University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
VCU
Men's Hoops Heads To VCU On Saturday
January 18, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen and Rams to tip at 6:30 PM on NBC Sports.
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information | |
| Game 18 | Massachusetts (7-10, 0-4 A-10) at VCU (12-5, 3-1 A-10) |
| Date // Time | Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019 // 6:30 PM (ET) |
| Location | Richmond, Va. // Siegel Center |
| Live Statistics | VCU Live Stats |
| Game Notes | vs. VCU |
| Watch | TV: NBC Sports Network // Digital:Â NBCSports.com, NBC Sports App |
| Listen | 105.5 FM WEEI, 830 AM WCRN, Tune-In App |
| @UMassAthletics // @UMassBasketball | |
| UMass Basketball | |
| UMass Basketball | |
| UMass Home Tickets | 866-UMASS-TIX //Â Single Game, Season Ticket, Mini-Plan, Parquet Pass Info |
UMASS MEN'S BASKETBALL - VCU PREVIEW
• As a winter storm heads into New England, the UMass basketball team flys south to take on VCU this Saturday evening in Richmond. The Minutemen are looking to pick up their first Atlantic 10 win of the season after suffering four narrow losses to start the slate. The Rams have won three of their four to start league play including a pair of home victories over La Salle and Dayton.Â
• Saturday's game will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network with Kenny Rice (play-by-play) and Ron Thompson (color) calling the action. Digitally, fans can also watch the game on NBCSports.com and on the NBCSports app for mobile devices.Â
• On the radio airwaves, the game will be broadcast on the UMass Sports Network anchored by flagship station 105.5 FM WEEI and online via the TuneIn App. New Voice of the Minutemen Jay Burnham will be joined courtside by former player Tim Collins.
• VCU leads the all-time series against UMass 6-2 having won the last three straight meetings. Both of UMass' wins came at the Mullins Center with the Rams holding serve on the road and at neutral sites. Last year, VCU held on for a 82-72 win in Amherst in a game that featured six ties and 13 lead changes. Luwane Pipkins led the Minutemen with 38 points.
• Speaking of close, the Minutemen have played in a number of close games this year with 10 games being decided by seven-or-fewer points. The Minutemen are 3-7 in those contests. Each of UMass' last three games were decided by five-or-fewer points with the Minutemen in position to tie or go ahead late in each game.
• UMass is led again this season by Pipkins who is the top returning scorer in the Atlantic 10 after notching 21.2 points per game last year. He was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason First Team after a breakout sophomore campaign. He is one of just six players in program history to average over 21 points a game in a single-season joining the likes of Julius Erving and Marcus Camby. He also became the 51st player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points for his career.
• With 1,335 career points, Pipkins needs 18 more points to pass Trey Davis (17th, 2012-16, 1,353) on the all-time scoring list at UMass. If Pipkins maintains his current scoring average, he could finish among UMass' top-10 all-time scorers as a junior. He needs 52 more points to reach Erving (15th, 1,370 pts, 1969-71) and Camby (14th, 1,387 pts, 1993-96).Â
• Through 17 games played, UMass has the best scoring average (75.4 pts) in the Atlantic 10, ranks third in field goal percentage (46.1) and is first in three point field goal percentage (35.5). Defensively, UMass 13th in the league giving up 74.1 points per night - though in league play that number has fallen to 68.5 points allowed which ranks 9th overall.
• Individually, Rashaan Holloway leads the A-10 for field goal percentage (74.7) while Pipkins ranks second in the league for points per game (18.8) and fourth in assists per game (5.5). Jonathan Laurent remains the top three-point shooter in the A-10, connecting on 47.5 percent of his attempts from range while Carl Pierre ranks 6th (39.4 percent).
• On the season, three Minutemen are averaging double figures led by Pipkins' 18.8 points per night. Laurent ranks second with an 10.7 point per game average, while Pierre rounds out the top scorers with a 10.6 point average. Holloway and Curtis Cobb are just shy of double figures averaging 9.6 and 9.0 points, respectively, per night.
• UMass added some more depth to its front court over the last month as Randall West suited up for the first time after the conclusion of the football season while Djery Baptiste made his first appearance for the Minutemen at Georgia on Sunday. West, a quarterback for the UMass football team, and the Vanderbilt transfer Baptiste will be available for the remainder of the season plus all of next year.
• Djery has made an instant impact on the defensive side for UMass with 11 blocked shots in his first five games. He had a career-high five blocks against La Salle. His 11 blocks are 2nd-best on the team and already account for nearly 1/5th of UMass' swats this season.
