UMass Set For Saint Joseph's In A-10 Second Round Thursday

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 14	No. 5 Massachusetts (7-6, 6-4 Atlantic 10) vs. No. 13 Saint Joseph's (5-14, 3-9 Atlantic 10)
Date \| Time	Thursday, March 4, 2021 \| 1 p.m.
Location	Richmond, Va. \| Robins Center
Watch	NBCSN
Listen	WEEI (105.5 FM) \| WCRN (830 AM) \| Tune-In App
Live Statistics	Live Stats
Game Notes	Massachusetts Notes \| 2020-21 Prospectus \| 2020-21 Yearbook
Twitter	@UMassAthletics \| @UMassBasketball
Instagram	UMass Basketball
Facebook	UMass Basketball

RICHMOND – After finishing the regular season fifth in the conference standings, the Massachusetts men's basketball team turns its attention to postseason action as the Minutemen take on No. 13 Saint Joseph's in the Second Round of the 2021 Atlantic 10 Championship on Thursday at 1 p.m. from the Robins Center on NBCSN.

History in the A-10 Championship
UMass is making its 45th appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship in team history, holding a 38-38 (.500) record all-time.

UMass secured a first-round bye to the championship for the second straight season, the first time that's happened since 2016. The team's No. 5 seed is also the highest for the program since 2008. The Minutemen are 0-2 all-time in the Atlantic 10 Championship as the No. 5 seed (1991, 1985).

A win on Thursday would move the Minutemen to the conference quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.

Stops and starts
The Dec. 11 game vs. Northeastern marked the latest that UMass has started a season since 1947-48, when the team's first game was on December 12, 1947. The Feb. 23 game at Richmond marked the fifth time this season that the Minutemen have gone at least one week between playing this season.

Among Division I teams still in-season, UMass is tied for the sixth fewest games played in the nation this season, and fewest among A-10 teams.

The series with Saint Joseph's
Overall, UMass leads the series against the Hawks 39-36 since first playing in 2002. The Minutemen have won five of the last seven meetings in the series as the teams meet for the first time this season.

Massachusetts and the Hawks are matched up in the Atlantic 10 Championship for the sixth time in conference history and first time since 2017. The Minutemen are 4-1 all-time against Saint Joseph's in the A-10 league tournament.

Tre Ball
Tre Mitchell is averaging 18.1 points per game this year, good for 63rd in the NCAA and fourth in the Atlantic 10. Mitchell is one of only 56 players in the country, and three players in the Atlantic 10, with two 30+ point games this season.

In just 42 career games, Mitchell is already tied for seventh in career 30+ point games in UMass history. Mitchell has also reached double-figures 39 times in his young career.

High octane offense
The Minutemen have had no problem putting the ball in the basket this season, and currently rank 82nd in the nation and third in the Atlantic 10 with 75.3 points per game. That's due in part to UMass averaging 75.7 possessions per game, the 27th most in the nation and second 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.

Depth
In just 13 games this season, eight different Minutemen have either led the team or been tied for the team-high in scoring:

• Tre Mitchell - Four games
• Carl Pierre - Three games
• Javohn Garcia - Two games
• Ronnie DeGray III - One game
• Dyondre Dominguez - One game
• Noah Fernandes - One game
• Cairo McCrory - One game
• T.J. Weeks Jr. - One game

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Ronnie DeGray III

Dyondre Dominguez

Noah Fernandes

Javohn Garcia

Cairo McCrory

Tre Mitchell

Carl Pierre

T.J. Weeks Jr.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics