• Season: 2012-13
• Date: Thursday, November 15, 2012
• Opponent: Providence
• Start Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Site: Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón PR
• Special Event: Puerto Rico Tip-Off
• Television: ESPNU
• Streaming video: ESPN3
• Radio / Streaming audio: UMass Radio Network

• Result: UMass 77, Providence 75
• Attendance: 4,103

UMass Game Notes
Video: Practice day

UMass men's basketball opens Puerto Rico Tip-Off Thursday against Providence
By Matt Vautour, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 11/14/2012

BAYAMON, Puerto Rico — There are 18 weeks and at least 28 games for the University of Massachusetts men’s basketball team before Selection Sunday.

But the Minutemen’s goal of having their name called by the NCAA tournament selection committee that day, could be affected by tonight’s 7:30 game against Providence in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

For each of the eight teams, the first game in the event determines if it lands in the winners’ or losers’ bracket.

For UMass, playing in the winners’ bracket likely means a game with No. 6 North Carolina State on Friday and a potential matchup against either Tennessee or Oklahoma State on Sunday. Winning either of those games would be a bonus. Just playing them would boost the Minutemen’s strength of schedule and Ratings Percentage Index ranking.

“I just want them to understand that they’re playing Providence,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. “I just want them to go out and try to win this one. If we’re fortunate enough to do that, we all know what’s in front of us.”

The Friars (2-0) arrive at the island commonwealth with wins over New Jersey Institute of Technology and Bryant, but they lost all-Big East point guard Vincent Council to a hamstring injury early in the NJIT game. He didn’t play against Bryant and won’t play against UMass in Puerto Rico, making an already thin roster even thinner. The Friars will have six scholarship players and shooting guard Bryce Cotton running the point. Kellogg said ideally the Minutemen would use their depth advantage and their up-and-down style to wear out the Friars.

“We’d like to do that and we would have liked to have done that against Harvard, too,” Kellogg said. “But some of it is where we are. We have some guys coming off of injuries too. There’s some things I’d like to do, but I’m not sure we’re quite there yet.”

The winner will face the winner of Penn State and NC State on Friday at 6 p.m., while the losers will meet at 7:30 p.m.

REUNION OFF — The subplot of tonight’s game was supposed to feature a battle of Brooklyn, N.Y., point guards and close friends, Council and UMass’ Chaz Williams.

“Since Pampers. We’ve known each other since we were little kids,” Williams said. “He’s one of my closest friends.”

Said Council, “In the summer time we always hang out, always at each other’s house. We play together and practice together. We play one-on-one, shoot together, lift together. It’s more of like a brotherhood.”

On most days they’d play at Bishop Ford High School, Williams’ alma mater, or when they were talking trash, on one of the nearby outdoor courts in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. Both emulated fellow Brooklyn product Sebastian Telfair, who went from high school directly to the NBA.

“We’ve been battling all summer. He’s just a good ballplayer, a good point guard,” Williams said. “He’s one of the best players I have played against or will play against.”

They were looking forward to playing against each other, 1,600 miles from Brooklyn. But Council’s injury means he’ll only watch as Williams battles his Friars.

“I was really disappointed. He’s like a brother to me,” Williams said. “I was looking forward to matching up against him. We were very competitive working out this summer. That would have been good to see.”

REUNION ON? — While Williams and Council won’t meet on the court, UMass and former Minuteman coach Travis Ford, who is in his fifth season at Oklahoma State, still could.

UMass and OSU, which opens the tournament against Akron today at 11:30 a.m., would have to have the same results in their first two games to have a chance to meet on Sunday.

Ford has stayed close with UMass associate athletic director Tim Kenney and assistant coach Adam Ginsburg, who coached with Ford and stayed on at UMass with Kellogg. UMass staff assistant Matt Vogel was a manager under Ford.

“It’ll be great to see them. It’s going to be great,” Ford said. “Tim Kenney is a close friend and our families are close and we still get together quite a bit. It’ll be great to see them. I’m looking forward to that.”

Ford said he hasn’t thought much about playing against UMass.

“I really have no feeling either way. I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into it. Going against a former team is never easy,” said Ford, who still keeps track of how UMass does. “I do as much as I can. Obviously not as much as I did when they had more players that we recruited. But I absolutely do.”

The Cowboys arrived in Puerto Rico at 1-0 after a preseason marred by injuries.

