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2020-21 Season

The 2020-21 UMass Minutemen men's basketball team represents the University of Massachusetts, the flagship campus in Amherst. The Head Coach is Matt McCall. The team plays its home games in the Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, and is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The season represents the 112th season of basketball in the school's history.

  • Current Record: 7-4
  • Conference Record: 6-2
RecordOverallA-10
All games7-46-2
Home4-33-2
Away3-13-0
NeutralTBDTBD
Previous Season Next Season
2019-20 2021-22

Scoreboard

Game Record Rank Notes
Date Opponent Game Results High Scorer High Rebounder Overall A10 UM Opp
12/11 Northeastern W 94-79 Tre Mitchell (31) Tre Mitchell (11) 1-0 Tre dominates early and often, including 19 & 6 in the first half. Garcia impressive with 23 in his debut, including 9-13 FG. Pierre 14, Weeks 11. NU led by Walker's 29.
12/13 at Northeastern L 78-75 Garcia (18) Tre Mitchell (8) 1-1 At Cabot Center. NU goes on an 11-2 run in the second half, and holds a 10 point edge with 46 seconds to play. UM scrambles but the comeback attempt falls short. Husky defense limits Tre to 10 points and 3-10 shooting. Walker 20 for NU.
12/16 at La Salle W 85-66 Tre Mitchell (37) McCrory (9) 2-1 1-0 Tre shoots 13-17 overall and racks up 37 points for a new career high, shredding the Explorer defense. Pierre adds 14 points. Fernandes 11 pts, 9 assists, just 1 turnover.
12/21 Bryant L 93-88 Pierre (23) Fernandes, McCrory, Pierre (5 each) 2-2 Bryant's fast offense and hot shooting puts UM on their heels. Bulldogs' 22 turnovers lets UM hang around, but Bryant's zone neutralizes Tre (4 field goals, 3 rebounds), and UM settles for threes that won't fall (9-34 / .265).
12/30 George Mason L 93-92 (2OT) Tre Mitchell (23) DeGray, Fernandes, Tre Mitchell (8 each) 2-3 1-1 Demoralizing loss as UM blows three late leads: up 8 with 1:08 left in regulation, up 7 with 3:00 left in OT1, up 6 with 1:30 left in OT2. Mason's zone defense frustrates UM, Tre stuck on 7 points until 4:30 left in regulation. Fernandes & Pierre with 19 pts each, Weeks 14.
1/9 La Salle W 83-67 McCrory & Pierre (15 each) Tre Mitchell (8) 3-3 2-1 Balanced attack with 4 M'men in double figures. Fernandes 13/7/7:1. Tre (11 points) relaxes a little with teammates carrying more load. DeGray 9/3/5, Garcia 8.
1/13 Rhode Island W 80-78 (OT) DeGray (21) Fernandes (8) 4-3 3-1 UM uses a 17-3 second half run to go up 15, only to lose it and go into OT. Tre fights through 4 fouls and scores 4 critical points in OT, but star of the game was DeGray (7-9 FG, 6-8 FT, 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals).
1/17 at Fordham W 65-46 Tre Mitchell (24) DeGray (10) 5-3 4-1 UM throttled Fordham in the first, 44-17, and built it to 52-17, then offensively stalled, but it was enough. Tre 24 & 8, Weeks 11 pts, Pierre 9, DeGray 8 & 10.
1/24 Davidson L 69-60 Tre Mitchell & Weeks (16 each) Tre Mitchell (9) 5-4 4-2 UM went ahead 38-31 with 17:33 to play, and Grady stuck on 2 points. Davidson went on a 38-16 run after that, with Grady scoring 20. Tre leaves game with a shoulder injury. Fernandes 15 pts, but rest of UM just 13 combined.
2/3 Fordham W 60-54 Garcia (14) Weeks (12) 6-4 5-2 Tre and Noah sit out with injuries. Gasperini (9 & 5) and Garcia (14/3/5) start in their spot. TJ tallies a double-double with 13 & 12. Fordham misses with 21% from 3, 50% from the line.
2/6 at Rhode Island W 75-63 Pierre (19) McCrory (11) 7-4 6-2 With Tre and Noah still out, UM shoves their 10-point underdog status down Rhody's throat. Pierre hits a season-high 5 threes. Gasperini gets his breakout game: 11 pts, 5 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and his first UM three-pointer. McCrory 11 & 11 off the bench. DeGray 11 & 6, Garcia 8 points before leaving after an elbow to the eye. URI doesn't hit a three, first time since 2011.

