University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Davidson
Saturday Matinee As Men's Hoops Hosts Davidson
February 08, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen and Wildcats tip off on NESNPlus at 1 PM.
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information | |
| Game 24 | Davidson (17-5, 8-1 A-10) at Massachusetts (8-15, 1-9 A-10) |
| Date // Time | Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 // 1:00 PM (ET) |
| Location | Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center |
| Live Statistics | Sidearm Live Stats |
| Game Notes | vs. Davidson (PDF) |
| Watch | TV: NESNPlus // Digital: ESPN+ | NESNGo |
| Listen | 105.5 FM WEEI, 830 AM WCRN, Tune-In App |
| @UMassAthletics // @UMassBasketball | |
| UMass Basketball | |
| UMass Basketball | |
| UMass Home Tickets | 866-UMASS-TIX // Single Game, Season Ticket, Mini-Plan, Parquet Pass Info |
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball - Davidson Preview |
• UMass looks to close out a two-game home stand and snap a three-game skid on Saturday afternoon as Davidson visits the Mullins Center. The Minutemen fell on Wednesday night to Fordham but are looking to bounce back against the league's top team this season in the Wildcats who have won five straight games.
• Saturday's game will be televised on NESNPlus with Tim Neverett (play-by-play) and Frank Sullivan (analyst) calling the action. It can also be viewed digitally online on ESPN+ and NESNGo (New England subscribers). Nationally, the network can be found on DirecTV as well.
• 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.
• Davidson leads the all-time series 8-4 including a five-point victory last season in North Carolina. The Wildcats have won four consecutive meetings with the last UMass win coming at home in 2011. The series is even 3-3 in Amherst. Last year, Luwane Pipkins led the Minutemen with 31 points along with nine assists, while Malik Hines was just shy of a career-high with 17 points and Carl Pierre added 15 points on four three-pointers.
• The Minutemen have played in a number of close games this year with 11 games being decided by seven-or-fewer points. The Minutemen are 4-7 in those contests. Three of UMass' nine league 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 1,384 career points, Pipkins needs four more points to pass Marcus Camby (14th, 1,387 pts, 1993-96) 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.
• Pipkins also ranks 14th in career scoring average (15.9 pts), 5th for career three-pointers (222), 14th in assists (322), and 10th in steals (139).
• On the year, UMass has the fifth best scoring average (71.3 pts) in the Atlantic 10, ranks sixth in field goal percentage (44.0) and is third in three point field goal percentage (34.2). Defensively, UMass is 13th in the league giving up 72.7 points per night - though in league play that number has fallen to 68.6 points allowed which ranks 10th overall. While the defense has improved during league play, the offense has averaged just 61.0 points in nine games which ranks 14th.
• Individually, Rashaan Holloway leads the A-10 for field goal percentage (72.0) while Pipkins ranks fifth in the league for points per game (16.8) and third in assists per game (5.3). Jonathan Laurent remains the top three-point shooter in the A-10, connecting on 45.3 percent of his attempts from range while Carl Pierre is 7th (37.9 percent).
• On the season, Pipkins' 16.8 points per night leads the Minutemen. Pierre ranks second with an 10.2 point per game average, while Holloway rounds out the top scorers with a 9.8 point average. Laurent and Curtis Cobb are just shy of double figures as well averaging 9.0 and 8.6 points, respectively, per night.
• Unique McLean has played well over the last two games averaging 25 minutes, seven points, 5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the last two games.
• Djery Baptiste, who joined the Minutemen in December prior to the Georgia game and will also be eligible in 2019-20, has made an instant impact on the defensive side for UMass with 15 blocked shots in his first 11 games. He had a career-high five blocks against La Salle. His 15 blocks are 2nd-best on the team and already account for just over 1/5th of UMass' swats this season.