“It’s been the craziest preseason I’ve ever had with injures. We’ve pretty much had to practice four-on-four,” Ford said. “It’s been a tough preseason. We have some good players. We just have to get everybody healthy. We’ve had to change up a lot. It’s been an adjustment period for us. It’s not the way you want to start out, but we lost some very valuable time.”

SIGNINGS IMMINENT — Seth Berger, the 6-foot-7 wing from Seattle who verbally committed to UMass in September, officially singed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday and announced it on Twitter:

“Just signed to play ball @UMass_Bball, so excited to be apart of the of the program and play with my new brother @_SirCaptainZach”

SirCaptainZach is Zach Coleman, who committed to UMass the same weekend Berger did. His high school is holding a signing day for him and a teammate next week.

Both letters will have to be cleared by UMass’ compliance office before the school makes it official and Kellogg can comment on it.

Matt Vautour can be reached at [email protected]. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.

Related: Challenging Chaz: Some of the nation's top point guards await UMass' Williams

UMass basketball not letting distractions arise in Puerto Rico as it gets set for Providence

UMass men’s hoops travels south for Puerto Rico Tip-Off

Vinson's Tip-In Secures 77-75 Victory Over Providence
Minutemen advance to play No. 6 NC State on Friday at 5 pm ET on ESPN2 or ESPNU
From UMass Athletics, 11/15/2012

BAYAMON, P.R. – Terrell Vinson tipped-in a Chaz Williams floater in the lane to help Massachusetts defeat Providence, 77-75, in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez late Thursday night.

For Vinson, it was the second buzzer-beater of his career. As a freshman, he beat the clock against Memphis in Boston. It was also the second-consecutive game the Minutemen broke a tie with a game-winning shot in the final two seconds.

UMass (2-0) shot 51 percent and outscored Providence 7-2 in the final 2:01. The rally was necessary when the Friars erased an eight-point second half margin and went ahead via a 13-4 run with a 3-pointer at the 8:52 mark.

Providence (2-1) made just two baskets in the final six minutes but was 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

Jesse Morgan led UMass with 18 points and kept the Minutemen close with a pair of crucial triples - one with 2:51 left that cut the PC lead to 71-70 and another two possessions later that tied it at 75 with 1:22 to play. He was 4-for-8 from outside in 24 minutes off the bench.

Williams had 17 with seven rebounds and five assists, but also turned the ball over six times. Vinson was 5-of-7 from the floor with 14 points and six boards. Raphiael Putney was the fourth player in double figures before finishing with 10 points and seven boards.

UMass outrebounded PC 36-34.

The Minutemen used a suffocating press and solid defense in the first half to build a n 11-point lead late in the period before the Friars closed on a 5-0 run entering the break. UMass forced five turnovers with its press and a pair of shot clock violations.

PC got 23 points from Bryce Cotton and 19 points from Kadeem Batts.

UMass will now face No. 6 North Carolina State in the semifinals on Friday night at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will be televised on ESPN2 or ESPNU and aired on the UMass Sports Network, which is carried in Western Mass. by the flagship station, WEEI 105.5 FM.

UMass beats Providence on Terrell Vinson tip-in at buzzer
By Matt Vautour, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 11/15/2012

BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico — Terrell Vinson never saw his final shot go in.

The University of Massachusetts senior forward was knocked to the floor after tapping the rebound off Chaz Williams’ missed shot back toward the net.

But when he saw the bench, led by staff assistant Lou Roe, racing toward him joyously, he knew he’d given the Minutemen their second straight buzzer-beating win, 77-75 over Providence at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

The game appeared headed for overtime when Williams’ driving layup attempt rolled off the rim, but Vinson crashed from the left baseline and tipped the ball back in as time ran out.

“It was another heart-pounding victory,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. “I’m not sure who deserved to win. … That we were able to come away with a victory is a testament to the type of kids we have. We’re ecstatic. Two buzzers-beaters in a week is probably a little much for a coach. When it works out that way there’s nothing more fulfilling and gratifying than winning a game the way we won it.”

Williams saw divine intervention.

“We are really happy with the victory but not happy with our performance,” said Williams, who had 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and six turnovers. “Fortunately, God blessed us and the shot went in. … Actually it looked like God gave it a little push.”

Against Harvard on Tuesday, Vinson, who was the Minutemen’s most clutch player last year, fouled out and watched Sampson Carter’s 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left gave UMass a 67-64 win. He was eager to make an impact this time.