Schedule

EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
All times Eastern PM, unless otherwise noted. Boldface opponents indicates an Atlantic 10 Conference game.
Printable schedule
UMass master schedule

Date Day Time Opponent Site Event TV Streaming Video
12/11 Fri 1:30 Northeastern Mullins Center NESN NESN, ESPN+
12/13 Sun Noon at Northeastern at Cabot Center, Boston MA NESN NESN
12/161) Wed Noon at La Salle at Tom Gola Arena, Philadelphia PA none ESPN+
12/21 Mon 4:00 Bryant Mullins Center NESN NESN, ESPN+
12/30 Wed 6:00 George Mason Mullins Center NESN NESN, ESPN+
1/9 Sat 4:00 La Salle Mullins Center NBC Sports NBC Sports
1/132) Wed 7:00 Rhode Island Mullins Center NESN NESN, ESPN+
1/17 Sun 2:303) at Fordham at Rose Hill Gym, Bronx NY NBC Sports NBC Sports
1/24 Sun Noon Davidson Mullins Center CBSSN CBSSN
2/3 Wed 6:00 Fordham Mullins Center NESN NESN, ESPN+
2/6 Sat 8:00 at Rhode Island at the Ryan Center, Kingston RI ESPN2 ESPN+
2/9 Tue 7:00 Dayton Mullins Center ESPNU ESPN+
2/124) Fri 7:00 at Virginia Commonwealth at Siegel Center, Richmond VA ESPN2 ESPN+
2/14 Sun 2:00 St. Bonaventure Mullins Center NBC Sports NBC Sports
2/20 Sat 6:00 at Duquesne Venue TBA5) none ESPN+
2/24 Wed 6:00 at Saint Joseph's at Hagan Arena, Philadelphia PA none ESPN+
3/3 Wed 6:00 Richmond Mullins Center NESN NESN, ESPN+
TBA6) TBA TBA at Saint Louis at Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis MO NBC Sports NBC Sports
TBA7) TBA TBA at George Washington at the Smith Center, Washington DC TBA ESPN+
TBA8) TBA TBA Saint Louis Mullins Center TBA ESPN+
TBA9) Sat 2:00 at George Mason at EagleBank Arena, Fairfax VA TBA ESPN+
3/10-14 Wed-Sun TBD TBD at Richmond VA10), Siegel Center or Robins Center A-10 Tournament TBD TBD

COVID-19 Impacts

Everything this season depends on how the men's basketball program, the the University, the Atlantic 10 Conference, and the NCAA react to the continuing threat of COVID-19 on health for all involved.

  • Season start: The NCAA had previously said teams could start play on November 10, that start date was pushed to November 25.11)
  • November pause: UMass announced on November 17 that there was at least one positive COVID test within the program, and that they would go on pause. At the time, a return date was not specified.12) A subsequent report said UMass was aiming to return to practice on November 26,13) but that was not entirely clear as UMass said on 11/29 that some members of the program were still “in quarrantine for the next 5-6 days.”14)
  • Mohegan Sun games cancelled. Because of the positive COVID test(s) on 11/17, UMass said they “will not participate in the Multiple Team Event at Mohegan Sun.”15)
  • January pause: We went back on pause on 1/26. Potential resumption date TBD.16)

