Minutemen Nation

Victor Cruz At The Grammys

2012-02-13T11:35:00.000-05:00

First the Super Bowl, now the the Grammys. And to think the Giants were considering cutting Vic at one point.

Terrible Night Almost Turns Amazing, But Ends Badly

2012-02-12T14:42:00.001-05:00

Five minutes into last night's hockey game at the Mullins Center, I'm not sure many people were surprised. The Mass Attack were down 2-0 to Providence a night after beating #1 Boston University on the road. David Brown beat Kevin Boyle on the Friars' first shot of the game and just 90 seconds later UMass found themselves down two at home in a must-win game. As usual, UMass found some life towards the end of the first period when Mike Pereira scored what would be the first of three goals on the night.

Down 2-1, the Minutemen allowed two more goals in the span of 23 seconds early in the 2nd period to pretty much give away the game. Pereira would score two quick goals of his own to start off the 3rd (his second hat trick of the season) and Patrick Kiley made it a one goal game with six minutes left, but the comeback wasn't to be. UMass dug themselves a hole too early and gave away their most winnable game left on the schedule. Northeastern was idle so the two teams remain locked at 16 points and tied for the 8th and final playoff spot. Unfortunately Northeastern holds the head-to-head tiebreaker so as of now, UMass is out of the Hockey East Tournament.

Hockey vs. Providence Photo Gallery

Down in Philly things weren't much better as basketball didn't find their stride until too late in the game. UMass was only down one at halftime in front of a sold out Hawk Hill, but they would end up losing 73-62. I only listened on the radio, but it sounds like UMass had a terrible shooting night (24 of 71, 33.8%). Jesse Morgan scored 18 in his hometown while Vinson had 10, and Chaz added 11. The Minutemen got out-rebounded by ten and fell into a tie for third place with Xavier who they will host on the 21st.

New UMass Newspaper Ad?

2012-02-11T14:45:00.002-05:00

A couple of days ago, UMass announced a $33 million fundraising effort with the goal of "enhancing capital, scholarship, endowment, and sport specific goals over the next six years." They also announced the re-branding of the annual fund to "The Minutemen Club" (which MN highly approves of btw!) and a the upcoming launch of a new website: www.TheMinutemenClub.com.

As pointed out by a poster on the UMass Hoops message board, the yet-to-be launched domain was purchased by Old Hat Creative which has produced videos and ad campaigns for some of the biggest schools in the country. You can check out some of their work for UNC, Notre Dame, Michigan, and others here.

I found these two ads under their newly created University of Massachusetts-Amherst (gotta lose the hyphen) page.

If these are indeed the type of things we will be seeing over the months to come, I like them. Very well produced. The top ad is going to be in newspapers according to Old Hat's website and features the proposed renovations to McGuirk as well as the new basketball-specific Champions Center. The bottom as you can see is a new brochure for the Court Club.

I encourage everyone to get involved with helping UMass athletics during these important times for our school. We're going to need money, but also strong support in the stands and in spreading the word about the big things going on in Amherst. Keep tweeting about upcoming games, post the basketball highlights to Facebook, wear your UMass stuff around, and get to as many games as possible!

Hockey-Basketball Doubleheader Tonight

2012-02-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

For the second straight Saturday, UMass basketball and hockey will be challenging the multi-tasking skills of Minutemen Nation. Starting at 7:00 hockey will be hosting a must-win game against Providence while 265 miles south basketball will try to steal a road game at St. Joe's. I suggest bringing a Walkman to the Mullins Center. Hoops will be on KIX 100.9 which comes in loud and clear inside the Bill.

It can't be said enough how critical tonight's game is for hockey. Last night's win over #1 Boston University was huge, but it was a bonus. Tonight's game was the one UMass fans were looking at for points this weekend and they still are. UMass must get them tonight - preferably two points since it's a home game. The Mass Attack are tied with Northeastern for the 8th and final playoff spot entering tonight and the Huskies are idle. Two points would create some nice separation as the remaining schedule doesn't get any easier than tonight.

Tonight's opponent, Providence, is three points ahead of UMass, tied 6th with New Hampshire. Keep an eye on Ross Mauermann (8G, 13A, 21P), Matt Bergland (5, 13, 18) and Tim Schaller (12, 5, 17). In goal will likely be Alex Beaudry (3.01 GAA, 89.4 SV%).

Last time UMass and St. Joe's met

For basketball, tonight's game begins a brutal stretch of six games to close out the season. Of the three road games, this one is easily the most winnable. St. Joe's isn't the same promising Hawks team that came to the Mullins Center on January 14th. Since that game St. Joe's is 3-4 (although in fairness they have had a tough schedule). They've defended Hawk Hill though where they are 10-2 this season.

St. Joe's is a high scoring team averaging 71.3 points per game with four players averaging double figures. At the top of that list is junior guard Carl Jones who at 15.9 PPG is 5th in the A-10. Right behind him are Langston Galloway (15.4) and C.J. Aiken and Ronald Roberts - each with 11.2 a night. Aiken continues to lead the A-10 in blocks per game with 3.8.

They also boast one of the better defenses in the conference with 67.6 points allowed per game (6th), a 39.3 opponent field goal percentage (2nd), 7.6 blocked shots (1st), and a +1.7 rebound margin. It's not going to be easy for UMass to win this game, but they can if they limit the mistakes and force St. Joe's to turn the ball over which they are prone to do. UMass is going to need good defense in the paint and I think Maxie Esho should get some more minutes in this one. Vinson struggled against Nicholson, but Maxie showed us his potential, especially on the boards.

Player of the Game Prediction
I'm going to ride the hot hand and say Jesse Morgan has another great game to lead UMass to their 19th win of the season.

Lacrosee Season Starts Today Against Army

2012-02-09T18:26:00.006-05:00

#13 Massachusetts (0-0) at Army (0-0)

3:00 - Michie Stadium, West Point, NY

Video: UMassAthletics.com - Radio: 91.1 WMUA - Game Notes

Today at 3:00 down at West Point, the 2012 UMass lacrosse season gets underway against Army. The Minutemen start the season ranked 11th in the Coaches Poll and 13th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. In terms of the CAA, UMass was picked to finish a very close second to Delaware in the pre-season CAA Coaches Poll.

Returning for the Minutemen this season are all but one of their top ten scorers from last year. Junior Will Manny (45 points) will lead the attack with senior Art Kell (44 points) while senior Tom Celentani (2011 All-CAA) will anchor the defense. Manny and Celentani were selected to the Pre-Season All-CAA team along with senior attacker Anthony Biscardi.

Senior Tim McCormack will be in goal looking to improve upon his 2011 performance where he posted an 8.33 GAA (4th (out of 6) in the CAA) and 54.8 save percentage (5th CAA).

The Black Knights and Minutemen kicked off the 2011 season in Amherst with #16 UMass getting the best of #12 Army, 8-5. UMass out-shot Army 50-22 in that game. McCormack made 9 saves while seven different Minutemen scored a goal.

This year's Army team starts the season unranked in both polls, but is listed under "receiving votes" in each. They were picked to finish second in the Patriot League.

Stay tuned below for updates.

Chaz To Putney Number 3 On SportsCenter

2012-02-09T01:59:00.000-05:00

Chaz Williams' half-court alley-oop pass to Raphiael Putney tonight against St. Bonaventure came in at #3 on SportsCenter's top 10 plays!

UMass Keeps Pace With 76-67 Win Over St. Bonaventure

2012-02-08T22:48:00.004-05:00

UMass: 76 St. Bonaventure: 67
Box Score - Collegian Photo Gallery - St. Bonaventure Recap

Minutemen still in a tie for second place after defeating the Bonnies at the Mullins Center

UMass entered the night tied for second place and they will end the day in the same position after a 76-67 victory over St. Bonaventure tonight at the Mullins Center. Two of the three teams UMass (18-6, 7-3) was tied with won (Xavier and St. Louis), but La Salle lost in the final seconds at Richmond. That will leave UMass, Xavier, and St. Louis tied for second behind Temple who rallied to beat GW and stay atop the standings. Having already beat St. Louis, UMass will have at least a shot to control their own destiny with a game against both Xavier and Temple still left on the schedule. With tonight's win, the Minutemen moved to a perfect 12-0 at home this season.