“Just in case it didn’t go in or he passed it, I just had to stay active in the lane,” said Vinson, who had 14 points and six rebounds. “You can see something about our team every time you watch us. We have a no-quit mentality.”

Carter had his hand in the heroics again. With the score tied 75-75 with 22 seconds left, Providence’s Ladonte Henton drove to the basket, but Carter took a charge setting up the final sequence.

Despite having a roster reduced by injuries to just six scholarship players, the Friars matched the Minutemen’s energy throughout.

“Our kids played their tails off. We won a lot of things tonight. We just didn’t win the game,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said. “I told our kids I was really proud of them.”

UMass came into the game wanting to force turnovers and to use its defensive pressure to harass the Friars, who were playing without a true point guard. Instead, it was the Minutemen who gave the ball away — 17 times, including seven in the second half. PC’s Bryce Cotton, a converted shooting guard, handled the pressure and finished with 23 points, five assists and two turnovers, outplaying Williams.

“We tried to wear them down, but they kept fighting and scrapping,” Kellogg said. “They did a better job handling pressure than I thought they would. That’s a scrappy team.”

UMass (2-0) advanced to face No. 6 North Carolina State (2-0) in the tournament semifinals at 5 p.m. today. Providence (2-1) dropped into the losers’ bracket where it will face Penn State at 7:30 p.m.

The Minutemen, who were in control for much of the first half, built a 41-30 lead late, but the Friars scored the last five points of the first half to cut their deficit to 41-35.

Providence’s momentum carried into the second half. UMass pulled back ahead by eight, but PC used a 19-6 surge to take a 62-57 lead with 7:34 left.

The Friars kept the Minutemen at arm’s length, but couldn’t pull away. Jesse Morgan scored six of his team-high 18 points in the final three minutes, including a 3-pointer with 1:22 left that tied the game 75-75.

“That was amazing, two games like that in one week,” Kellogg said. “The kids persevered and kept fighting. We have some things to work on, but it’s nice to be 2-0.”

Matt Vautour can be reached at [email protected]. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.

UMass, No. 6 NC State to meet in Puerto Rico Tip-Off semifinals
By Matt Vautour, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 11/15/2012

BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico — The matchup that the University of Massachusetts men’s basketball program was craving from the moment the Puerto Rico Tip-Off field was announced is happening tonight at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez.

The Minutemen will face No. 6-ranked North Carolina State at 5 p.m. (ESPN2) in the semifinal round.

The Wolfpack did little to dampen the enthusiasm around them as they blew out Penn State 72-55 Thursday. UMass held off Providence 77-75 at the buzzer.

NC State freshman T.J. Warren had a breakout game with 22 points and eight rebounds to lead the Wolfpack (2-0).

The winner will advance to the championship Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Tennessee and Oklahoma State play at 10:30 a.m. Friday in the other semifinal.

The losers will play at 4 p.m. in the third-place game.

NC State coach Mark Gottfried hadn’t watched Providence tape but had seen the Minutemen.

“I like UMass’ team. They’re really athletic,” said Gottfried before UMass took the floor. “If it’s UMass, it’s full-court press. It’s up-and-down. It’s that type of a game. I like their team. I really like their point guard. He makes a lot happen.”

The Minutemen won all three previous meetings against NC State — once in Amherst, Raleigh, N.C., and Honolulu.

PADILLAS VISIT — Add a former great UMass point guard to the growing list of fans of Minuteman floor general Chaz Williams.

Edgar Padilla, the point guard for the 1996 Final Four team, lives in his native Puerto Rico. He visited UMass’ practice on Wednesday. He wasn’t in attendance for Providence but expected to be there Friday. His older brother, Gidell, a former Minuteman walk-on, was at the game Thursday.

Edgar Padilla has enjoyed watching Williams.

“He’s a pretty good player. He’s a lot different kind of player to what I was and what Derek (Kellogg) was,” said Padilla, 36. “He’s a lot of fun to watch.”

After a long career playing in the Puerto Rico Superior League, the island’s professional circuit, Padilla is now the general manager of one its teams, the Indios de Mayaguez, the league’s defending champions.

He hasn’t been back to Massachusetts since he was honored in 2009 as part of UMass’ 100 Years of Basketball. But he’s kept track of the Minutemen from afar, especially since Kellogg was hired as the head coach.

