Massachusetts Minutemen
Atlantic 10 (17-15, 10-8)
It was a slow start to the season for Massachusetts mostly due to a tough non-conference slate. The Minutemen lost to Notre Dame, Harvard, LSU, Florida Gulf Coast, Providence and BYU. None of those are particularly bad losses. The beginning of Atlantic 10 play started off poorly too with Umass falling 69-55 at home to St. Bonaventure. But since then the Minutemen have been playing pretty well and picked up some quality wins along the way.
Big Wins: 11/23 vs Florida State (75-69), 12/30 Iona (87-82), 1/29 Dayton (66-64)
Bad Losses: 12/7 FGCU (75-84), 1/3 St. Bonaventure (55-69), 2/25 St. Joseph’s (71-82)
Coach: Derek Kellogg
Why They Can Surprise:
The Minutemen have relied on their backcourt in recent years, but it is the frontcourt that deserves most of the credit. Senior center Cady Lalanne has been a dominating force in the paint. His scoring has not picked up as much as hoped, but Lalanne has been great on the glass and in the shot blocking department. He will be joined in the frontcourt by Maxie Esho, an athletic 6-8 forward. Esho can attack the basket effectively and will clean up any rebounds that don’t fall towards Lalanne. Trey Davis has been the best scorer on the perimeter, although he has been inconsistent. The junior guard is more than capable of massive scoring outputs, as he has done so many times throughout the season, but he can disappear at times too.
Why They Can Disappoint:
When Davis’ shots are not falling, Umass can quickly turn into a one-dimensional offense that works through Lalanne. Derrick Gordon, Donte Clark and Jabarie Hinds are other perimeter options and all three can score by getting to the basket. However, shooting is not their specialty. In most of their losses, Davis is not shooting well and the rest of the backcourt cannot pick up the slack. The defense will keep this team in most games, but Massachusetts needs Davis and the backcourt to knock down more shots on offense if they are going to win a postseason game or two.
Probable Starters:
Trey Davis, Junior, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 3.8 apg
Derrick Gordon, Junior, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 2.7 apg, 4.9 rpg
Donte Clark, Freshman, Guard, 9.6 ppg, 2.0 apg
Maxie Esho, Senior, Forward, 11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Cady Lalanne, Senior, Center, 11.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
C.J. Anderson, Freshman, Guard, 1.0 ppg
Tyler Bergantino, Junior, Center, 1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Zach Coleman, Freshman, Forward, 2.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Demetrius Dyson, Sophomore, Guard, 3.3 ppg
Jabarie Hinds, Junior, Guard, 8.1 ppg, 2.2 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.4 (126th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.3 (273, 13)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.4 (186, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.6 (203, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.5 (322, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 29.8 (323, 13)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.5 (118, 3)
Rebound Margin: 2.1 (112, 6)
Assists Per Game: 13.5 (100, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.2 (300, 12)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Tennessee
2013 NIT First Round loss to Stony Brook
2012 NIT First Round win over Mississippi State
2012 NIT Second Round win over Seton Hall
2012 NIT Quarterfinal win over Drexel
2012 NIT Semifinal loss to Stanford
2008 NIT First Round win over Stephen F. Austin
2008 NIT Second Round win over Akron
2008 NIT Quarterfinal win over Syracuse
2008 NIT Semifinal win over Florida
2008 NIT Final loss to Ohio State
2007 NIT First Round win over Alabama
2007 NIT Second Round loss to West Virginia
2000 NIT First round loss to Siena
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