It wasn't a great start for UMass who fell behind early as the shots wouldn't fall and the Bonnies dominated the glass. Ultimately St. Bonaventure would take a 34-31 lead into the locker room, but a deep Jesse Morgan three that took a lucky bounce and dropped at the buzzer would be a sign of things to come.

Jesse Morgan for three! (Daily Collegian photo)

UMass came out flying in the second half on a 14-2 run to take a 45-36 lead just three and a half minutes in. A big contributor to that run was Morgan who ended the night with a team-leading 24 points while adding 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He made 6 of his 7 three pointers. Chaz Williams also scored in double figures with 17 (5 assists and 6 rebounds) and Terrell Vinson scored 10.

Not to be overlooked is Maxie Esho who scored 9 points and grabbed 2 rebounds. I thought Maxie played especially well - definitely one of his better games in awhile.

The Bonnies closed the gap to 54-51 with 8:41 to go, but UMass went on another run - this time a 17-2 run - to go up 71-53 and seal the deal. Careless play at the end led to some Bonnie baskets that made the score a little closer.

UMass didn't really have an answer for Andrew Nicholson who fell just shy of a double-double with 24 points and 9 rebounds.

It's now onto St. Joe's on Saturday night to face the 15-10 (5-5) Hawks. This is one of those road games UMass can take and with just over three weeks to go, every win gets them a step closer to a direct ticket to Atlantic City.

Player	PTS	REB	A/B/S
Jesse Morgan	24	4	3 A
Chaz Williams	17	6	5 A
Terrell Vinson	10	4	3 A
Maxie Esho	9	2	1 S
Raphiael Putney	7	4	4 B

Player of the Game
No doubt Jesse Morgan. His 24 points led the Minutemen and was a new career high.

UMass Loses Rolovich To Nevada

2012-02-08T16:16:00.000-05:00

Some football news just coming in from out West...

Nick Rolovich has joined Chris Ault's staff at Nevada. The former Hawaii offensive coordinator was reportedly joining Coach Molnar's staff as the new OC of the Minutemen, but has apparently changed his mind.

Interestingly, the original source on the hire was CoachingSearch.com which also had Kevin Morris joining the staff at FIU. Yesterday they changed his destination to Yale.

Nicholson & The Bonnies Another Big Test For UMass

2012-02-08T00:05:00.002-05:00

St. Bonaventure (12-8, 5-3) at Massachusetts (17-6, 6-3)

7:30 PM - Mullins Center, Amherst, MA

Video: UMassAthletics.com - Radio: KIX 100.9 FM

With a split road trip behind them that included a bad loss at Rhode Island and a good bounce-back win at George Washington, UMass (17-6, 6-3) is back at the Mullins Center tonight for the first time since January 28 to face St. Bonaventure (12-8, 5-3). Entering the week the Minutemen are in a four-way tie for second place in the A-10 with St. Louis, La Salle, and Xavier. Right behind them is St. Bonaventure who enter the game on a week of rest.

The Bonnies are led by Andrew Nicholson who I singled out in the post title for a reason. The 6-9, 240 senior forward is a lock to be drafted this June (currently going 36th overall to Toronto according to NBADraft.net). He leads the team in points per game (15.0), rebounds (7.0), blocks (30), and shoots 54.7% which is highest among starters. Nicholson will however pick up fouls and has fouled out five times this season. DK said on the radio show Monday that drawing fouls on Nicholson will be a key for UMass. Terrell Vinson said something to the effect that he looks forward to helping stack up the fouls on Nicholson, but knows he is going to score. Vinson said UMass just has to limit the damage.

The only other player averaging double digits on St. Bonaventure is fellow forward Demitrius Conger. Conger is scoring 12.2 points per game and grabbing 5.3 rebounds while playing over 33 minutes a night. Forward Da'Quan Cook and guard Matthew Wright are each adding 8.1 points.

Player	Pos	PPG	RPG	A/B/S	FG%
Charlon Kloof	G	5.3	2.2	2.4 A	43.8%
Demitrius Conger	F	12.2	5.5	2.2 A	53.6%
Matthew Wright	G	8.1	3.1	1.2 S	36.4%
Da'Quan Cook	F	8.1	5.1	0.4 B	42.6%
Andrew Nicholson	F	15.0	7.0	1.5 B	54.7%

As a team the Bonnies have the second best scoring defense in the conference. They are allowing just 63.3 points per game and hold opponents to a conference best 30.3 rebounds. Compare that to UMass who leads the conference in scoring (77.2) and rebounds (40.5) and you have an interesting match-up.

For UMass, this is a game you have to win. It's said a million times, but you have to win your home games during the conference season. Especially after the bad loss on the road at URI. The other key is stealing a few games on the road. UMass might have that opportunity on Saturday at a struggling St. Joe's team. But for now the focus is on St. Bonaventure.

The game is part of a doubleheader with the women's team who is also facing St. Bonaventure at 5:00. The female Bonnies are ranked #25 this week so get to the men's game early to support the Minutewomen.

Player of the Game Prediction
Freddie Riley. Guys on the team say he's due for a breakout game and I think it'll be tonight.

The Series
All-Time: 39-19 UMass
In Amherst: 20-8 UMass
Under Kellogg: 1-2
Last Meeting: UMass beat the Bonnies 78-69 after a scary flight to Orlean in late January of last year.

Pictures From Merrimack Game

2012-02-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

Hockey lost their game against #4 Merrimack on Saturday in heartbreaking fashion when the Warriors scored the game winner with just 2 seconds to play. It was the annual Bright Out Night and still a good game to watch until the end. Here's a few pictures from the game with more at the link at the bottom.

Faceoff

Steve Mastalerz defends his goal

Darren Rowe

Mass Attack

Mastalerz after the second period

Mastalerz

Sam picks a winner in the Chuck-A-Puck contest

Joel Hanley's 3rd period goal

Mike Pereira fights for the puck

Conor Allen looks on with the crowd

Mastalerz reacts after allowing the game winning goal

Team acknowledges the fans

All 44 pictures can be seen here: https://picasaweb.google.com/105221252169032139426/HockeyVsMerrimack

February 6th, 2012 - Morning Minute

2012-02-06T06:50:00.005-05:00

Victor Cruz grabs a touchdown pass next to fellow UMass alum James Ihedigbo (AP)

Lots of news from last night's Super Bowl won by Victor Cruz and the Giants...

-Victor Cruz caught 4 passes for 25 yards and a TD while James Ihedigbo made 2 tackles and assisted on 3 others.

-Vic's rise from unknown to Super Bowl star has inspired his hometown of Patterson, NJ.

-Newsday says Cruz ended his storybook year with a dance.

-His girlfriend Elaina Watley said after the game, "We are truly living the American dream right now."

-Vic had a good luck charm with him at the game: his three week old daughter, Kennedy.

-Derek Kellogg took in the game at the Amherst Brewing Company.

-Despite warnings all week, the campus did not react well to the game (although I think the reaction would have been the same no matter the outcome).

-Voting is still open for the Hobey Baker Award. Give TJ Syner a vote when you get time.

-BU-Harvard and BC-Northeastern get the Beanpot underway tonight at the Garden. Both games will be shown live on NESN starting at 5:00.

Basketball enters the week in a four-way tie for second. Hockey sits alone in ninth and out of the playoffs if they started today. Hoops radio show at 7:00.

Top: Cruz (#80) catches a TD pass against Ihedigbo (#44) in the 1st quarter (Reuters photos)
Bottom (L to R): UMass hockey alum Jonathan Quick shows his support for Cruz, Vic postgame, a Cruz fan in NYC got a little too happy

Victor Cruz: Former Minuteman, Now Super Bowl Champion

2012-02-05T23:59:00.002-05:00

Left (Christopher Evans/Springfield Republican) - Right (Reuters)

Unfortunately (for most of us) the Giants just won the Super Bowl.

But that means former Minuteman Victor Cruz (Class of '09) will be getting a Super Bowl ring.

The former UMass wide receiver overcame adversity at UMass - as this New York Times article discusses - to lift the Lombardi Trophy tonight in Indianapolis as one of the best receivers in the NFL. Vic caught 99 passes for 1,780 yards and 9 salsa dances this season while playing in all 19 of the Giants' games. His regular season total of 1,536 receiving yards set a new single-season Giants record.

Cruz joins Brandon London (Giants, Super Bowl XLII) and Kole Ayi (Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVI) in the "former UMass players with Super Bowl rings" club.

Not forgetting James Ihedigbo (Class of '06), the Patriots safety led the team onto the field alongside Tom Brady. He recorded 2 tackles and assisted on 3 others.

Congrats to both Vic and James!

Chaz Named To Weekly Honor Roll; Mastalerz Co-Defensive POTW; Vote Syner!

2012-01-16T15:57:00.004-05:00

He missed out on player of the week, but Chaz Williams was named to the Atlantic 10 weekly honor roll for his efforts against Charlotte and St. Joe's. Against the 49ers, Chaz led UMass with 19 points and 6 assists. In their big win over St. Joe's on Saturday, he again led the way in scoring with 22 and added 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Andrew Nicholson of St. Bonaventure (50 points, 20 rebounds last week) was given player of the week honors.

Congrats to Steve Mastalerz who was named Hockey East Co-Defensive Player of the Week! Mastalerz was in goal for Friday night's 4-0 shutout of #4 Boston College, the first of his career and the first UMass shutout of BC ever.

T.J. Syner is a candidate for the Hobey Baker Award (college hockey's Heisman) and your vote can help him become one of the ten finalists. CLICK HERE to cast your vote for T.J. who leads the Mass Attack in goals and points with 11 and 26 (tied for 3rd in Hockey East). His 15 assists are second most on the team. Syner is serving as a co-captain in this his senior season. He has a lot of ground to make up so get those votes in!

UMass Gets Big Win Over St. Joe's

2012-01-15T00:18:00.001-05:00

Ron Chimelis beat me to it, but I'll say it anyway. This was the best one yet.

Down 20-3 with 13:13 still left in the first half, UMass was forced to call a timeout as the game was turning into La Salle Part II. Out of the timeout Raphiael Putney fittingly hit a three pointer to kickstart a 13-0 run and get the Minutemen back in the game. Putney was the standout star for the second straight game with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 2 assists. Two of his points came from this dunk that will be shown on highlight reels for years -

UMass eventually took the lead into halftime. The second half was close throughout, but it always felt like the Minutemen were in control. Free throws sealed it down the stretch and UMass won 71-62. Now 14-4 (3-1), they are tied for second with Xavier behind Dayton.

While Putney stood out, everyone helped the team win this game. Chaz scored in double digits (22 points) for the 11th straight game, had 7 assists, and grabbed 6 rebounds. Terrell Vinson has become an inside and outside scoring threat, making two three pointers and scoring 11 overall with 6 rebounds.

As I said last game, Sean Carter continues to work hard and tonight he was almost rewarded with a double-double, but fell short by two points (8 & 10 rebounds). Jesse Morgan made two threes. Maxie got into some foul trouble again, but had 5 rebounds. Javorn Farrell, who played with a sprained foot, was still diving for balls out of bounds and had 3 assists and 2 steals. Finally, Freddie had 5 points and played great defense yet again. Complete team effort.

Game one of #Operation4K was a success with 4,616 in attendance. That's the best crowd all year. Win both road games and perhaps we can make it #Operation6K for St. Louis on the 28th.

Post Game Presser:

St. Joe's (And That Hawk) In Town For Big A-10 Showdown

2012-01-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

St. Joseph's (12-5, 2-1) at Massachusetts (13-4, 2-1)

4:00 PM - Mullins Center, Amherst, MA

Game Notes - Listen Live - Twitter Updates

It seems like we say this before every basketball game, but it's never been more true. Tonight is the biggest game of the season so far for UMass.

The St. Joe's Hawks (12-5, 2-1) arrive at the Mullins Center in a tie with the Minutemen for second place in the A-10 standings. Phil Martelli has brought together his young talented team a few seasons earlier than expected and this will no doubt be an entertaining battle.

Some bad news came out yesterday that Javorn Farrell will likely miss today's game with a foot injury. Already short Sampson Carter (hip) and Cady Lalanne (foot), this was the last thing the Minutemen needed. It gets a lot harder to play the up-tempo style when you're missing players. UMass will need a big game from someone like Freddie Riley who has been held scoreless in the past two games. Not-quite-healthy-yet Matt Hill could potentially see time today if need be.

As for the visitors...Leading the young Hawks - who have just three upperclassmen (all juniors) - is sophomore forward C.J. Aiken. At 6-9, 200 pounds, Aiken is one of the best shot blockers in the country. He comfortably leads the A-10 with 4.5 rejections per game and is second nationally behind Kentucky's Anthony Davis. He can score too with an 11.5 points a game average (3rd on the team).

The top scorer is one of the juniors, Carl Jones. Jones is scoring a conference high 18 points a game and rarely sits down. He's playing 36 minutes on average. Langston Galloway from Sampson Carter's hometown of Baton Rouge, LA is adding 16.4 points.

They're getting their rebounding from Halil Kanacevic (6.8) and Ronald Roberts (6.1) who comes off the bench. As a team they are pulling down 36.7 rebounds per game, 6th in the A-10. Meanwhile UMass is tops with 41.0.

St. Joe's is the best shooting team in the A-10 at 48.2% and they also have the best shooting defense in the conference, holding opponents to 37.8%.

If you can make it to Amherst, the team could use your support. If not be sure to tune in because it will be a battle throughout as the Minutemen look to stay around the top of the standings.

If you see this bird, heckle him

Series History
All-Time: 31-28 UMass
In Amherst: 16-7 UMass
Under Kellogg: 4-2 UMass
Last Meeting: UMass defeated St. Joe's 69-51 at the Mullins Center (2/23/11)

Probable Starters - St. Joe's
G Carl Jones (18.0 PPG, 3.4 APG)
G Langston Galloway (16.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG)
F Daryus Quarles (4.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG)
F Halil Kanacevic (7.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG)
C C.J. Aiken (11.5 PPG, 4.5 BPG)

Probable Starters- UMass
G Chaz Williams (15.9 PPG, 5.9 APG)
G Jesse Morgan (8.2 PPG, 2.4 APG)
F Raphiael Putney (9.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG)
F Terrell Vinson (8.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG)
C Sean Carter (6.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG)

Mastalerz Leads UMass To First Ever Shutout Of BC

2012-01-13T21:48:00.001-05:00

The Mass Attack may be starting to find their groove. Behind a surprise start from freshman goalie Steve Mastalerz, the Minutemen shut out #4 Boston College for the first time ever, defeating them 4-0 at the Mullins Center tonight. Mastalerz stopped 35 shots in his fourth career start while Conor Allen (5), Peter DeAngelo (3), and TJ Syner (10 & 11) accounted for the scoring. In addition to stopping all 35 shots he faced, Mastalerz picked up the only assist on Allen's goal. It was the first time since Jonathan Quick in 2006 that a UMass goalie got one.

