Minutemen Set For Primetime Battle At Rhode Island Saturday On ESPN2

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 11	Massachusetts (6-4, 5-2 Atlantic 10) at Rhode Island (9-10, 6-6 Atlantic 10)
Date \| Time	Saturday, February 6, 2021 \| 8 p.m.
Location	Kingston, R.I. \| Ryan Center
Watch	ESPN2
Listen	WEEI (105.5 FM) \| WCRN (830 AM) \| Tune-In App
Live Statistics	SIDEARM Live Stats
Game Notes	Massachusetts Notes \| 2020-21 Prospectus \| 2020-21 Yearbook
Vote For Tre	Vote Tre Mitchell For The Karl Malone Award
Twitter	@UMassAthletics \| @UMassBasketball
Instagram	UMass Basketball
Facebook	UMass Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. – Winners of four of its last five games, the UMass men's basketball team will hit the road on Saturday night for a matchup at rival Rhode Island. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN2. A win on Saturday would give UMass its best start in A-10 play since the 2006-07 season (6-2).

Mitchell named to Malone Award Top Ten
Massachusetts men's basketball sophomore Tre Mitchell has been named a Top 10 candidate for the 2021 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Jan. 28.

Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies is now live at HoophallAwards.com.

Despite a small sample size in 2020-21, Mitchell has proven to be one of the top players in the Atlantic 10 and the nation this season. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native is 28th in the NCAA and tops in the Atlantic 10 averaging 20.0 points per game this season, one of just seven underclassmen in the top-30.

The series with Rhode Island
Overall, UMass holds a 90-67 advantage in the all-time series, with Rhode Island collecting wins in eight of the last 11 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).

Earlier this season, after Rhode Island erase a 15-point deficit with under 10 minutes to play to force overtime, a resilient Massachusetts team hit the reset button for the final five minutes, gutting out an 80-78 victory over the rival Rams on Jan. 13 at the Mullins Center.

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.

He followed it up with a 16-point, seven rebound, four assist performance earlier this season on Jan. 13 to help UMass snap a three-game losing skid to the Rams.

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.

On the road again
The Minutemen will play on the road for the first time since Jan. 17 on Saturday, where they are 2-1 on the season. In those games, UMass is shooting 41% from the floor and averaging 75.0 points/game, while Tre Mitchell is averaging 23.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg.

A win on Saturday would give the Minutemen three conference road wins in a season for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

Streaking
Despite only having taken the floor a handful of times since Jan. 1, the Minutemen are winners of four of their last five games.

In those games, UMass is holding opponents to an average of 62.8 points per game and forcing them into 15.2 turnover per game while six players are averaging better than 9.0 points per game on the offensive end of the floor.

High octane offense
The Minutemen have had no problem putting the ball in the basket this season, and currently rank 51st in the nation and second in the Atlantic 10 with 78.2 points per game. That's due in part to UMass averaging 77.1 possessions per game, the 17th most in the nation and tops in the league.

UMass started the year with at least three players in double-figures in its first seven games this season, and scored 75+ points in each of its those seven games for the first time since the 1994-95 season.

Scoreboard

Minutemen Set For Primetime Battle At Rhode Island Saturday On ESPN2

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tre Mitchell

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics