UMass Readies For Rhody Wednesday at Mullins

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 7	Massachusetts (3-3, 2-1 Atlantic 10) vs. Rhode Island (6-6, 3-2 Atlantic 10)
Date \| Time	Wednesday, January 13, 2021 \| 7 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. \| Mullins Center
Watch	NESN \| ESPN+ (Outside New England)
Listen	WEEI (105.5 FM) \| WCRN (830 AM) \| Tune-In App
Live Statistics	SIDEARM Live Stats
Game Notes	Massachusetts Notes \| 2020-21 Prospectus
Twitter	@UMassAthletics \| @UMassBasketball
Instagram	UMass Basketball
Facebook	UMass Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. – In search of its best start to A-10 play since 2013-14, the UMass men's basketball team is back in the Mullins Center on Wednesday night when the Minutemen host rival Rhode Island at 7 p.m. on NESN and ESPN+.

Tre-Ball
On Dec. 16 at La Salle, Tre Mitchell had a career-high 37 points, tied for the eighth most points in UMass single-game history.

In just 37 career games, Mitchell is already tied for seventh in career 30+ point games in UMass history.

Mitchell wasted no time in confirming that the hype is real on Dec. 11 vs. Northeastern with 31 points and 11 rebounds in his season debut, including 19 points and six boards in the first half alone. Mitchell's performance put him on a list with some of the UMass greats, tying him for the fourth most points in a season opener in program history.

Mitchell is one of only 22 players in the country, and two players in the Atlantic 10, with two 30+ point games this season. Mitchell is also averaging 20.7 points per game this year, good for 25th in the NCAA among players who've played at least six games.

Dating back to last season, Mitchell has reached double-figures in 29 straight games.

Mitchell's 672 career points have him on track to reach 1000 career points this season. He would be only the fifth player in program history to reach 1000 career points in just two seasons.

The series with Rhode Island
Overall, UMass holds an 89-67 advantage in the all-time series, with Rhode Island collecting wins in eight of the last 10 meetings.

The annual series dates back to 1908 with UMass winning 32-14 that year. Since 1950, the teams have played every year as charter members of the Yankee Conference (which formed from the New England Conference).

Roasting Rhody
Tre Mitchell feasted on the Rams in his rookie season, averaging 32 points/game on 64% shooting (23-of-36), 7-of-10 from deep and 8.5 rebounds per game in two matchups against Rhode Island.

In what turned out to be the final game of the 2019-20 campaign, Mitchell went for 34 and 12 against URI at the Mullins Center on Mar. 7, including a 6-of-8 performance from three, cementing his spot as the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year.

UMass – Rhode Island connections
UMass assistant coach Tyson Wheeler was a two-time A-10 First-Team selection as a junior and senior at URI. He helped lead the Rams to an Elite Eight app. during the 1998 NCAA Tournament and was named to the Rams' All-Century team in 2005.

As a collegiate player, Wheeler was a candidate for the John Wooden Award and was named the New England Coaches Association Bob Cousy Award winner.

Home again, home again
UMass is in the midst of four-of-five scheduled games in the Mullins Center, where the Minutemen are 2-2 on the young season. The Minutemen were 11-5 at home last season, marking the third time in the last four seasons that Massachusetts had won at least 11 games at the Mullins Center.

This season, the Minutemen are averaging 89.3 points per game at home and shooting 43% from the floor with five players averaging double-figures.

High octane offense
The Minutemen have had no problem putting the ball in the basket early on this season, and currently rank 12th in the nation and first in the Atlantic 10 with 86.2 points per game. Massachusetts has had at least three players in double-figures in all six games this season, and has scored at least 75 points in each of its first six games for the first time since the 1994-95 season.

Commonwealth Kid
Noah Fernandes got it done everywhere at La Salle on Dec. 16, finishing with a career-high nine assists and five steals along with 11 points in 32 minutes. The Mattapoisett native's nine assists and one turnover were the most assists with the fewest turnovers since C.J. Anderson's 12:1 day on Mar. 3, 2018 vs. Duquesne. His five steals, meanwhile, were the most in a game for a Minuteman since Anderson had five on Dec. 28, 2016 vs. Georgia State.

Fernandes has 29 assists and just five turnovers in his last four games, and is 11th in the NCAA (second in the A-10) among players who have played at least six games with an AST:TO ratio of 3.89.

The NCAA announced on Sept. 16 that the legislative relief waiver for Fernandes had been approved. Fernandes, a transfer from Wichita State, was immediately eligible for competition.

Glue Guy
Freshman Ronnie DeGray III has started all six games at the for the Minutemen early in the season and is averaging 7.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg. DeGray's also adapted quickly to the pace of A-10 play, where he is averaging more than 30 minutes per game and contributing 7.3 ppg (fourth on team), 4.3 rpg 3.0 apg.

Ball security
UMass finished the 2019-20 season with 407 turnovers, the third fewest in a season in team history. They've continued the trend this season, ranking 34th nationally and third in the Atlantic 10, with 79 turnovers in six games (13.2/game).

UMass is 48th in the NCAA and fourth in the A-10 with a turnover margin of 3.3 this season, and 41st in the country with 16.5 forced turnovers per game.

Getting to the line
UMass, which has drawn an average of 24 fouls per game on its opponent, is getting to the free throw line an average of 29.3 times per game, the highest rate in the country. UMass is 128-of-176 from the stripe in 2020-21, which accounts for 24.7% of its scoring (15th in the NCAA).

Distributing the ball
Led by Noah Fernandes, UMass is averaging 16.3 assists per game which is good for 41st in the NCAA and third in the Atlantic 10.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

C.J. Anderson

Ronnie DeGray III

Noah Fernandes

Tre Mitchell

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics