University of Massachusets Athletics
Friday, February 13
Akron, Ohio
9 p.m.
University of Massachusetts
at
Akron
Massachusetts Basketball Travels To Akron For Friday Night Tilt
February 11, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen and Zips tip-off at 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Notes & Information | |
| Matchup | Massachusetts at Akron |
| Date | Times | Friday, Feb. 13 | 9:00 p.m. |
| Location | Akron, Ohio | James A. Rhodes Area |
| @UMassMBB | |
| @umassbasketball | |
| UMass Men's Basketball | |
AMHERST, MASS. - The Minutemen take on Akron in Akron, Ohio, on Friday, February 13, as they return to MACtion. The game will be streamed on the CBS Sports Network with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
This week for the Minutemen
The Matchup
- Massachusetts and Akron have played twice previously, with each team earning a win in the series.
- The teams first met on March 22, 2008, in the second round of the NIT and the Minutemen took down the Zips 68-63 at the Mullins Center on that day.
- Ricky Harris (20 points) and Chris Lowe (17 points) led the team in scoring as UMass advanced to the third round of the NIT with the win.
- Massachusetts and Akron most recently faced off on December 30, 2019 with the Minutemen falling 85-79.
Last Time out
- Massachusetts dropped a triple overtime thriller to Coastal Carolina, 94-91, last Saturday in the second round of the 2025-26 MAC-SBC Challenge.
- Marcus Banks Jr., who sent the game to a third overtime with a buzzer beater at the end of the second OT, finihsed with 21 points.
- K'Jei Parker had a career-best 31 points to lead the Minutemen and Leonardo Bettiol added 17 points, while grabbing 10 boards for his sixth double-double of the year.
- Daniel Hankins-Sanford pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds - the most rebounds in a game for a Minuteman since Jim Town had 27 against Boston College on Dec. 12, 1976.
- Hankins-Sanford scored 10 points to register his ninth double-double of the season.
Scouting the Zips
- Akron hosts UMass on Friday after falling to Troy in the MAC-SBC Challenge 79-69 last Saturday.
- The Zips Head Coach John Groce is in his ninth season at Akron, accumulating a 187-93 (107-51 MAC) overall record during his time in Ohio.
- Tavari Johnson averages 20.4 points per game to lead the Akron and rank first in the MAC.
- Amani Lyles has averaged a team-leading 7.5 rebounds per games, sitting seventh in the league.
- The Zips are 19-5 overall and 10-1 in the MAC.
Year Four Under Coach Martin
- Massachusetts basketball enters its fourth season under head coach Frank Martin in 2025-26.
- Martin and the Minutemen finished the 2024-25 season with 12 wins, including seven in conference play. Under Martin's tutelage guard Rahsool Diggins had a breakout senior season, averaging a team-high 16.8 points on his way to earning All-Atlantic 10 Third Team honors.
- In 2023-24 Martin led the Minutemen to their best season since 2014, finishing with a 20-11 overall record and securing a top-four seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship.
- Coach Martin started his time in Amherst by leading the Minutemen to their best record under a first-year head coach since 1996 and the Myrtle Beach Invitational title during the 2022-23 campaign.
- Martin holds a 349-258 (.576) collegiate coaching mark, picking up 171 of his wins in 10 seasons at South Carolina while recording 117 wins in five seasons at Kansas State.
- Head coach Frank Martin picked up his 300th collegiate coaching win on Jan. 25, 2023 with a 85-76 win over Richmond.
TIP-OFF TIDBITS
- Massachusetts' 12 MAC games have been decided by a combined 47 points or a 3.92 points per contest.
- Eight of UMass' 12 MAC games have been decided by three points or less (UMass is 4-4 in those eight games).
- On the season, UMass has played 10 games that have been decided by three points or fewer (5-5 in those 10 games), including last Saturday's triple overtime thriller at Coastal Carolina (L, 94-91).
- In the game at Coastal, Daniel-Hankins Sanford pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds - the most rebounds in a game for a Minuteman since Jim Town had 27 against Boston College on Dec. 12, 1976.
- It marked the 10th triple overtime game in program history and the first since last season's 120-118 win at Fordham (Jan. 15, 2025).
- UMass head coach Frank Martin, who is in his fourth season at UMass and 19th overall as a head coach, enters Saturday's contest with 349 career wins (including stints at Kansas State, South Carolina and UMass).
- UMass' +5.5 rebounding margin ranks second in the MAC.
- Massachusetts also ranks third in the MAC in offensive rebounds per game (12.48) and second in rebounds per game (37.84).
- The Minutemen rank second in the MAC and 29th nationally by averaging 17.5 assists per game.
- UMass has held opponents to a 31.7 shooting percentage from three, ranking second in the conference.
- UMass features four players averaging double figures in points per game, including Leonardo Bettiol (17.6), Marcus Banks Jr. (16.8), Daniel Hankins-Sanford (11.9) and K'Jei Parker (11.6).
- Bettiol and Banks Jr., rank sixth and eighth, respectively, in points per game in the MAC.
- Bettiol is also shooting 59.2 percent from the field to rank first in the league and 31st nationally.
- Bettiol is also averaging 7.9 rebounds per game to rank third in the MAC, while Hankins-Sanford ranks fifth (7.6).
- In MAC games, Parker has hit 24 of 25 free throw attempts to lead the league (.960).
- Hankins-Sanford (9) and Bettiol (6) each have multiple double-doubles this season.
- Hankins-Sanford's nine double-doubles are the second most in the MAC.
Up Next
- The Minutemen host Miami (OH) on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN+ with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
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