Cancelled / Postponed games

  • Nov 26 - Siena. Siena went on COVID pause on 11/13, they were unlikely to be able to meet the 11/26 date.17)18) Irrelevant now due to the UMass pause/cancellation (11/17).
  • Nov 27 - Delaware. Delaware and UMass both went on COVID pause on 11/17, and both said they would not do Mohegan Sun games.19)
  • Nov 29 - Iona. Iona went on COVID pause on 11/12, and coach Rick Pitino indicated that the team wouldn't be ready to play until after our planned 11/29 date.20) Irrelevant now due to the UMass pause/cancellation (11/17).
  • Nov 30 - Liberty. On 11/16, Liberty said they would be playing us, but irrelevant now due to the UMass pause/cancellation (11/17).
  • Dec 1 - South Florida. This game was reported on 11/9,21) but but irrelevant now due to the UMass pause/cancellation (11/17).
  • Dec 11 - Maine. There was an unconfirmed report that we would host Maine on this date, but a WMUA report from McCall suggested this will not happen.22)
  • Dec 13 - at Northeastern. This game was originally slated for 12/1223), pushed to 12/1324), expected to be cancelled,25) but on 12/1 was announced to be back on the schedule.26)
  • Dec 23 - There was an unconfirmed report on December 2 that we might play UMass-Lowell on 12/23, but on 12/8 the America East moved UML's games versus Vermont to 12/21 and 12/22, so they may not want to play a third straight day. As it turned out, this ended up not happening.
  • A-10 slate - Five games so far have been postponed: 1/2 at SLU (their COVID pause27)), 1/6 at GW (D.C. emergency curfew28)), 1/20 vs SLU (their COVID pause29)), 1/27 at VCU (our COVID pause30)), 1/30 at George Mason (out COVID pause31))

Roster

UM official roster, Coaching staff

#NameHeightWeightClassPos.Hometown / HS / Prep / College TransferStatus
00Antonopoulos, Brady6-1165Sr.GWest Brookfield, MA / Quaboag Regional HSActive, walk-on32)
13DeGray, Ronnie6-7220Fr.FParker, CO / Woodstock AcademyActive
4Dominguez, Dyondre6-8195Fr.FProvidence, RI / Woodstock AcademyActive
11Fernandes, Noah5-11172So.GMattapoisett, MA / Woodstock Academy / Wichita StateDay-to-day with a wrist injury.
1Garcia, Javohn6-2175Fr.PGPickerington, OH / Brewster AcademyActive
10Gasperini, Mark6-10245Gr.F/CMoscow, Russia / Brimmer and May School / American Univ.Active
20Marcus, Ryan6-3175Fr.GWakefield, MA / Wakefield HSActive, preferred walk-on33)34)
5McCrory, Cairo6-5185Fr.SGHartford, CT / Masters/Northwest Catholic / Woodstock AcademyActive
3Mitchell, Kolton6-3175So.GFort Myers, FL / Victory Rock PrepActive
33Mitchell, Tre6-9235So.F/CPittsburgh, PA / Woodstock AcademyDay-to-day with a shoulder injury.
12Pierre, Carl6-4190Sr.GBoston, MA / Boston College HSActive, team captain35)
2Santos, Preston6-6180So.G/FWarwick, RI / Woodstock AcademyInactive. Nov 16: Reported to be “taking a leave of absence for personal reasons.”36)
24Walker, Dibaji6-7190Jr.FColumbus, OH / Woodstock Academy / Cleveland StateActive
23Weeks, TJ6-4185Fr.*GWarwick, RI / Woodstock AcademyActive

* Eligibility difference.

  • TJ Weeks requested and received a medical redshirt for the 2019-20 season, having only played in the first 10 games before sitting out the rest of the season.37)38)

2019-20 players lost:
Baptiste, Djery - Eligibility exhausted.
Buggs, John - Opted to transfer during the off-season.39)40)
Chatman, Sy - Transferred out after the Fall 2019 semester.41)42) Ultimately chose Illinois State.43)
Clergeot, Keon - Expected to graduate in Spring 2020, and has opted to transfer and play elsewhere as a grad student.44) Ultimately chose Southeastern Louisiana.45)
Diallo, Samba - Opted to transfer after the end of the season, will continue to play at Manhattan College.46)47)
East, Sean - Opted to transfer after the end of the season, will continue to play at Bradley.48)49)
Higginbottom, Davonte - expected to graduate in Spring 2020, would have college athletics eligibility left, but not expected to return.
Jackson, CJ - Opted to transfer after the end of the season.50) Ultimately chose Florida Southwestern State (JuCo)51)52)
West, Randall - Eligibility exhausted.

