UMass Takes Advantage of Their Chance
AMHERST, Mass. – The second half defined UMass’ 70-61 win over Boston University on Saturday, albeit in different ways for both teams.
After both teams started slowly, UMass got untracked later in the first half and took a 44-25 lead into the locker room as they held the Terriers to 26 percent shooting. But the second half saw a reversal, as the Minutemen shot 26 percent in the second half and the Terriers rallied to get within three before succumbing.
For the struggling Terriers, it meant a hopeful head coach.
“I was proud of the effort that our guys put forth,” said Dennis Wolff. “We’re struggling right now, but the second half is closer to how I hope we can play, and hopefully we can build on this.”
The Terriers had Tyler Morris, their emotional leader, playing in just his second game of the season after missing over a month with a foot injury. He looked the way one might expect a player just back from an injury to, as he had his moments but didn’t play at the level he’s capable of. Having him back will boost them in time.
As usual, the Terriers have played a tough schedule in non-conference, a trademark of Wolff’s teams. The low strength of schedule rating in their RPI doesn’t do it justice, as this team has played four teams from the strong Atlantic 10 in addition to Pittsburgh, Marshall and two from the Colonial. They still have Patriot League favorite Holy Cross next week.
But they’ve also had to battle youth, something easily forgotten with a team picked by many to win the America East Conference. The main reason is that many of their players gained a lot of experience last year, as sophomores Morris, Corey Lowe, Carlos Strong and Scott Brittain all started last year. Sixth man Marques Johnson has seen a steady increase in his role as well. Still, this team isn’t exactly one full of seniors that have been in the program from the beginning of their college days. Wolff sees this showing itself when times get tough.
“We’re still an extremely young team, and when things go wrong, they seem to compound themselves. We have to try to stop that,” said Wolff.
For UMass, the second half left head coach Travis Ford disappointed, while also knowing that this can’t continue. Up next is a home date with a hot Houston team that plays a similar style, and a road date with undefeated Vanderbilt follows.
“I’m disappointed that we weren’t more competitive in the second half,” said Ford. “We let too many little things bother us. But we’re 10-2, and we’ll understand that from this point on, we’ll need to be better than that.”
Perhaps the biggest thing that bothered the Minutemen was their struggles at the offensive end. They didn’t dictate the pace of the game like they did in the first half, and the Terriers started to get some turnovers and run-outs from them. Then it had a carry-over effect.
“We allowed our offensive output to affect our defense,” Ford said. “We would miss a shot, and after you’ve missed four, five, six, seven, eight in a row, and on the seventh or eighth one, you could see our guys’ heads roll away after a miss, all of them, while the other team was scoring. That’s not the way we’re supposed to be playing.”
This isn’t the first time the Minutemen didn’t finish a team off after having a comfortable lead. The same thing happened against Boston College a couple of weeks earlier, as they had to hold off the Eagles 83-80 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final suggested.
Still, they’re happy to be 10-2 right now. If they gain nothing from the second half of this one, that could quickly drop to 10-4, and their NCAA Tournament resume would take a hit. If they gain something from it, they could enter Atlantic 10 play at 12-2 and with two more solid wins that will help their at-large hopes should they have a good conference run and not win the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Other Notable Games
Wisconsin 67, Texas 66: A tremendous win for the Badgers, with unheralded senior guard Mike Flowers making two big plays in the final seconds. They now have their signature win, and on the road to boot.
Dayton 80, Pittsburgh 55: This is the win the Flyers needed to shake off doubters about their strong start. Beating an injury-riddled Louisville team was good, but this is a big win for the Flyers and yet another for the Atlantic 10.
Memphis 76, Arizona 63: The Wildcats were without Jerryd Bayless, so what was already a tall order didn’t get any easier. But give them credit: with just one non-conference game remaining, they’ve put up a 9-3 mark against a reasonably difficult schedule and plenty of uncertainty in the program.
Tennessee 82, Gonzaga 72: Another good road win for the Volunteers, who have had a fine non-conference run and look like the team to beat in the SEC.
San Diego 81, Kentucky 72: One of the bigger wins in the Toreros’ history, it’s not the monumental win it might be in other years as this isn’t the best Kentucky team. The Wildcats are now 5-6.
Winthrop 76, Miami 70: So much for the thought that the Hurricanes would be undefeated entering ACC play. Nonetheless, Frank Haith’s team has had an excellent non-conference run thus far.
Oklahoma 88, West Virginia 82 (2 OT): A dandy ballgame and another nice win for Oklahoma, which is quietly off to a 10-3 start with a few good wins among them.
Purdue 59, Florida International 44: The Boilermakers got off to a very slow start, but after allowing the first 16 points of the game they played fine the rest of the way. With a team this young, a slow start isn’t very surprising.
Washington 73, LSU 65: Another home loss for John Brady’s crew is also a much-needed road win for the Huskies, who have one non-conference game left (against Idaho State).
Villanova 71, La Salle 58: 14 straight Big Five wins for the Wildcats.
UAB 73, Old Dominion 57: A nice win for the Blazers, who continue to manage without star guard Paul Delaney.
Illinois State 80, Creighton 67: The Redbirds open Valley play with a nice road win to go to 9-3. The Bluejays have been better than advertised.
Drake 62, Wichita State 54: The Bulldogs open Valley play with a road win of their own to continue a fine start, as they are now 10-1.
Cincinnati 56, Miami (Ohio) 50: The RedHawks needed this one just to maintain any at-large hopes down the line. It’s a bad loss, and MAC play now beckons.
UTEP 104, Texas Southern 61: Quietly, the Miners have run out to a 9-2 start after this win.
New Orleans 100, William Carey 81: New head coach Joe Pasternack has made it a successful homecoming thus far, as his team closes out non-conference play at 11-2.
Florida Gulf Coast 60, Pennsylvania 30: The Quakers’ struggles continue, getting drubbed by Division I newcomer Florida Gulf Coast.
