No. 5 UMass, No. 4 Saint Louis Collide In A-10 Quarterfinals Friday

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 15	No. 5 Massachusetts (8-6, 6-4 Atlantic 10) vs. No. 4 Saint Louis (13-5, 6-4 Atlantic 10)
Date \| Time	Friday, March 5, 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 – Coming off the largest margin of victory in Atlantic 10 Championship history, the fifth-seeded Massachusetts men's basketball team will look to advance to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2013 when the Minutemen take on No. 4 Saint Louis on Friday afternoon at Robins Center at 1 p.m. on NBCSN.

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.

History in the A-10 Championship
UMass is making its 45th appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship in team history, holding a 39-38 (.506) 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 1-2 all-time in the Atlantic 10 Championship as the No. 5 seed (1991, 1985).

A win on Friday would move the Minutemen to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2013.

The series with Saint Louis
Overall, Saint Louis holds a 15-6 all-time record in the series against UMass. The teams are meeting for just the second time in the Atlantic 10 Championship, and first time since 2007.

Earlier this week, SLU shot 50% from the floor and built on an 11-point halftime lead to knock off UMass on Monday night at Chaifetz Arena, 78-57.

Noah Fernandes led the Minutemen with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 4-of-8 from three. He was joined in double-figures by captain Carl Pierre (12 points; 5-of-11 overall) and Tre Mitchell (10 points, five points, four assists).

UMass – Saint Louis connections
The game will feature a familiar face for UMass fans. Saint Louis head coach Travis Ford coached at UMass from 2005-08 leading the Minutemen to a pair of 20-win seasons and an NIT runner-up finish in 2008.

Streaking
Despite only having taken the floor a handful of times since Jan. 1, the Minutemen are winners of six of their last nine games. In those games, UMass is holding opponents to an average of 66.7 points per game and forcing them into 13.4 turnovers per game while six players are averaging better than 9.0 points per game on the offensive end of the floor.

Buckets
Sparked by a 59-point first half, its best shooting percentage of the season and 15 made three-point field goals, Massachusetts bolted out to an early lead against Saint Joseph's and never looked back, storming past the Hawks on Thursday afternoon at Robins Center, 100-66.

• The 34-point win was the largest margin of victory in Atlantic 10 Championship history and marked just the fifth time in league history that a team has scored 100 points in an A-10 postseason game, and first time since 1992.

• It was the 45th time in program history that UMass scored 100 points in a game, and first time since 2018.

• The Minutemen finished the game 40-of-72 from the floor (55.6%) and 15-of-38 from three, tied for the second most made three-point fields goals in team history and Atlantic 10 Championship history.

• UMass' 40 made field goals were the most since Jan. 27, 1995 against West Virginia, and third most for any team in A-10 Championship history.

• UMass had six players in double-figures, the first time that's happened since 2013, led by 19 points from freshman Ronnie DeGray III.

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 first in the Atlantic 10 with 77.1 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.

On Thursday vs. Saint Joseph's, UMass reached the 100-point mark for the 45th time in team history and the first time time against a conference opponent since 2016.

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 14 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
• Ronnie DeGray III - Two games
• Javohn Garcia - Two games
• Dyondre Dominguez - One game
• Noah Fernandes - One game
• Cairo McCrory - One game
• T.J. Weeks Jr. - One game

Connecting from deep
UMass used red shot shooting from three to bolt out to a 29-point halftime lead at Fordham on Jan. 17. The Minutemen finished the day 10-of-28, marking the third time this season UMass has hit at least 10 threes in a game.

Overall, UMass is 66th in the NCAA and third in the A-10 averaging 8.5 3-pt FG makes per game.

On Thursday against Saint Joseph's, the Minutemen hit 12 threes in the first half and 15 in the game, tied for the second most in team history and tied for the second most in Atlantic 10 Championship history.

Scoreboard

No. 5 UMass, No. 4 Saint Louis Collide In A-10 Quarterfinals Friday

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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