“Especially last year, I followed them through most of the tournament. They had a great run and came very close to winning the NIT. I was very, very happy when Derek got the job. He’s doing a great job with the program,” Padilla said. “He has the capability to take the program to where it was when we were there and I was happy to see Lou Roe join him. He could be a lot of help for the kids and the program. The program is in great hands.”

Roe was hired as a staff assistant during the offseason.

Padilla enjoyed catching up with his former teammates.

“I was very happy about that. I had a chance to go to practice (Wednesday) and spend some time with them,” said Padilla, who stays in touch with Carmelo Travieso, Donta Bright, Dana Dingle and Marcus Camby. “It was a great experience.”

Matt Vautour can be reached at [email protected]. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.

Terrell Vinson's last-second tip-in gives UMass second straight buzzer-beating victory
UMass victory over Providence sets up semifinal matchup with No. 6 North Carolina State

UMass wins again at the buzzer to escape Providence

UMass tips Friars at buzzer, 77-75

Video: Post-game press conference
Video: Vinson's winning tip-in

Official Basketball Box Score
Providence vs UMass
11/16/12 8:30 PM AST at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez (Bayamon, PR)


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VISITORS: Providence 2-1
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
10 Batts, Kadeem....... f  6-8    0-0    7-9    2  7  9   4  19  3  3  1  0  38
21 Goldsbrough, Lee.... f  2-3    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   4   4  0  1  0  1  14
23 Henton, LaDontae.... f  5-16   0-6    3-7    4  7 11   2  13  1  5  0  2  37
04 Fortune, Josh....... g  5-8    2-4    0-0    2  0  2   2  12  0  0  0  0  38
11 Cotton, Bryce....... g  6-16   3-7    8-8    1  1  2   0  23  5  2  0  0  40
13 Kofane, Brice.......    2-2    0-0    0-0    1  5  6   4   4  0  0  0  0  22
22 Bancroft, Ted.......    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   2   0  0  0  0  0  11
   TEAM................                         2  1  3             2
   Totals..............   26-54   5-19  18-24  12 22 34  18  75  9 13  1  3 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-33 42.4%   2nd Half: 12-21 57.1%   Game: 48.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-10 30.0%   2nd Half:  2-9  22.2%   Game: 26.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-8  50.0%   2nd Half: 14-16 87.5%   Game: 75.0%    1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: UMass 2-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
33 VINSON, Terrell..... f  5-7    0-1    4-7    3  3  6   3  14  0  3  0  1  34
34 PUTNEY, Raphiael.... f  5-11   0-2    0-2    3  4  7   2  10  1  1  1  1  31
25 LALANNE, Cady....... c  3-4    0-0    2-3    2  3  5   5   8  1  1  1  0  20
03 WILLIAMS, Chaz...... g  7-13   2-4    1-3    3  4  7   4  17  5  6  0  1  32
23 RILEY, Freddie...... g  0-2    0-2    0-0    1  2  3   0   0  0  0  0  1  22
01 ESHO, Maxie.........    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   2  0  2  0  1   5
05 MORGAN, Jesse.......    7-15   4-8    0-0    0  2  2   3  18  1  3  0  1  24
11 BERGANTINO, Tyler...    0-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   1   0  0  0  0  0   4
12 DAVIS, Trey.........    1-2    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   2  0  0  0  0   5
22 CARTER, Sampson.....    2-5    0-2    2-2    2  2  4   2   6  0  1  0  0  23
   TEAM................                            1  1
   Totals..............   31-61   6-19   9-17  15 21 36  22  77  8 17  2  6 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 16-27 59.3%   2nd Half: 15-34 44.1%   Game: 50.8%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-11 36.4%   2nd Half:  2-8  25.0%   Game: 31.6%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-8  62.5%   2nd Half:  4-9  44.4%   Game: 52.9%    1


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Officials: Hal Lusk, Jose Carrion, Lamont Simpson
Technical fouls: Providence-None. UMass-None.
Attendance: 4103
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Providence....................   35   40  -   75
UMass.........................   41   36  -   77

Points in the paint-PC 32,UMASS 46. Points off turnovers-PC 21,UMASS 12.
2nd chance points-PC 9,UMASS 14. Fast break points-PC 0,UMASS 8.
Bench points-PC 4,UMASS 28. Score tied-2 times. Lead changed-3 times.
Last FG-PC 2nd-01:31, UMASS 2nd-00:00.
Largest lead-PC by 6 1st-16:55, UMASS by 12 1st-08:46.

Available at UMassAthletics.com