DeAngelo's goal was short-handed - the first one UMass has had since Will Ortiz scored one against Northeastern two years ago.

Since upsetting #17 Yale on December 7th, UMass is 4-1-1. The victory gives UMass their first season series win over BC since the 2006-2007 season. Also with the win, the Mass Attack (8-8-5, 4-6-4) now have 12 points in Hockey East which puts them in 7th place - one point ahead of an idle New Hampshire. Their next game is a week from tonight in a Frozen Fenway rematch with last place Vermont at the Mullins Center.

The best news? Neither men's winter sports team has lost in Amherst this season. Basketball is 9-0 and Hockey is now 6-0-3 at home.

No More Excuses: Time To Be At The Bill #Operation4K

2012-01-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

Ask people who don't attend basketball games "why?" and you're likely to get one of these responses:

1. They don't win. 13-4 overall, 2-1 in conference play. UMass is winning. Has the schedule been easy? Yes. Do they have good wins? Yes. They've beaten a Davidson team who was fresh off their upset of Kansas. They destroyed Boston College at their place. They're resilient. They haven't folded under the pressure that would have collapsed the teams of the previous few years. They've taken care of business against teams they should have. For what it's worth, they played well against Florida State.

2. They don't play "name teams." St. Joe's, St. Louis, St. Bonaventure, La Salle, Xavier, and Rhode Island. Those are the remaining home games. St. Joe's, St. Louis, and Xavier are all listed in ESPN's latest Bracketology. La Salle is a solid team who beat us at their place. The Bonnies have Andrew Nicholson who is an NBA prospect. Rhode Island is our rival.

3. They're boring. Not anymore. UMass is playing an up-tempo style led by lighting quick point guard Chaz Williams. They've backed off full-court pressing for 40 minutes because of injuries, but the defensive play is still fast paced and aggressive. You're guaranteed to see alley-oops, blocks, great passes, and 40 minutes of hustle by a hard working group of guys.

4. They rely on one guy. It's been a team effort this season. Only Chaz Williams is averaging double digit points. Eight different guys are scoring at least six points a game. There's no relying on one guy. Everyone is capable of making something happen and they're given the opportunity to do so.

A full team effort has the Minutemen 13-4

5. I can't make weeknight games. Four of the remaining six home games are being played on either a Saturday or Sunday.

5a. ...but I'll be hungover on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The earliest weekend game is 2:00.

6. OK so one decent year. Who cares? Coach Kellogg and the team have finally got something going here. This is just the beginning. Only one starter on this year's team is a senior. The "Fab 5" have one more year left. Chaz and Raphiael Putney are only Sophomores. When all is said and done, freshman forward Cady Lalanne (currently injured) may be the best in the A-10. Explosive guard Jordan Laguerre had to sit out this year, but he'll be on board in 2012-2013. UMass has a solid core of players capable of leading them to success for many years to come.

The country has taken notice. Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports wrote an article entitled "UMass On An Upswing." Andy Katz of ESPN had our game at La Salle as one of his "Games To Watch."

Chaz Williams

Starting Saturday against St. Joe's (12-5, 2-1), the Mullins Center should have at least 4,000 fans for every game. This team is deserving of your support. Your attendance would help. I've seen it first-hand. When there is a loud crowd, the team gets visibly pumped up and their up-tempo style becomes near impossible to beat. Imagine 6,000 people cheering as the opponent is trying to inbound the ball around a jumping Maxie Esho to a guy who is surrounded by Sean Carter and Freddie Riley, waiting to trap him in the corner. Noise will make this team even better. They can play with anyone in the conference and you can help. Spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, and everywhere else. Let's make the Mullins Center the place no one wants to play at.

"I'm expecting a great crowd on Saturday," Kellogg said. "The kids actually deserve to have a good home-court advantage and have a good crowd. They're competing at a high level, they're playing a fun style, they're giving everything they have, and we don't have that many bodies, so an extra boost from the crowd is fantastic." - Coach Kellogg quote from the Gazette

UMass Wins Close One Against Charlotte

2012-01-11T23:43:00.005-05:00

Some observations rather than a recap tonight...

-UMass beat Charlotte 85-75 to improve to 13-4 and 2-1 in conference play. After jumping out to a big early lead, UMass had to fight off Charlotte comebacks a few times during the game. Free throws at the end sealed the win.

-Putney had arguably his best game in a UMass uniform with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 assists. It's too early to be talking about moments of the year, but his three pointer at the end of the first half and his block to prevent and easy Charlotte dunk in the second half after turning the ball over could prove to be important come March. At the very least he stopped Charlotte's momentum both times and allowed UMass to maintain some control of the game.

-Sean Carter played a great game once again. He's been underrated all season, but his hustle and hard work are starting to get noticed. Sean had 15 points and 8 rebounds.

-Chaz extended his streak of double digit scoring games to ten with 19 points. He added 6 assists and 5 rebounds.

-Big game from Terrell Vinson. TV scored a season-high 18 points with 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.

-Javorn Farrell scored his first points since the Fordham game. All 4 came at the line, but he played 19 solid minutes tonight.

-Freddie Riley was held scoreless for the second straight game. He was 0 for 4 in 9 minutes of action. Credit to him though for the great defense which he has been playing all season.

-Yes he can make threes, but Putney is a much better player when he gets the ball inside.

-Free throws! UMass made 26 of 31 tonight (83.9%), their third best mark of the season (although they only shot 19 combined in their two better games percentage wise).

-2,760: tonight's attendance. Really? UMass has much to prove, but this team is clearly going to compete in the Atlantic 10 and this was a conference game. Keep spreading the word. There's hope for big crowds when us students return.

-The zone defense is still a work in progress - Coach Kellogg said so as well after the game. He said the players and even himself are still learning it. DK also said it's better when the team is playing defense next to their bench so he can instruct (UMass allowed 33 points in the 1st half defending the basket next to their bench and 42 points in the 2nd half on the other end).

UMass is back in action Saturday against St. Joe's who is now 2-1 in the conference after beating Fordham tonight.
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Highlights and postgame interviews courtesy of the athletic department...

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Box Score
Springfield Republican Recap
Gazette Recap

Frozen Fenway!

2012-01-07T09:48:00.010-05:00

This afternoon at Fenway the Mass Attack will face Vermont as part of a college hockey doubleheader. UMass needs to win the game badly and get two points. Right now they sit 9th in the conference (missing the playoffs if they started today) with 8 points, one behind New Hampshire who plays Maine in the second game.

Fear The Triangle has a preview for the game.

MattyV has one too with quotes from Toot on the Fenway atmosphere.

The Republican says the stakes are high for UMass and Vermont who both need a win today.

UMassAthletics.com has their usual game notes up.

Hockey East is holding an online chat for fans starting at 4:00.

Here's the jersey that UMass will be wearing. Not a big fan of it.

Here's a video from yesterday's practice

Forecast calls for 52° and mostly sunny. Sounds like a perfect day in Boston.

Photo by J. Anthony Roberts of the Springfield Republican

Football's 2012 Conference Opponents Announced

2012-01-06T05:15:00.001-05:00

We now know the twelve teams UMass and new head coach Charley Molnar will face in their first season at the FBS level. Competing in the MAC East division with Temple, Akron, Kent State, Buffalo, Miami, and Ohio, the Minutemen will play six inter-division conference games and two non-divisional conference games to go along with their four out-of-conference games against UConn, Indiana, Michigan, and Vanderbilt

As reported by each school's official athletic website, here are the Minutemen's eight Mid-American Conference opponents for the 2012 season:

Home Games
Miami (4-8)
Buffalo (3-9)
Kent State (5-7)
Central Michigan (3-9)

Away Games
Temple (8-4)*
Akron (1-11)
Ohio (9-4)*
Northern Illinois (10-3)*

2011 overall record listed in parentheses. Asterisk denotes appearance in a bowl game.

I have a hunch that Temple will be the final game of the season as the conference (and fanbases) view that game as a rivalry. Outside of that it's anyone's guess. The away schedule is tough with reigning champ Northern Illinois and a strong Temple team. Ohio got a bowl bid this season and a down Akron team will have us marked as a "must win" game. No matter where the games are played, 2012 will be a tough year for UMass football, but no doubt a lot of fun.

The complete MAC schedule with dates and times is expected to be released sometime around the end of February.

Atlantic 10/Fordham Preview

2012-01-04T12:32:00.000-05:00

Holiday break is over for the blog and so is the out-of-conference season for UMass basketball. Tomorrow night the Minutemen begin their 16 game journey through the Atlantic 10 with a match-up against the Fordham Rams.

The Atlantic 10 is seemingly wide open as conference play begins. Xavier was literally knocked out of the national rankings, Temple is not playing well with starting center Michael Eric injured, St. Louis is 12-2 but lacking a big win, and the young St. Joe's team is surprisingly being talked about for the NCAA tourney. There's no question Xavier is still the team to beat and Temple should get better, but there is opportunity for the Minutemen to finish higher than the latest 8th place projection and certainly higher than the 12th place finish predicted before the season. Yes I'm bias, but I can see UMass finishing in the top four and getting a first round bye.

Yet there is much to prove for UMass despite an 11-3 record and a general opinion that the program is finally heading in the right direction. Heck even the comments on MassLive.com are all positive. And a big step forward would be getting off to a 1-0 start with a win over Fordham.

The Rams (7-6) should not be taken lightly. For one, remember they beat us last season. It snapped their 41 game conference losing streak. Also, Fordham comes into the game following back-to-back wins over Georgia Tech and #22 Harvard. Both wins came at home however where Fordham is 6-1. Away from Rose Hill, they are just 1-5.

Chris Gaston (Getty Images)

Another reason to not overlook Fordham? Junior forward Chris Gaston. The preseason all-conference second teamer is the only player in the A-10 averaging a double-double with 16.8 points and 11.2 rebounds (conference high). UMass is going to need a big game defensively from Terrell Vinson. Putney might be able to disrupt Gaston too with his length and quickness. Fordham guards Branden Frazier and Bryan Smith are scoring 10.7 and 10.2 points per game respectively.

If UMass can come out focused and continue to play their style, they should win this game. You figure by now "focusing" doesn't have to be said and this team has proven they don't overlook anyone. However it's still a key to the game as each and every win will matter come March no matter the opponent. Cady Lalanne is out for this one with a yet-to-be-diagnosed foot injury. The latest update we have is that he is in a boot, but only for precautionary reasons. He is seeing a doctor this morning. Redshirt freshman Maxie Esho figures to be the backup to Sean Carter with Andrew McCarthy having the potential to see minutes that actually matter.

All-Time

24-12 Massachusetts

Last Time
Fordham beat UMass 77-73 on the final day of the 2010-2011 regular season (3/5/11). The win snapped a 41 game conference losing streak for the Rams. Despite the loss UMass got a first-round A-10 tournament home game the following Tuesday.

Probable Starters

Fordham

G Branden Frazier (10.7 PPG, 3.6 APG)
G Devon McMillan (9.1 PPG, 3.1 APG)
G Bryan Smith (10.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG)
F Chris Gaston (16.8 PPG, 11.2 RPG)
F Kervin Bristol (4.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG)

Massachusetts

G Chaz Williams (14.8 PPG, 5.8 APG)
G Jesse Morgan (6.9 PPG, 2.8 APG)
F Raphiael Putney (9.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG)
F Terrell Vinson (8.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG)
F Sean Carter (5.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG)

Head-To-Head (Averages Per Game)

Fordham vs. Massachusetts

7-6 Record 11-3

174 RPI 77

240 SOS 214

62.2 Points 77.1

65.9 Points Allowed 67.4

39.0 Rebounds 41.6

38.3% Field Goal 42.5%

26.7% Three Point 34.0%

11.4 Assists 16.2

7.9 Steals 10.4

15.2 Turnovers Forced 18.6

More Info

Game Notes - Fordham Roster - Fordham Stats - Listen - Watch

Atlantic 10 Standings - Atlantic 10 Scoreboard

Davidson Preview

2011-12-22T03:11:00.002-05:00

Davidson (7-3) at Massachusetts (9-3)

7:00 - Mullins Center, Amherst, MA

TV: -- Radio: KIX

Fresh off their upset of #11 Kansas, Davidson comes into the Mullins Center tonight, presenting Massachusetts with their biggest challenge since Florida State. UMass (9-3) improved to 5-0 in games played in Amherst on Saturday with a 72-67 win over Quinnipiac and will now be looking to pick up what could be a "key win" come March. It will be the eighth meeting all-time between the two schools with the Wildcats getting the best of the Minutemen in 2009 to take a 4-3 lead in the series.

Davidson's Southern Conference leading offense is led by forward De'Mon Brooks, center Jake Cohen, and guard JP Kuhlman. Brooks is posting 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game with Kuhlman right behind at 13.7 and 4.1. Kuhlman was named the SoCon student-athlete of the week for his clutch 15 point performance in their win over the Jayhawks. Cohen has been very good under the basket with 12.4 PPG and 5.8 RPG. He also has 15 blocks which is third highest in the SoCon.

Also keep an eye on Nik Cochran who scored 21 points in as many minutes at Kansas.

For UMass a big part of this game will be keeping Davidson off the free throw line where they shoot 80%. With all the foul trouble we've seen this year (21.8 per game) that could end up being a problem - especially if we get another one of these ref crews that call every little thing (very likely). The other big key will be rebounds where the Wildcats are holding opponents to just 32.9 a game. And of course create turnovers and wreak havoc on the Davidson offense which is when we are at our best.

Basketball Stats At A Glance

2011-12-21T04:54:00.002-05:00

The Minutemen are wrapping up the out-of-conference portion of the schedule and their 9-3 record isn't the only impressive statistic they've compiled thus far. Here's a look at how Massachusetts has fared in a number of categories including where they rank in the Atlantic 10 and on a national scale.

Offense (A-10 Rank, National Rank)

-Points Per Game...75.8 (1st, 57th)
-Rebounds Per Game...41.8 (1st, 7th)
-Total Rebounds...502 (1st, 4th)
-Total Offensive Rebounds...194 (1st, 1st)
-Offensive Rebounds Per Game...16.2 (2nd, 7th)
-Field Goal Percentage...41.4% (12th, 253rd)
-Three Point Field Goal Percentage...32.5% (10th, 217th)
-Three Point Field Goals Made...100 (1st, 16th)
-Free Throw Percentage...64.4% (11th, 260th)
-Assists...193 (1st, 22nd)
-Assists Per Game...16.1 (1st, 31st)
-Scoring Margin...+8.1 (4th)

The Minutemen are 4th in the country with 502 total rebounds

Defense (A-10 Rank, National Rank)

-Points Allowed Per Game...67.8 (11th, 197th)
-Opponent Field Goal Percentage...40.0% (5th, 82th)
-Opponent Three Point Field Goal Percentage...30.0% (4th, 59th)
-Defensive Rebounds...308 (1st, 37th)
-Opponent Rebounds Per Game...39.5 (14th, 321st)
-Blocked Shots...65 (3rd, 20th)
-Steals...129 (1st, 2nd)
-Steals Per Game...16.1 (1st, 2nd)
-Turnover Margin...+4.08 (3rd)

UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in steals with 129 (16.1 PG) and are 2nd nationally
(Daily Collegian Photo by Maria Uminski)

Miscellaneous

-Wins...9 (2nd, 34th)
-Record at "Home"...6-0 (includes win over Siena in Springfield)
-RPI...114
-Chaz Williams...14.9 PPG (11th in A-10), 6.2 assists per game (T-1st A-10, 20th nationally), 2.8 steals per game (3rd A-10)
-Freddie Riley...24 made three pointers (T-5th A-10)
-Cady Lalanne...1.6 blocks per game (10th A-10)
-Sean Carter...2.9 offensive rebounds per game (3rd A-10)

*Stats as of Wednesday morning*

The defense needs improving as does the shooting, but for the most part there are some good numbers in there. One thing that can't be put into numbers is the overall team effort that we've seen this year with everybody contributing something every game. Still work to be done, but so far this team has shown a lot of potential with the A-10 season approaching.

Quinnipiac Photos; Molnar Forgoing Bowl

2011-12-20T13:14:00.000-05:00

Here's some photos from Saturday's basketball game against Quinnipiac. The Minutemen won 72-67 to improve to 9-3 and 5-0 at home. MattyV has the recap. Complete photo gallery here.

Jack Leaman court

Cady Lalanne goes up for a block

Terrell Vinson dunk

Javorn Farrell

Cady Lalanne

Timeout

Complete photo gallery here.

The Minutemen are back in action Thursday night when they host Davidson who beat #11 Kansas in KC last night.
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UMass announced last night that Coach Molnar will not stay with Notre Dame for the Champs Sports Bowl on December 29th as originally planned.

Quinnipiac Preview

2011-12-16T05:23:00.000-05:00

Quinnipiac (5-4) at Massachusetts (8-3)

Saturday - 7:00 - Mullins Center, Amherst, MA

TV: NESN Radio: KIX

A week and a day after their come-from-behind win over Siena in Springfield, Massachusetts welcomes Quinnipiac to the Mullins Center tomorrow night. The team got a well deserved week off after practicing in airports and ballrooms both inside and outside of the country for much of the past month. Tomorrow's game is the start of a four game homestand that will wrap-up the out-of-conference schedule and kick-off A-10 play.

The story of the game will be the battle of the two NYC point guards: Chaz Williams from Brooklyn and James Johnson from Queens. Both lead their team in points per game (Chaz: 15, Johnson: 17) and both see the floor for around 33 minutes a night. Chaz has seemed to shake off the rust from the Bahamas with 54 points and 14 assists over his last three games.

Equally as important will be the battle of the boards. Quinnipiac leads the nation in rebounds per game with 44.1, are second in offensive rebounds with 17.2 per game, and are third in rebounding margin at 11.6. UMass isn't too bad themselves (41.8 RPG) and their size should give them the advantage with nobody in Quinnipiac's starting five taller than 6-7. Lately though our big guys have been having trouble holding onto rebounds so keep an eye on that.

Outside of Johnson, Quinnipiac is getting their scoring from forwards Ike Azotam (13.4 PPG, 10.9 RPG) and Jamee Jackson (10.3 PPG).

Last season UMass barely defeated Quinnipiac on the road when Anthony Gurley's lay-up at the buzzer was counted on a goaltending call.

Massachusetts will be without Sampson Carter who is officially out for the season with a hip injury. Follow Minutemen Nation on Twitter for updates.

Charley Molnar Introduced As New Football Coach

2011-12-08T18:01:00.002-05:00

AP Photo

UMass introduced Charley Molnar as the program's 28th head football coach about two hours ago at Gillette Stadium. Molnar gave a very passionate speech saying among other things that UMass will be the number one college football team in New England and he felt it was his destiny to coach the Minutemen. He also said he intends to get very involved in the Amherst community and wants to have input on the construction of the new football facilities. According to athletic director John McCutcheon, Molnar's contract is for five years with a base salary of $250,000 and other incentives which will earn him much more than 250K.

Interestingly McCutcheon said that the University was already making a list of candidates during this past season in anticipation of replacing Kevin Morris. According to MattyV, Molnar will stay with Notre Dame through their December 29th bowl game although Molnar said he will be doing work in Amherst in between. In the end coaches are judged based on their record, but for now Molnar is off to a great start and I think we've got some exciting years ahead of us.

You can meet Coach Molnar before tomorrow night's basketball game in Springfield.

Footage courtesy of CBS 3 Springfield:

Hockey Upsets #17 Yale; Molnar Announcement Tomorrow

2011-12-07T22:49:00.002-05:00


Teddy bears (and alligators and pandas) were thrown on the ice after the first period to be collected for local kids in need.

Great 3-1 win for hockey tonight over #17 Yale to remain undefeated at home this season and head into the break with a win. The Bulldogs scored the first goal five and a half minutes into the game, but it was all Minutemen the rest of the way. Peter DeAngelo tied the game 7:36 into the second and Branden Gracel scored a fantastic goal about halfway through the third to put UMass ahead for good. Gracel got the puck at center ice, skated down along the boards, cut across the middle, and backhanded one past Yale goalie Jeff Malcolm who had one of the best performances I've ever seen from a goalie at the Mullins Center.

T.J. Syner scored an empty netter with 30 seconds left to make it 3-1. It was T.J.'s third empty net goal of the season and his 7th overall. He currently sits 4th in Hockey East in points.

Kevin Boyle established himself as the number one goalie with 26 saves.
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MattyV reported during the game that UMass will introduce Charley Molnar as our new head football coach tomorrow at 4:00 in Foxborough. I would imagine the press conference will be streamed live on UMassAthletics.com with a full video on YouTube later in the day.
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Students: tomorrow is your last chance to buy a bus and game ticket to Friday's hoops game in Springfield against Siena. You can buy the package for $15 at the Curry Hicks Box Office from 10-2.

The Minutemen are 3-1 under Derek Kellogg in his hometown of Springfield

Minutemen Hang On To Beat Pirates

2011-12-06T22:46:00.000-05:00

Well that ended up being a lot closer than it should have been.

After leading by 19 at halftime with Freddie Riley scoring 14 points in 10 minutes, UMass only won by five tonight at East Carolina as they improved to 7-3. Riley sunk four of his five attempts from beyond the arc and five of his seven shots overall to lead the first half charge, but then played one minute in the second half. DK said in his post-game press conference that it was a coach's decision and he hinted that he felt Freddie would get overconfident and come out chucking. I love DK, but that was a bad decision. Freddie was "on" tonight and that game almost slipped away. He needed to see the floor in the second half.

East Carolina started the second half on a 13-2 run and would continue to chip away to the point where it was a one point game with 40 seconds to play. They were able to do so in large part because of UMass turnovers which totaled 24 on the night, 10 of which came from Chaz Williams who had arguably his worst game in maroon and white. Shot selection was also poor in the second half.

Jesse Morgan started for Freddie and scored two points from the foul line. Putney was also in the starting five and scored nine points with three rebounds.

There are no bad wins, but this was not a pretty win. UMass had ECU down and what appeared to be out only to let them back into the game. How many times can the team let a weaker opponent hang around or stage a comeback before they learn their lesson? Since it's finals week, hopefully this was the last one. They finally get to come home for an extended period of time starting Friday with a game in Springfield against Siena.

Charley Molnar - New Head Coach of the Minutemen?

2011-12-06T13:00:00.002-05:00

Times-Leader image

It appears we may be within a few days (perhaps hours) of knowing who the next head football coach will be. All signs are pointing to Notre Dame offensive coordinator Charley Molnar with MattyV breaking the news about his interview and now saying "It's not done, but it's close."

Molnar is 50 years old and is in his second season with the Irish, coming over from Cincinnati with Brian Kelly. Prior to Cincinnati, Molnar helped MAC program Central Michigan win the MAC championship and the Motor City Bowl and coached quarterbacks at Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan (also MAC teams). Molnar has never been a head coach in his 28 years of coaching experience.

His full bio is here.

There's also a report that Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist is leaving South Bend with one year of eligibility left. Crist completed 58.9% of his passes for 2,327 and 16 touchdowns in his three years with Notre Dame. Molnar was Crist's coach at ND...perhaps he comes with him to Amherst? Just throwing it out there.

CoachingSearch.com says Molnar will be the next head coach.

The Globe says UMass is focusing on making Molnar their next head coach.

Ugly Sweaters and Teddy Bears

2011-12-05T13:39:00.000-05:00

Flickr

Been meaning to mention this for awhile now - according to the UMass promotions page on UMassAthletics.com, fans are encouraged to wear an ugly sweater and bring a teddy bear to Wednesday night's game against Yale. After the first UMass goal, fans can throw their teddy bears on the ice and they will be collected for local children.

The teddy bear toss is one of the new popular promotions across hockey:

Hoops Loses In Miami

2011-12-03T19:34:00.000-05:00

UMass dropped today's game in Miami 83-75 despite 22 points from Chaz Williams and a great second half effort. A late run by the Hurricanes in the first half really cost the Minutemen the game. In the final four minutes of the half, Miami took a two point lead and turned it into a 13 point lead before ultimately going into the locker room up 10.

The refs were horrible as well. It was one of the crews we've seen at the Mullins Center a number of times and as usual they called every little thing. UMass racked up 27 personal fouls and Miami took advantage, getting 27 points from the free throw line. Miami had 23 fouls themselves. Sean Carter hinted in the post-game press conference that the refs constant whistle blowing didn't allow the team to get any sort of flow going.

Shot selection was questionable, perhaps terrible at times. The threes were out in full force again and they didn't fall this afternoon. The final line was 7 of 24 (29.2%) with Chaz making three, Morgan two, and Freddie one of his five attempts. Jesse had ten points and Sean Carter had 12.

The good news is that there was no quit in the team in the second half. UMass kept making runs, cutting the lead down to low single digits a number of times, but they never caught all the way up.

UMass travels to East Carolina for a Tuesday night game before heading home for the Siena game in Springfield on Friday.

UMass Sighting On Extreme Home Makeover

2011-12-02T21:58:00.000-05:00

Photo from @CoachKellogg on Twitter

You may remember awhile back that Extreme Home Makeover filmed a number of the teams and students at UMass supporting an anti-bullying campaign. Tonight the episode aired and UMass got a nice, albeit short, appearance on the ABC show that was building a new house for a family in Springfield.

Later in the show two of the kids in the family were given full scholarships to attend UMass.
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Conor Sheary and Colin Shea each scored a goal tonight

The Mass Attack tied Harvard 4-4 tonight at the Mullins Center. Conor Sheary gave the Minutemen a quick lead 1:39 into the game and it was a back and forth affair after that. Harvard got on the board twice in the 2nd period, but UMass responded quickly both times. After the Crimson tied it 1-1, Colin Shea scored 48 seconds later to get the lead back. When Harvard tied it at 2, it took just 1:29 for Adam Phillips to make it 3-2.

In the third it was the same story. Harvard evened it up 3-3 and 55 seconds later Steven Guzzo made it 4-3. There was no answer after Harvard scored with about eight minutes to play and the game remained scoreless the rest of the way. A Harvard player missed a wide open net with four seconds left in OT. The Minutemen got really lucky.

The Minutemen are undefeated at home this season.
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Basketball is in Miami and will take on the Hurricanes tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 on ESPNU and ESPN3. UMass currently sits as a 7.5 point underdog. It's definitely a winnable game so long as Chaz is on his game, either Freddie, Jesse, or Javorn put up double digits, and UMass can exploit Miami's weakness down low. I'm prediciting a big game from Cady.

As always, Go UMass!

Tigers Taken Out

2011-12-01T17:13:00.002-05:00

UMass took care of business last night against Towson and improved to 6-2 with an 86-56 win over Towson. The Tigers were as bad as advertised with the exception of Robert Nwankwo who scored 19 and grabbed 14 boards. UMass had no answer for him although Cady slowed him down considerably when in the game.

For UMass everyone, literally everyone, scored a basket last night. Freddie Riley led the team with 15 points, 11 of which came in the second half as he found his three point shot. Chaz had 12 and 8 assists. Both Chaz and Freddie were out of the starting line-up for the first time this season. Apparently a motivational move by DK.

Putney scored 10, Cady 11, Vinson 9, Morgan 8, Hill and Sean Carter 6, Esho 5, Farrell 2, and yes, even Andrew McCarthy got his first two career points in the final couple minutes of the game (he also picked up 4 fouls in 6 minutes).

Chaz was out of the starting line-up for the first time this season
(Daily Collegian photo - check out all their great pics from the game)

The Minutemen relied on the three yet again which was fine last night as they went 13-28 (46.4%). Was hoping we'd see some work on the inside game when the game was winding down, but the guys kept chucking up threes and working the ball down low to McCarthy in garbage time.

UMass now heads to Miami on Saturday in a game that will be on ESPNU at 1:00.

Sampson Carter will miss the game and is suffering from the same hip-related injury Javorn had last season. According to DK it may require surgery. A medical red-shirt is not out of the question. Sampson was playing well under the radar through the first couple games and he's always done the little things well. He'll definitely be missed.

-----------------------------------
-MattyV says UMass shook up the rotation and crushed Towson by 30.
-Chimelis says Freddie and Cady sparked UMass' rout over Towson.
-The Collegian says the Minutemen tamed the Tigers.
-The Globe says UMass was right at home.

Towson Preview

2011-11-30T10:21:00.000-05:00

Tonight the Minutemen return to the Mullins Center for the first time since the 17th when they beat NJIT. Things didn't go as well as hoped in the Bahamas, but UMass has a great chance to get back on track against 0-5 Towson.

The Tigers are statistically one of the worst teams in all of Division I college basketball. Nationally they rank 342 in points per game, 325 in points allowed per game, 344 in assists, and 296 in field goal percentage. A tough early schedule hasn't helped with games at Kansas, Michigan, and at home against Oregon State on Saturday. They do however lead the country in presidential visits.

Towson is a big team that will likely start four forwards who are all 6-5 or taller. 6-7 Marcus Damas and 6-8 Robert Nwankwo lead the team in scoring with 11.8 PPG each. After Deon Jones' 9.0 PPG, no one on the team is putting up more than 5.4 a night. The lone guard in the starting five is point guard Kris Walden who is only dishing out 3.2 assists per game.

They turn the ball over a ton (23.2 a game) so UMass' high pressure defense could create serious problems for them tonight. Doesn't really matter how they win, the Minutemen just need to take care of Towson and get ready for Miami on Saturday.

Five Facts
1. UMass and Towson have only met one time before and it was in 1993. UMass won the game 82-55 in Amherst (The Cage) and it was the first college hoops game ever broadcast on ESPN2.

2. During the 2009-2010 season, Chaz Williams scored 20 points and had 4 assists in two games against Towson while he played with Hofstra.

3. Towson head coach Pat Skerry is from Medford, MA (100 miles from campus)

4. Tigers assistant coach Luke Murray is the son of actor Bill Murray

5. Prior to Tuesday night's games, the Minutemen sit 104 in RPI.

Towson Tigers

Record: 0-5 (0-2 away)
Last Game: vs. Oregon State (L, 66-46)

Stat		Conf. Rank
PPG	49.6	12th
Opp. PPG	77.8	12th
FG%	38.8%	11th
3PT%	27.5%	T-11th
RPG	37.4	5th
APG	7.2	12th
TurnPG	23.2	12th

Massachusetts Minutemen

Record: 5-2 (3-0 home)
Last Game: vs. College of Charleston (L, 85-61)

Stat		Conf. Rank
PPG	76.0	2nd
Opp. PPG	67.3	8th
FG%	42.0%	11th
3PT%	29.7	11th
RPG	40.9	2nd
APG	15.7	3rd
TurnPG	15.0	3rd

Updates

Towson Assistant Son Of Bill Murray

2011-11-29T14:02:00.001-05:00

TowsonTigers.com Photo

It's probably impossible to make tomorrow's game against Towson interesting to people outside the group of die-hard hoops fans, but here's an interesting bit of information.

