Minutemen Set For No. 7/6 Virginia On Saturday At Mohegan

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 6	Massachusetts (5-0) vs. No. 7/6 Virginia (4-0)
Date \| Time	Saturday, November 23, 2019 \| 12:00 p.m.
Location	Uncasville, Conn. \| Mohegan Sun Arena \| Tickets
Watch	ESPNews \| Watch ESPN
Listen	WHMP 101.5 & 107.5 FM \| 1240 & 1400 AM \| Tune-In App
Live Statistics	Stat Broadcast
Game Notes	Massachusetts Notes \| 2019-20 Prospectus
Twitter	@UMassAthletics \| @UMassBasketball
Instagram	UMass Basketball
Facebook	UMass Basketball
UMass Home Tickets	Get Your 2019-20 Tickets Now! \| 2019-20 Promotional Calendar

AMHERST, Mass. – It's a battle of two unbeaten teams as the 5-0 UMass men's basketball team heads to Uncasville, Conn. for the Air Force Reserve Tip Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena, where the Minutemen will take on the defending NCAA champion No. 7/6 Virginia on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. on ESPNews.

Best start since 2013
UMass enters Saturday's game at 5-0 on the young season, the best start for the program since the 2013-14 season. The Minutemen are one of 53 remaining unbeaten teams in the NCAA, and one of 22 with a record of 5-0 or better.

It is the 15th time in school history that UMass has started 5-0, and makes Matt McCall the eighth head coach in program history to lead a team to a 5-0 start.

So far this season, Massachusetts is averaging just 10.0 turnovers per game, the 15th fewest in the NCAA, while the team's three-point shooting is good for a tie for 13th in the country and first in the A-10 (43%; 49-of-114).

Challenging the champs
Saturday marks the seventh time in team history that the Minutemen have played the defending NCAA champions, and first time since 2008.

It also marks the first time since 2008-09 and 2009-10 that UMass has played a top-ten opponent in back-to-back seasons. UMass is 5-1 all-time against the defending national champions.

The series with Virginia
The Minutemen and Cavaliers are meeting for just the third time in series history, and first time since the 1996-97 season. Virginia has won both of the previous meetings.

Minutemen against the field
Depending on the result of the Virginia game on Saturday, the Minutemen will face either Arizona State or St. John's on Sunday afternoon. It would be the first-ever meeting between UMass and the Sun Devils, while the Minutemen and Red Storm would meet for the ninth time in series history, and first time since 2005. St. John's owns an 8-0 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1963

3J Weeks
Freshman T.J. Weeks is tied for 18th in the NCAA, and tied for 3rd among rookies, with 17 made three-point field goals this season. He's shooting 63% (17-of-27) from beyond the arc, good for ninth in the nation and tops among freshmen.

As a team, UMass is tied for 13th in the country in three-point shooting percentage, and tops in the A10 at 43% (49-of-114).

Youth movement
It's a new look roster for the Minutemen in 2019-20 with nine newcomers, including seven freshmen. The seven rookies are the most for UMass since the 2007-08 season.

All seven freshmen (John Buggs III, Sean East II, C.J. Jackson, Kolton Mitchell, Tre Mitchell, Preston Santos, T.J. Weeks) have made their collegiate debuts, with Tre Mitchell and East II starting each of the first four games.

The rookies have combined for 58% (228-of-392) of the Minutemen's scoring so far this season.

Weeks and East II have each been named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, marking the first time since the 2003-04 that UMass has collected consecutive conference rookie of the week honors.

Veteran leadership
UMass' four upperclassmen (Carl Pierre, Keon Clergeot, Djery Baptiste, Davonte Higginbottom) are tied with Central Connecticut, Lipscomb and Long Beach State for the third fewest juniors and seniors on an NCAA roster. Utah (two) and Florida (three) are the only schools in the country with fewer upperclassmen than the Minutemen.

Protecting the ball
UMass turned the ball over just seven times against Northeastern last week, the fewest for the Minutemen since Feb. 24, 2018 at George Mason.

Overall, UMass is tied for 13th in the NCAA in turnovers per game (10.0).

On the flip side, the Minutemen are averaging 8.8 steals per game, including a season-high 13 against CCSU, the third time this season and fourth time in the Matt McCall era that a UMass team had at least 10 steals in a game.

From East II Western Mass.
Down 34-33 with 0.6 seconds remaining in the first half against Northeastern Nov. 12, freshman Sean East II launched a shot from more than 75-feet away that hit nothing but the bottom of the net, sending the Mullins Center into a frenzy. The play went viral on social media and landed at No. 1 on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays later that night.

According to basketballreference.com, since the 2009-10 NBA season only 2-of-583 shots from 70+ feet have been made (0.34%), and neither were from longer range than East II's:

Player (Date; Distance)
Vince Carter (Feb. 19, 2016; 72 feet)
Andre Drummond (Feb. 8, 2016; 71 feet)

How Low Can You Go?
Last Saturday's defensive performance against CCSU was one for the ages for UMass. The Minutemen held the Blue Devils to just 48 points, the fewest points allowed since Jan. 21, 2006 against Temple.

Pierre and Weeks lead UMass past Rider
For the first time since 2013, the UMass men's basketball is 5-0 to start the season thanks to a combined 44 points from Carl Pierre (23 points) and T.J. Weeks (21 points) as the Minutemen topped Rider, 82-72, on Wednesday night at the Mullins Center as part of the Air Force Reserve Tip Top Tournament.

Weeks was red hot from three, finishing a perfect 6-of-6 on the night from beyond the arc (5-of-5 in the first half), while Pierre was 9-of-17 from the floor (4-of-9 from three) to finish three points shy of his career high to lead five Minutemen in double figures. Samba Diallo, Tre Mitchell and Sean East II all finished with 10 points apiece, while East II added a team-high eight assists.

Tyere Marshall was the story for Rider, who kept the Broncs in the game with a game-high 28 points and 20 rebounds (eight offensive), on 11-of-17 shooting, while Stevie Jordan added 10 and nine assists. As a team Rider was 25-of-64 (39.1%), while the Minutemen were 29-of-54 (53.7%).

UMass inks two during early NLI signing period
UMass officially added a pair of talented newcomers for next season as Javohn Garcia (Columbus, Ohio) and Cairo McCrory (Hartford, Conn.) signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday during the start of the early signing period.

Garcia, a 6-4, 175-pound guard, will arrive in Amherst from Brewster Academy, while McCrory is a 6-5, 185-pound guard from Woodstock Academy.

Scoreboard

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Djery Baptiste

John Buggs III

Keon Clergeot

Samba Diallo

Sean East II

C.J. Jackson

Kolton Mitchell

Tre Mitchell

Carl Pierre

Preston Santos

T.J. Weeks Jr.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics