Springfield Civic Center

The MassMutual Center (originally known as the Springfield Civic Center) is an alternate arena used by the UMass Minutemen basketball team. It is located in the nearby city of Springfield, Massachusetts.

Fast Facts

Status: Alternate home arena
Opened: 1972
First UMass game: January 30, 1973
Former venue name: Springfield Civic Center

History

UMass has been a frequent visitor to the building since its opening in 1972, as the Springfield Civic Center. In eight seasons (1972-73 through 1979-80), UMass played there 26 times, going 15-11. After a four-season hiatus, UMass took up residency for the entire 1984-85 season, as the Curry Hicks Cage went through renovations, going 7-5.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, UMass played in several “holiday classic” games, then took another hiatus, this time for 5 seasons. After a few scattered games in the early 2000s, UMass has played thru the building's upgrades and name change to the MassMutual Center. The 2010s saw UMass play seven games organized by the nearby Basketball Hall of Fame.

Memorable Games

1/17/1974 - Providence (#7) escapes with a 77-76 win, as Massachusetts nearly won their first game against a Top 10 opponent.
1/17/1976 - Jack Leaman and the Minutemen defeat Hawaii, 80-72. Former Massachusetts player Rick Pitino serves as an assistant coach for Hawaii.
1/6/1977 - UMass and Duquesne score a combined 207 points, as the Minutemen win 110-97.
3/10/1977 - UMass defeats Seton Hall, 86-85, to advance in the NIT.
1/25/1978 - UMass again narrowly misses a chance to beat a Top 10 team, also against Providence (#9), 50-49.
1/4/1992 - UMass gets their second win over a ranked team, in a 86-73 victory over Oklahoma (#14).
1/7/1993 - Cincinnati's Nick Van Exel scores 27 as the 16th-ranked Bearcats defeat the 22nd-ranked Minutemen, 64-53.
11/25/1994 - Lou Roe takes over and leads the #3 Minutemen over defending national champ and #1-ranked Arkansas, 104-80.
11/27/2001 - The future looks bright for new UMass coach Steve Lappas, as the Minutemen beat Oregon 62-58. Lappas starts his tenure 3-0 with the win.
12/7/2013 - UMass and BYU light up the scoreboard in the Minutemen's 105-96 win.

Game Record

Date	Opponent	Game Results	Notes
1/30/1973	Holy Cross	W 78-71
2/7/1973	Boston College	W 76-52
12/28/1973	St. Peter's	W 84-61	Hall of Fame Tournament
12/29/1973	DePaul	W 55-52	Hall of Fame Tournament
1/17/1974	Providence	L 77-76	Providence #7
11/29/1974	Dartmouth	W 86-59	Hall of Fame Tournament
11/30/1974	UNC-Charlotte	L 85-57	Hall of Fame Tournament
1/11/1975	Duquesne	W 98-94
11/28/1975	Ohio	W 95-82	Hall of Fame Tournament
11/29/1975	Niagara	W 92-81	Hall of Fame Tournament
1/14/1976	Villanova	L 87-82
1/17/1976	Hawaii	W 80-72	Rick Pitino an assistant coach for Hawaii.
2/26/1976	Providence	W 81-79 (OT)
3/4/1976	Connecticut	L 73-69	ECAC Tournament¹⁾
3/6/1976	Holy Cross	L 88-75	ECAC Tournament²⁾
11/26/1976	West Virginia	L 89-77	Hall of Fame Tournament
11/27/1976	Harvard	W 69-50	Hall of Fame Tournament
1/6/1977	Duquesne	W 110-97
1/29/1977	Connecticut	W 65-64
2/10/1977	Rutgers	W 82-81
3/10/1977	Seton Hall	W 86-85	NIT First Round (Round of 16)
1/7/1978	Rutgers	L 78-74
1/25/1978	Providence	L 50-49	Providence #9
1/10/1979	Villanova	L 66-51
1/31/1979	Rutgers	L 60-55
1/2/1980	Providence	L 78-68
11/26/1984	Stonehill	W 71-69
12/11/1984	Boston University	L 71-70
12/15/1984	Northeastern	W 67-66
1/3/1985	Duquesne	L 59-53
1/5/1985	Rutgers	W 83-72
1/17/1985	St. Joseph's	W 89-80
1/19/1985	St. Bonaventure	W 69-53
1/31/1985	Penn State	L 71-65 (OT)
2/2/1985	Rhode Island	W 76-75
2/16/1985	George Washington	W 63-55
2/21/1985	West Virginia	L 76-74 (OT)
2/23/1985	Temple	L 50-48
1/10/1987	West Virginia	L 75-64
12/29/1987	American Int'l	W 78-65	Springfield Classic
12/30/1987	Winston Salem	L 66-64	Springfield Classic
1/12/1989	Temple	L 89-68	Springfield Classic
12/28/1990	Dartmouth	W 80-66	Abdow's Holiday Classic
12/29/1990	Boston College	W 83-81	Abdow's Holiday Classic
12/27/1991	Harvard	W 98-63	Abdow's Holiday Classic
12/28/1991	Iowa State	W 73-53	Abdow's Holiday Classic
1/4/1992	Oklahoma	W 86-73	Oklahoma #14
12/28/1992	Holy Cross	W 81-66	Abdow's Holiday Classic
12/29/1992	South Carolina	W 84-66	Abdow's Holiday Classic
1/7/1993	Cincinnati	L 64-53	Cincinnati #16, UMass #22
12/28/1993	Hartford	W 91-62	Abdow's Holiday Classic. UMass #9.
12/29/1993	Maryland	W 94-80	Abdow's Holiday Classic. UMass #9.
11/25/1994	Arkansas	W 104-80	Starter Tip-Off Classic. Arkansas #1, UMass #3. Considered neutral site game.
1/3/1995	West Virginia	W 95-65	Abdow's Holiday Classic. UMass #4.
1/20/2001	Duquesne	W 80-69
11/27/2001	Oregon	W 62-58
12/21/2002	Lafayette	L 54-52
11/25/2005	Alabama-Birmingham	L 86-77	Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic
1/10/2009	Dayton	W 75-62
1/10/2010	La Salle	L 80-74
11/20/2010	New Mexico State	W 71-57	Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament
11/22/2010	Texas Christian (TCU)	W 67-48	Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament
1/15/2011	La Salle	W 74-71
12/9/2011	Siena	W 82-78	Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase. Considered neutral site game.
12/15/2012	Elon	W 78-73 (OT)	Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase. Considered neutral site game.
12/7/2013	Brigham Young (BYU)	W 105-96	Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase. Considered neutral site game. UMass #21.
12/7/2014	Florida Gulf Coast	L 84-75	Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase. Considered neutral site game.
12/5/2015	Mississippi	L 74-64	Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase. Considered neutral site game.
12/17/2022	North Texas	L 62-44	Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Considered neutral site game.
12/16/2023	West Virginia	W 87-79	Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Considered neutral site game.
12/21/2024	Arizona State	L 78-62	Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Considered neutral site game.
12/10/2025	Boston College	TBD	Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Considered neutral site game.

Cumulative record: 44-27 (.620)

External Links

Venues, Springfield

¹⁾

https://archive.org/details/massachuse19751976univ/page/n1172/mode/1up

²⁾

https://archive.org/details/massachuse19751976univ/page/n1186/mode/1up

UMassHoops.com Wiki

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