Minutemen Head To Fordham Sunday On NBCSN

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 8	Massachusetts (4-3, 3-1 Atlantic 10) at Fordham (1-4, 1-4 Atlantic 10)
Date \| Time	Sunday, January 17, 2021 \| 2:30 p.m.
Location	Bronx, N.Y. \| Rose Hill Gym
Watch	NBCSN
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. – Winners of two in a row and looking to move to 4-1 in conference play, the UMass men's basketball team will play on the road for the first time in more than a month on Sunday when the Minutemen travel to Fordham for a 2:30 p.m. tip on NBCSN. UMass alum Mike Corey and Dr. John Giannini will have the call.

The series with Fordham
Overall, UMass holds a 30-17 advantage in the series though the Rams have won five of the last six meetings. Last season, the Minutemen snapped a five-game losing skid to the Rams with a 57-49 win thanks to a monster night from Tre Mitchell (15 points, 19 rebounds). The win was the first at Fordham since Feb. 4, 2015.

On the road again
The Minutemen will play on the road for the first time in more than a month on Sunday. In two away contests this year, UMass is shooting 45% from the floor and averaging 80.0 points/game, while Tre Mitchell is averaging 23.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg.

A win on Sunday would give the Minutemen three straight conference wins on the road, dating back to last season, the first time that's happened since the 2014-15 season.

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 38 career games, Mitchell is already tied for seventh in career 30+ point games in UMass 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 averaging 20.0 points per game this year, good for 32nd in the NCAA among players who've played at least seven games. Dating back to last season, Mitchell has reached double-figures in 30 straight games.

Mitchell's 688 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.

High octane offense
The Minutemen have had no problem putting the ball in the basket early on this season, and currently rank 14th in the nation and first in the Atlantic 10 with 85.3 points per game.

Massachusetts has had at least three players in double-figures in all seven games this season, and has scored at least 75 points in each of its first seven games for the first time since the 1994-95 season.

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

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 34 assists and 10 turnovers in his last five games, and is 37th in the NCAA (fourth in the A-10) among players who have played at least six games with an AST:TO ratio of 2.86. Fernandes has also recorded a triple nickel in each of his last five games.

Glue Guy
Freshman Ronnie DeGray III has started all seven games at the for the Minutemen early in the season and is averaging 9.7 ppg and 4.6 rpg and shooting 70% from the floor (26-of-37). DeGray's also adapted quickly to the pace of A-10 play, where he is averaging more than 33 minutes per game and contributing 10.8 ppg (fourth on team), 4.8 rpg and 3.0 apg.

He had a career night on Wednesday vs. Rhode Island, logging a season-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals, highlighted by a big three in overtime that put UMass up for good.

O Captain, My Captain
Last season, senior captain Carl Pierre became the 52nd player in team history to reach 1000 career points, and cracked the top-25 on UMass' all-time scoring list on Dec. 30 vs. George Mason. Pierre is also fourth all-time at UMass in career three-point field goals made, and hit his 250th on Dec. 11 vs. Northeastern.

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 45th nationally and fourth in the Atlantic 10, with 91 turnovers in six games (13.0/game).

UMass is 28th in the NCAA and second in the A-10 with a turnover margin of 4.0 this season, and 30th in the country with 17.0 forced turnovers per game.

In addition, Massachusetts is 39th in the nation (fourth in the A-10), with 8.4 steals per game. The Minutemen had a season-high 16 steals on Jan. 13 vs. Rhode Island, just the 42nd time in the NCAA this season that a team has recorded at least 16 steals in a game. It was also the most for UMass since Nov. 11, 2016 vs. UMass Lowell (17).

Getting to the line
UMass, which has drawn an average of 22.8 fouls per game on its opponent, is getting to the free throw line an average of 28.6 times per game, the highest rate in the country. UMass is 148-of-200 from the stripe in 2020-21, which accounts for 24.8% of its scoring (11th in the NCAA).

The Minutemen made a season-high 32 free throws (44 attempts) on Dec. 30 against George Mason. It's tied for the 11th most makes in a games among all NCAA teams this season.

Block party
Highlighted by a career-high four from Dibaji Walker, the Minutemen had a season-high eight blocks against Rhode Island on Jan. 13, the most in a game for UMass since Jan. 3, 2018 vs. George Mason (11).

A-10 relocates conference championship
The Atlantic 10 Conference announced on Jan. 14 that the 2021 Men's Basketball Championship will be relocated from Barclays Center to the campus of an A-10 member institution. The decision to relocate the March championship is due to the current COVID-19 pandemic environment, and was made in agreement with BSE Global CEO John Abbamondi and Barclays Center. The championship is scheduled to return to the Brooklyn venue in 2023 and 2024.

Scoreboard

Next Event

Players Mentioned

C.J. Anderson

Ronnie DeGray III

Noah Fernandes

Tre Mitchell

Carl Pierre

Dibaji Walker

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics