PRINGFIELD — In its 55 games at the Springfield
Civic Center, the University of Massachusetts men's
basketball team has enjoyed some very special
moments, though none of them lately.
PRINGFIELD — In its 55 games at the Springfield
Civic Center, the University of Massachusetts men's
basketball team has enjoyed some very special
moments, though none of them lately.
There was the 1992 win over Oklahoma that catapulted UMass into the Top 25 for the time in school history. The 104-80 rout over top-ranked and defending national champion Arkansas in the 1994 Tip-Off Classic ranks on any short list of classic UMass wins.
By beating Duquesne tonight, the Minutemen don't figure to grab the same national headlines. But as UMass returns to Springfield for the first time in six years, the 2000-01 season — and perhaps the program itself — stands at a crossroads, and that makes tonight's 7 o'clock contest a very important one in its own right.
"The plays we're making now aren't spectacular plays, but we're doing more of the things we're capable of doing," UMass coach Bruiser Flint said as the Minutemen (5-10, 3-1 Atlantic 10) prepared for Duquesne (7-10, 1-3).
Flint believes UMass, which was a bedraggled 2-9 after a brutal nonconference schedule, can make a run at the Atlantic 10 title. And bolstered by a strong start in league play, a dream that seemed preposterous two weeks ago is beginning to seem possible.
With this in mind, the Minutemen are ready for the bus ride down Interstate 91, and they'll play at the Civic Center for the first time since a 95-65 win over West Virginia Jan. 3, 1995.
"I don't mind going to Springfield," said Flint, an assistant to John Calipari when UMass last came to the Civic Center. "The only drawback is that we only have 11 home games to start with, and we're using one here."
But Flint said he believes Springfield and UMass should have a relationship, not just in men's basketball but in all sports. And he thinks the only way to do that is to extend a hand.
"People think you have to win 30 games a year for this town to come out," he said. "No. You've got to make people here feel like a part of our family.
"I don't think Springfield feels like part of it," Flint said. "We've got to bridge the gap between Springfield and Amherst."
UMass has made no Springfield commitment beyond this year's game, which Civic Center general manager Stuart J. Hurwitz actively sought. But university officials say they're interested in future visits — if tonight's turnout justifies it.
The fans who show up will see a UMass team on the upswing. Only a one-point loss at St. Bonaventure has kept the Minutemen from an unbeaten Atlantic 10 start.
The inside game came alive Thursday's 62-57 win over Dayton, which saw UMass erase a 45-36 deficit in the last 12 minutes. Kit Rhymer, Jackie Rogers and Micah Brand combined for 49 points and 19 rebounds to offset cold shooting from guards Monty Mack (3 for 10) and Shannon Crooks (1 for 7).
Duquesne is led by 6-foot-7 junior Wayne Smith (18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds per game) and 6-4 senior Courtney Wallace (17.1 points, 3.3 assists per game). Senior guard Charles Stanfield and junior forward Aaron Lovelace are back in the lineup after being bothered by injuries, but the Dukes lack size.
Before the season began, they lost 6-10, 260-pound Simon Ogunlesi, a native of Nigeria who has also lived in England. Ogunlesi was deported after being implicated in a bank-card scam.
The Minutemen exploited a height advantage against Dayton, and Duquesne faces the same problem. The Dukes may try to counter with zone defense, which they've been favoring lately.
In Civic Center games, UMass is 34-21 all-time, dating back to 1973. Flint appeared once as a player for St. Joseph's, which lost 89-80 to UMass in 1985.
The Minutemen played their entire 1984-85 home schedule in Springfield, as Curry Hicks Cage underwent renovations. There have been Hall of Fame tournaments (1973-75, 1977), ECAC playoffs (1976), an 86-85 NIT first-round win over Seton Hall (1977), the Abdow's Classic (1990-95) and the 1994 Tip-Off.
Tonight may not seem glamorous, but for a team that is climbing off the mat, it is very significant. It is a window of opportunity in a season that no longer seems like an automatically lost cause.