Assistant coach Luke Murray is the son of actor Bill Murray. Luke got his degree from Fairfield, went on to become director of basketball operations at Quinnipiac, and moved on to Post University, Arizona, and Wagner before arriving at Towson.

Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports wrote an article in May 2010 about Luke's path through DI coaching.

Could make for some good heckling unless his Dad is there...

Cruz Catches Two TDs On Monday Night Football

2011-11-29T11:59:00.000-05:00

Photo by Wesley Hitt (Getty Images)

Victor Cruz had another great performance in a nationally televised game last night in New Orleans. His Giants got crushed 49-24, but Vic had 9 catches for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns including a 72 yarder. Both touchdowns came in the 4th quarter with the Giants already down big and Vic had the presence of mind to not salsa after either score. After some of the stupid things receivers did this weekend, it was good to see him act like a pro.

Overall this season Cruz has caught 55 passes for 957 yards (17.4 avg) and 7 touchdowns. He is fourth in the NFL in receiving yards.

Threes, Defensive Pressure Help UMass Beat Utah

2011-11-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the defensive pressure looked like it was frustrating Florida State at times, but they were able to recover and their own defense didn't allow UMass to get anything going. Tonight, like we saw in the first four games, the pressure was too much for Utah to handle and they turned the ball over 19 times which led to 31 points for UMass who won 89-75.

It definitely wasn't the sharpest game UMass has played this year with the offense looking out of control at times, but they shot 50% (15-30) from beyond the arc and got 15 points from a previously struggling Jesse Morgan and 13 more out of Freddie - production much needed from both guys. Jesse finished 5 of 6 on threes and was a perfect 5 for 5 at one point.

Of course Chaz continued to play well with 14 points, 7 assists, and 5 steals. Putney was also hot from beyond the arc and finished with 12. Javorn really carried the team early on when Utah had the lead and ended the game with 13 points.

UMass will face the College of Charleston tomorrow night at 7:00 on HDNet in the 5th place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis. C of C snuck by UNC Asheville 68-66 earlier today. A win would give UMass 5th place in the tournament which would be about what was expected with the Minutemen drawing Florida State in the first round.

Kevin Morris Fired

2011-11-21T12:35:00.000-05:00

In what shouldn't come as a surprise to many people, UMass has fired head football coach Kevin Morris after three seasons. During those three seasons the Minutemen went 16-17, never made the playoffs, and lost a number of high-profile games including both Colonial Clashes. According to the UMass press release, a nationwide search is underway and a committee will be formed in the near future to lead the search.

Personally I think this was the right move and a move that everyone, including Morris, saw coming for awhile now. It was going to take a special season for him to keep his job and this year was anything but that. UMass has to do a really good job with this selection process and bring in the right guy because there's a lot on the line. I'm confident they will.

MattyV broke the news and the Springfield Republican has an article on it.

Hockey Upsets #1 Boston College!

2011-11-05T22:26:00.000-04:00

The scene in the concourse after the game

There was no blown lead tonight from hockey! The Mass Attack upset #1 Boston College 4-2 to end what was an otherwise lousy day for UMass athletics. With the score tied 1-1 entering the 3rd, UMass scored three times including a Syner empty netter to seal the victory. Oleg Yevenko got his first collegiate goal with seven minutes left that proved to be the game winner. Steven Guzzo had scored the first goal of the period after a review which apparently never happened because the replay system was broken. Pereira was your first period goal scorer.

Down the road things weren't nearly as good. Football turned the ball over six times en route to a 35-17 loss to Villanova in front of a small crowd by Homecoming standards. At one point the Minutemen turned the ball over on three straight drives. Brandon Hill started for an injured Kellen Pagel and threw for 300 yards, but also three interceptions.

Another UMass turnover

In fairness, most of the blame for today has to go on the players. Lots of dumb penalties, fumbles, poor decisions from Hill, and missed tackles. Larger picture it's another nail in Morris' coffin.

Perhaps the final one.

24 photos from today's football game.

Weekend Previews; Open Hoops Practice Today

2011-11-04T10:25:00.001-04:00

Good morning MinuteFans! Big day tomorrow on campus with three important games back-to-back-to-back.

Soccer wraps up their 2011 season Sunday at Rudd

*Update: the soccer game has been postponed until Sunday because of bad field conditions. Gametime still 1:00.*

First up is soccer's final game against Rhode Island at 1:00. The Minutemen cannot make the playoffs at this point, but they'll have the opportunity to continue the great tradition of ruining Rhody's postseason hopes. Basketball's done it twice recently and now soccer can prevent URI from grabbing the final A-10 tourney bid with a win. The Daily Collegian has two previews for the game: one about the seven seniors who will be honored as part of Senior Day and another on the game itself.

After that it's a quick walk around the trees and through the parking lot for football's 3:30 Homecoming game against Villanova. It's not your typical 'Nova football team coming into Amherst. The Wildcats are 0-6 in the CAA, 1-8 overall, and their losses haven't even been close. 'Nova is giving up a CAA worst 32.6 points per game and scoring a worst 15.3 points per game. No excuses not to win this one.

Brandon Hill was 10 of 18 for 169 yards in UMass' win over CCSU

It's looking like we'll see Brandon Hill for the second straight McGuirk game. Kellen Pagel has not been practicing all week with official word being "an upper body injury." MattyV talks about that, 'Nova, and the importance of getting off to a good start.

The Collegian again with two articles: one on the game and one hoping we see a different outcome from last year's Homecoming game.

Perhaps the biggest game of the day comes last with hockey hosting #1 Boston College at 7:00. A loss to the number one team in the country won't get a guy fired, but Toot is on the hot seat and another choke will put him on the Morris level with UMass fans. Last time the Mass Attack hosted BC on Homecoming weekend was 2008 when UMass won in overtime. Still the best game I've been at in any sport during my 3+ years here.

UMass let four points get away last weekend against Boston University

Fear The Triangle previews the game as well as tonight's match-up at New Hampshire. MattyV looks at tonight's game too.

Today basketball is holding an open practice at the Mullins Center from 3:30-5:30. One week from tonight the season gets underway at The Cage against Elon. With Vance Walberg departing, the dribble drive motion offense is gone too. Ron Chimelis writes about the end of the DDM era. That article is the first MassLive.com UMass story in memory to get a positive comment. People are excited about this year's team and the new offense! Should be fun.

Colonial Clash & Battle With #2 BC This Weekend

2011-10-20T18:37:00.000-04:00

Big weekend for UMass sports. Unfortunatley both games are off campus, but they're still easy to get to.

Tomorrow night hockey heads to Chestnut Hill to face #2 Boston College. The Eagles enter the game 3-1-0 with their only loss coming last Friday against #3 Denver. They're beaten Michigan State, #5 North Dakota, and New Hampshire. Thus far, sophomore Bill Arnold (2 G, 5 A) and freshman Johnny Gaudreau (2 G, 4 A) have led the offense which has outscored opponents 18-9. Parker Milner has played every minute in net and posted a 2.01 GAA and 92.3 SV%.

UMass has an 11 game losing streak against BC.

Saturday is the second and final Colonial Clash at Gillette as #22 football hosts #13 New Hampshire. It will be the 74th and perhaps final game in the longtime rivalry with the Wildcats. The Minutemen lead the all-time series 43-27-3, but of course UNH destroyed us in last year's game.

With no playoffs, this was one of the games everyone circled on their calendars when the schedule came out. Get revenge for last year and make a statement in our home stadium for the foreseeable future. A few weeks ago confidence wasn't high, but last week's win at Delaware may have changed that.

The Wildcats are 4-2 after losing last week at William and Mary. