MHERST -- Lawrence Carrier's bad news was good news for walk-on forward Matt Pennie as the University of Massachusetts prepared for its final practice Wednesday before leaving for the Bahamas today.

Carrier, a junior forward had right knee surgery Tuesday to repair cartilage damage and will miss the trip. He is expected to be ready to for the regular season.

His absence opened a spot for senior walk-on forward Matt Pennie, who rejoined the team Wednesday.

'I told him he has one day to learn all the stuff,' UMass coach Travis Ford joked.

Other than Carrier's injury, Ford was pleased with the team's 10 days of practice leading up to the trip.

'We've accomplished a lot in these 10 days,' he said. 'We got in a lot of plays and a lot of defense. We scrimmaged with referees Tuesday night.'

The trip marks the debut in UMass uniforms for four Minutemen. Transfers Luke Bonner, Etienne Brower and Gary Forbes will see their first game action after sitting out last season under NCAA transfer rules. Freshman Tiki Mayben is playing after sitting out last season as an academic nonqualifier.

Forbes has been counting down the days until he gets to play again. 'Two more days,' he said Wednesday.

The Minutemen's first exhibition game in the Bahamas is at 6 p.m. Friday.

Ford said he is a little disappointed that practice is over. He went into this preparation period wondering if he could use his two point guards -- sophomore Chris Lowe and freshman Tiki Mayben -- on the floor at the same time. He was happy with the answer.

'The most exciting thing for me is realizing just how much we're going to play Chris Lowe and Tiki together,' Ford said. 'It's a really good lineup.'

NCAA rules prohibit freshman Ricky Harris from participating, while fellow senior walk-on Nana Ampim had summer work commitments and could not make the trip.

The Minutemen are scheduled to arrive in Nassau this evening. The Minutemen will play five games in six days before returning home Aug. 24. Their opponents will be professional club teams from the Bahamas.

'I'm really excited,' Lowe said. 'We get a little vacation. We want to have a nice time, jell as a team and hopefully win a few games. I don't know if we can practice out there. If we can't, that's a lot of beach time.'

The team is staying at the Atlantis, a well-known resort. Lowe was impressed after examining its Web site.

'It's pretty, pretty nice,' he said. 'I can't wait.'

Forbes hadn't looked at the Web. 'I want to be surprised,' he said.

RULES -- The games will all be played with international rules. There will be a 24-second shot clock, a deeper 3-point line and a wide lane. Players will be able to grab rebounds off the rim, which would be goaltending under NCAA rules.

UMass spent minimal time preparing for the differences, using the practice time more to get ready for the season.

'The only thing I didn't get to do is go over the international rules. It's a big difference between 24 and 35-second shot clocks,' Ford said. 'There's going to be a learning curve. It'll probably be funny at times - us understanding the rules. But it's still basketball once we get out there between the lines.'

SCHEDULE -- The Minutemen will open play at 6 p.m. Friday against the Explorers and will face the Crimestoppers Saturday at the same time. Both of those games are at the D.W. Davis School.

After an off day Sunday, play moves to Loyola Hall for the next three days. UMass faces the Rockets at 7 p.m. Monday, the Giants at 9 p.m. Tuesday and the Shockers at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

All five games will be broadcast on the Internet from a link at UMassathletics.com.

Matt Vautour can be reached at [email protected]. For more UMass coverage including a frequently updated UMass sports blog, go to www.dailyhampshiregazette.com/umsports.