"A lot of other teams in this league have winning (overall) records, and we don't," Flint said. "But if we do what we're capable, there's no team in our league we can't beat."
MHERST - Saturday's battle between the
University of Massachusetts and Duquesne would be a battle of two teams
moving in different directions, if not for the fact that the Dukes never really
appear to be moving at all.
Consecutive losing season No. 7 appears to be a foregone conclusion for Duquesne, which has had just two winning seasons since 1981.
The Dukes enter Saturday's 7 p.m. contest at the Springfield Civic Center at 7-10 (1-3 in the Atlantic 10), coming off an 82-69 loss to La Salle.
Six games into the season, coach Darelle Porter had to deal with a problem most of his peers never encounter. His starting center Simon Ogunlesi was deported for his role in a bank fraud scam.
In addition to the morale problem created by such an incident, the Dukes were left with very little size. Sophomore Jack May (6-foot-8) and junior Wayne Smith (6-7) make up the undersized frontcourt for a team that starts three guards.
With a small lineup, Porter has used mostly a zone defense and tried to deny his opponents the ball.
"It's been pretty effective at times," Porter said. "With our lack of size we have to go to it to protect some guys."
The Minutemen, who have taken advantage of size matchups against Xavier and Dayton, will likely try to hammer the ball inside again against Duquesne.
"If you play a front line where the tallest guy is two or three inches shorter than you, you have to take advantage of it and pound the ball inside," sophomore forward Micah Brand said.
"We're going to go to the big guys, but they have to step up," Flint said. "They stepped up against Dayton. Now they have to step up against Duquesne."
Despite the team's troubles, junior Wayne Smith continues to put up numbers, as he has for his entire career in Pittsburgh. He leads the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game and rebounding with 6.6 boards per contest.
Senior point guard Courtney Wallace is putting up nice numbers in his final collegiate season as well, scoring 17.1 ppg.
The size discrepancy between the two teams creates some interesting matchups. UMass will have Winston Smith guarding Wayne Smith, which leaves 6-foot-11 Micah Brand on 6-4 guard Charles Stanfield.
"They're dangerous because all of their guys are like 6-4, and they all try to take you off the dribble and shoot," Flint said.
Duquesne has remained UMass' favorite opponent since the Dukes rejoined the A-10 for the 1993-94 season. The Minutemen have won 15 straight against the Dukes, by an average of 16.7 points.
Last season, Duquesne hung with the Minutemen at the Palumbo Center in an 84-75 UMass win, but the Minutemen smacked the Dukes 77-52 in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The game is UMass' first at the Civic Center since defeating West Virginia in January 1995. UMass has won four straight in the building.
NOTES: Monty Mack sat out Friday's practice after visiting the dentist for a toothache.
Flint, the Court Club and Springfield businessman Peter Picknelly have combined to buy 600 tickets to Saturday's game for kids from the Springfield Boys & Girls Clubs and the Holyoke Middle School.
PRINGFIELD, Mass. - The word has
been out for some time. If you want to
beat Duquesne, one of your first
priorities is to keep a close check on
Dukes forward Wayne Smith.
| Duquesne scouting report |
|
|
For Massachusetts (5-10, 3-1), keeping tabs on Smith, who is averaging 18.1 points per game, could turn out to be pretty easy. All the Minutemen might have to do is wave to him on the Dukes' bench from time to time.
Smith bruised his left heel during Duquesne's 82-69 loss at La Salle on Wednesday and has been hobbled ever since. He also is contending with a jammed big toe on his right foot, sustained in practice last week.
Stanfield, who has battled injuries and illness for much of the season and has been struggling recently with a stomach virus, missed practice Friday at the Palumbo Center but made the road trip yesterday. Duquesne coach Darelle Porter said Stanfield has an ear infection, pink eye and symptoms of strep throat, although the senior had not been diagnosed with the latter condition.
"He has been on medicine for the pink eye and it takes 24 hours before you know if it is working," Porter said. "We're just going to have to wait and see."
Both players say they expect to play tonight, but Smith conceded his injured heel is painful. He will receive medication before the game and will wear protective silicone cushioning in his shoe to help absorb some shock.
