Where Is UMass After Non-Conference Play?
AMHERST, Mass. – Travis Ford said it all right away in the post-game press conference, right after he told his two players to head back to the locker room after fielding just two questions from the media.
“We just got dominated by their guards,” the UMass head coach said after Miami beat the Minutemen 72-71 on Tuesday night. “And we can’t make free throws.”
That was the story of the game, anyway. The larger story was still to be told.
The Minutemen were just 13-25 at the foul line and couldn’t stop Miami guards Anthony Harris (career-high 33 points on 13-19 shooting) and Jack McClinton (15 points), the latter of whom wasn’t 100 percent and wasn’t even a given to play that night due to a sprained left knee that kept him out of the previous game. Denis Clemente added 11 points, all in the first half, to keep them right with UMass. Miami shot 9-15 from three-point range, and for the first time all season won when they were out-rebounded as UMass had a 37-29 edge on the glass.
“What I saw was their guards driving by shooting layups or threes,” said Ford. “That’s all I saw. Their guards were scoring every time I turned around.”
UMass is now 10-4 as Atlantic 10 play beckons. Ford scheduled for the NCAA Tournament in non-conference play, as they played their share of good teams. But their best win came at Louisville, and that win may not look so good in the end because the jury is out on the Cardinals. Every other game against a school from a BCS conference that they played was a losing effort, and while there’s no shame in losing to Pittsburgh, Boston College and Kentucky, the Miami loss may be questionable in the eyes of the NCAA committee since the young Hurricanes are just 8-7 (although they have knocked off Georgia Tech).
That means the Minutemen will likely have to have a very good run in Atlantic 10 play to have a good chance at an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. If Tuesday night is any indication, their coach might not be sold on that as a likely possibility based on current results.
Ford expressed a lot of concern after Tuesday’s game about his team’s attitude and work ethic. From some of what he said, one might wonder if his feeling is that the players have read the proverbial press clippings.
“Guys think it’s going to come easy,” Ford said. “You’ve got to work at this game to get better, realize your weaknesses and really focus in on those weaknesses and try to get better at them, rather than thinking, ‘I’ll do better next time.’ It doesn’t work that way.”
Prior to the season, the Minutemen were talked about a good deal nationally. They got a lot of press saying that this team could be very good, especially if the transfers that sat out last season can blend in with the returning cast. They were picked second in the Atlantic 10’s preseason poll, although Ford has said they don’t deserve that. In short, they were a trendy sleeper pick entering this season and many felt this could be the year UMass re-emerges into prominence outside of its home state.
There were certainly bright spots in this game. The bench has been productive of late and that was true on Tuesday night, and they cut down on their turnovers. But there were also some question marks, like Rashaun Freeman getting just one shot in the second half after scoring 13 points in the first half on 6-10 shooting, and Brandon Thomas not getting off the bench in the second half after burying two straight three-pointers in five minutes off the bench in the first half. Stephan Lasme wasn’t his usual self save for seven blocked shots, but even that stat was surprising because one could easily get the feeling he wasn’t even on the floor for much of the game.
“We battled, but I think at the end, they wanted it a little bit more,” said Freeman.
The Minutemen have the talent and depth to win a lot of games in Atlantic 10 play. They’re two deep at the point guard spot, have capable shooters, and a dynamic duo up front in Freeman and Lasme along with options there off the bench. They need it all to come together on something resembling a consistent basis. Ford noted that this hasn’t happened yet this season; no doubt, he feels that starting with this weekend’s Atlantic 10 opener at La Salle, now would be a good time for that to happen.