Team photo


Back row (L to R): Ronnie DeGray (13), Dibaji Walker (24), Tre Mitchell (33), Mark Gasperini (10), Dyondre Dominguez (4), Cairo McCrory (5)
Front row (L to R): Brady Antonopoulos (00), Noah Fernandes (11), TJ Weeks (23), Carl Pierre (12), Kolton Mitchell (3), Javohn Garcia (1), Ryan Marcus (20)
Not available at time of photo: Preston Santos

Pre-Season Prediction & Honors

In the Atlantic 10 Pre-Season poll, UMass was picked to finish 8th out of the 14 teams. Tre Mitchell was named to the First Team.53)

Season Honors

Atlantic 10 Player of the Week

Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week

General team news

Appendix

Keeping some notes here as details come together.

Schedule planning with COVID

  • UMass has agreed to participate in bubbled pod games at the Mohegan Sun Arena (Uncasville CT). UM has been placed in a pod with Delaware and Siena, between Nov 25 and Dec 2, and may get more games beyond that.57) Full details are to be announced.58)59) Fans will not be allowed to attend.60)
  • Iona (at Mohegan Sun), November 29.61) Unsure if this is a one-off or the start of a series, but all norms are off in this season of COVID. Fans will not be allowed to attend.62)
  • South Florida (at Mohegan Sun), December 1.63) Unsure if this is a one-off or the start of a series, but all norms are off in this season of COVID. Fans will not be allowed to attend.64)
  • Northeastern (Away), December 12.65) This season's game will conclude a series.66)
  • The Atlantic 10 Tournament will be at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn NY, March 10-14.67) Whether or not this will still happen, and if fans can attend in person, is all pending.
  • The A-10 / Mountain West Challenge Series, due to start this season, has been pushed a year.68) UMass was not one of the teams slated to participate in 2020-21, regardless.69)70)

Pre-COVID disruption

All of these possibilities were set before COVID hit. These matchups may no longer happen, or delayed into future season.

  • The Jamaica Classic has been fully cancelled for 2020, per a note on their website. UM was slated to participate.71)72)73)74) Organizers say they will try to resume the event in 2021, but not sure if any of the expected 2020 teams will participate.
  • Akron (Home): A return game from Akron is expected, but not confirmed.75) We played at Akron in the 2019-20 season. A home-and-home basketball series may have been tied in with the UMass/Akron football games contract.76)77)
  • Bryant (Home): This will likely be a one-off game, but not certain.78)
  • Central Florida (Away): This season's game starts a home-and-home series. UMass will host UCF in the 2021-22 season.79) The 2020 game was expected to take place in late November, as the team traveled back north from the Jamaica event.80)
  • Fairfield (Home): A return game from Fairfield was expected, given we travelled to them in 2019, but a return game was never confirmed.81) Fairfield's 2020-21 non-conference schedule does not include us.82)
  • Harvard (Home): This season's game was supposed to conclude a series.83) However, the Ivy League has decided to cancel all winter sports for 2020-21.84) Whether or not this game gets pushed to 2021-22 remains to be seen.
  • Rutgers (Home): This season's game will conclude a series.85)86)
  • Sacred Heart (Home): This will likely be a one-off game, but not certain.87)
  • UMass-Lowell (Home): We have hosted UML for our season opener for the past four seasons. Assuming this will continue, but not confirmed.
  • Athletic Director Ryan Bamford has stated that he will continue to explore opportunities in conjunction with football and men's basketball scheduling, like what we've done with Akron, Rutgers, South Carolina and Georgia.88)89)
2)
1/7: Announcement that the 2/27 game would move up to 1/13 https://twitter.com/UMassBasketball/status/1347247000329322497
3)
1/12: Announcement that the time would move up, to 2:30 from 4:30 https://twitter.com/UMassBasketball/status/1349151675773198336
6)
Postponed from 1/2 as SLU went into COVID-19 protocols https://twitter.com/A10MBB/status/1344323621326565385
7)
Postponed from 1/6 due to an emergency curfew in D.C. https://twitter.com/UMassBasketball/status/1346916040534417408
8)
Postponed from 1/20 as SLU is still coming back from COVID-19 protocols https://twitter.com/UMassBasketball/status/1351560047617306627
9)
Postponed from 1/30 as UMass went into COVID protocol again https://twitter.com/UMassBasketball/status/1354485652847525890
23)
per CAA non-conference schedule from early November
42)
https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-down-two-for-Maine-as-Weeks-(health)-gets-shelved-Chatman-enters-transfer-portal-31452068
season_2020-21.1612676496.txt.gz · Last modified: 2021/02/07 00:41 by mikeuma