University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Harvard
Men's Hoops Heads To Harvard For Sunday NESN Showdown
November 11, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen and Crimson set for 2 PM tip-off.
AMHERST, Mass. - After a quick turn around following UMass' 74-69 win over UMass Lowell on Friday night, the Minutemen head to Cambridge to take on Harvard in what has quickly become a New England rivalry game.
The game will be televised on NESN and streamed live via the Ivy League Digital Network (web and mobile). Fans can also listen on 105.5 FM WEEI (Western Mass) and 830 WCRN (Worcester) with Josh Maurer and Tim Collins calling the action. The audio stream is available on mobile devices using the Tune-In app.
The Minutemen 17-11 all-time vs. the Crimson after last year's 70-66 win at the Mullins Center. Donte Clark was the hero of that game scoring 29 points including 18 of the team's last 22 points in the win. UMass has won the last three meetings against Harvard with the last win for the Crimson coming in 2014. The two teams played regularly in the 1920s and the 1970s through 1982. A meeting between the two in 1991 was the last until the recent resumption of the series in 2012. Since then all four meetings have been decided by six-or-fewer points.
On Friday, UMass received double-figure scoring from five Minutemen led by 12 points from Malik Hines and Unique McLean. Hines also posted a double-double with 13 rebounds which tied his career high. The Minutemen pulled away late from UMass Lowell with an 8-to-0 run opening up what had been a nip-and-tuck game. McLean saw his first game action after redshirting the 2016-17 season, while Rayshawn Miller scored a career-high 10 points in 20 minutes which eclipsed the former walk-on's previous seasons combined.
While UMass didn't have its greatest shooting day ever against the River Hawks, the Minutemen were strong on the glass which translated to a 16-to-3 advantage in second chance points which proved a difference maker in the win.
As a head coach, Matt McCall is now 3-0 in season openers after leading Chattanooga to a 92-90 overtime win at Georgia in 2015-16 and an 82-69 win at Tennessee to start 2016-17 before Friday's win over the River Hawks.
Harvard opened the year on Friday as well with a 73-64 win over MIT. The Crimson were led by Seth Towns who scored 20 points while chipping in seven rebounds. Chris Lewis had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Harvard led by as many as nine in the first half taking a 39-32 lead into halftime. Head coach Tommy Amaker enters his 11th year at the helm of the Crimson sporting a 194-105 record in Cambridge. He is 370-244 overall in 21 years.
After a quick pair of games this weekend, UMass will next be in action at the Mullins Center for a pair of games on Nov. 19 vs. Niagara (12 PM) and Nov. 21 vs. Western Carolina (7 PM).
For complete coverage of the UMass men's basketball team, follow the Minutemen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassBasketball and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
