Davis hit two at the foul line and followed with a step-back 3-pointer on the next UMass possession to make it 63-59 UMass with 33 seconds to play.
• Jabarie Hinds started the game 7-for-11 on field goals, including 3-of-3 from outside, for 17 points in the first half. He finished with a team-high 21, his seventh career game with 20 or more points scored.
• Davis added 20 points, including 14 in the second half when he shot 2-of-5 from the floor (2-for-4 3FG) and 8-for-8 at the foul line. It marked his 21st career game with at least as many points.
• Rashaan Holloway added 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as the reserve center. In his last four games, he is averaging 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
• The 71.4 percent conversion rate from 3-point land in the first half stood among the best single-half performances by the team this season. UMass went 7-of-7 against VCU (1.000; first half), was 9-for-12 versus Boston University (.750; first half) and hit 8-of-11 against Central Arkansas (.727; second half).
• On the other end, the UMass perimeter defense kept URI to just 16.7 percent in the opening half (1-of-6).
Hinds Picks Up Atlantic 10 Co-Sixth Man Of The Year
UMass redshirt senior point guard Jabarie Hinds earned Atlantic 10 Co-Sixth Man of the Year on Tues., March 8. Hinds shared the award with St. Bonaventure's Denzel Gregg. Hinds is averaging a career-best 14.5 points per game and a +1.81 assist-to-turnover ratio, also tops in his four seasons competing for West Virginia (2011-13) and Massachusetts (2014-present).
Since moving to the bench after previously starting at point guard, Hinds adjusted his game and bounced back from a midseason slump to average 15.2 points per game shooting 49.2 percent from the floor (61-of-124) and 84.4 percent at the foul line (84.4 percent) in 11 appearances as a reserve.
Davis Tabbed To USBWA All-District I Team
Senior guard Trey Davis took home U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District I Team as one of only 10 from the New England region placed on the squad. The district includes all NCAA Division I schools in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Davis leads the Minutemen and is third in the conference with 18.7 points per game. A threat to score inside, outside and at the foul line, Davis paces Massachusetts with 81 made 3-pointers and 177 total field goals converted to go 144 free throws in 165 attempted (87.3 percent).
Davis Having One Of Highest-Scoring Seasons In Kellogg Era
Trey Davis became the seventh player under head coach Derek Kellogg to surpass 500 points scored in a single season with his first bucket in a 26-point performance at St. Bonaventure on Feb. 27. It is the third-most earned by sheer volume (579) during a single season and tied for the second-highest when factoring in per game averages (18.7).
Hinds A Major Key
During the 14 UMass victories, Jabarie Hinds shot 51.3 percent overall (97-of-189) and 43.2 percent from 3-point land (35-of-81). He also hit 75.6 percent of his free throws (31-of-41) and dished out a team-high 59 assists against 26 turnovers (+2.27 A-T ratio) with a team-high 31 steals (2.2 per game). He is second among Minutemen in point scored during those games (18.1).
Holloway Heats Up
Freshman reserve center Rashaan Holloway scored 9.3 points, grabs 5.0 rebounds and turns aside 1.5 shots per game over the last four contests, including the 67-62 victory over Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 Championship Second Round. He scored double-figures in three of those contests with 11 at Rhode Island and 10 apiece at St. Bonaventure and versus Rhode Island.
Clutch Performances Net Hinds Some Hardware
Jabarie Hinds scored 27.5 points, dished out 6.5 assists and provided 3.5 steals per game during upset wins over VCU at home, 69-63 and at Duquesne in overtime, 108-99. Hinds shot 20-for-30 overall (66.7 percent), including 8-of-9 from beyond the arc (88.9 percent) with seven made free throws in eight attempts (87.5 percent) during the two games.
Breaking Down The Upset Of VCU
UMass men's basketball handed VCU its second loss of the A-10 season and dropped the Rams to 17-7 overall and 9-2 in league play with a 69-63 Minuteman victory on Thurs., Feb. 11. In the win...
• The Minutemen hit eight consecutive 3-pointers to start the game, including two apiece by Donte Clark, Zach Coleman and Trey Davis and one each from Jabarie Hinds and Antwan Space.
• UMass led by as many as 15 points early in the second half and held the advantage for 33 minutes, 41 seconds of the possible 40 minutes played (84.2 percent of the game). VCU never led by more than two points and only did so for 1:50 of the game (4.6 percent of the game).
• VCU fought back and tied the game at 52-all with 6:19 to go, but Clark hit a corner 3-pointer on a feed from Hinds during the next UMass possession and the Minutemen held the lead the remainder of the way.
• The guard trio of Clark, Davis and Hinds combined for 58 of the 69 UMass points, which equates to 84.1 percent. Clark, Davis and Hinds average 66.2 percent of the scoring load on the season (1134 of 1713 points).
• The Maroon and White limited VCU to 5-for-20 on 3-point attempts. The 25.0 percent conversion rate marked the lowest for the Rams during A-10 play and their second-lowest all season (22.2 percent; 6-of-27 in 77-64 loss at Georgia Tech).
Five 30+ Point Games Most In Two Decades
Three 30+ point performances by Trey Davis (40 vs. New Orleans; 30 at Davidson; 36 vs. Saint Louis) and one each from Donte Clark (30 vs. New Orleans) and Jabarie Hinds (37 at Duquesne) gives UMass men's basketball its most 30-point individual performances since the team had seven in 1995-96 (Marcus Camby 5; Donta Bright 1; Carmelo Travieso 1).