Junior forward Aaron Lovelace would get his first start of the season if either Smith or Stanfield or both are unable to play. Porter also said 6-foot-10 backup center Chris Clark would see more time in the lineup against Massachusetts.
"We really don't know what the situation will be with Wayne and Chuck," Lovelace said. "If they aren't able to contribute, everyone else is going to have to step up and pull together."
After the La Salle game in Philadelphia, Lovelace and guard Kevin Forney criticized the team's lack of continuity on the floor. But Lovelace yesterday said that the Dukes have rededicated themselves to turning around the season, beginning tonight.
"We know we can win if we come out hard and do what we have to do to get the job done," Lovelace said.
Massachusetts guard Monty Mack, the league's second-leading scorer last season, appears to be untracked after some shaky early-season performances. Mack is averaging 19.7 points per game in his past seven starts, despite a season-low seven in Thursday's 62-57 victory over Dayton in Amherst, Mass., and leads the Minutemen for the season with a 17.4 average.
Massachusetts has won three of its past four games.
"Monty Mack is playing the way I know he can play," Massachusetts coach Bruiser Flint said. "Overall, our decision-making has been a lot better and because of it, we're shooting for a higher percentage. It has made it easier on the offensive end."
s Duquesne enters the most challenging portion of its schedule, the Dukes
might have to play without two starters tonight at Massachusetts, the first
game in a tough five-game, 12-day stretch against the upper echelon of the
Atlantic 10 Conference.
Junior forward Wayne Smith, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, and senior guard Chuck Stanfield are questionable and will be game-time decisions.
Smith, who has been playing with a steel plate insert in his right shoe for about two weeks because of a jammed toe, was fitted with a foam pad for his left shoe yesterday that will help protect and cushion his bruised left heel. X-rays on the heel showed no broken bones, and it will be a matter of Smith getting comfortable and handling the pain. The heel injury came late in the first half against La Salle Wednesday night, and he hobbled badly in 10 minutes of play in the second half.
Stanfield has been ailing for about two weeks. He had a stomach virus but was able to play against La Salle. Now he has an ear infection, pink eye and possibly strep throat. Stanfield did not practice yesterday, but he did make the trip.
"We're not going in at full strength," said Coach Darelle Porter.
Junior forward Aaron Lovelace likely will start in place of Stanfield. Lovelace, who has been hampered with a seasonlong ankle injury, is finally starting to come into his own. He has scored in double figures in three of the past five games he has played, including a 5-for-6 shooting performance and 13 points against La Salle.
"If those guys can't play, someone else is going to have to step it up," Lovelace said. "We have more than enough players to do that. We have a lot of guys who can be contributors."
If Smith is unable to play, sophomore forwards Brad Midgley and Chris Clark will have to play more minutes. It also would mean a major change in the offense. Smith takes roughly 25 percent of the team's shots and scores about the same percentage of the team's points.
"Defensively, it won't change us too much," Porter said. "Offensively, we're going to have to call a few different plays. We're going to have to see who's hot during the game."
Massachusetts has been hot after a rough start. The Minutemen, who lost nine of their first 11 games, have won three of four conference games, including victories against Xavier and Dayton.
"They're peaking now," Porter said.
The Dukes (7-10, 1-3) will have a hard time matching up with the Minutemen (5-10, 3-1). Senior guard Monty Mack is averaging 17.4 points per game, and senior center Kitwana Rhymer is averaging 10.1. Rhymer, who is 6 feet 10, 260 pounds, is averaging 14 points in conference play. The Dukes will try to guard him with 6-8 sophomore Jack May and 6-10 sophomore Chris Clark.
After Massachusetts, the Dukes return home to play George Washington, Temple, Xavier and Dayton. Massachusetts, Temple (10-8), Xavier (13-3) and Dayton (10-7) will be vying for postseason tournament bids.
Lovelace said his teammates -- with or without Smith and Stanfield -- have to approach this stretch with a sense of urgency.
"We'll pull together," Lovelace said. "We're a team that wants to win. We know we can win. We just have to put a whole game together."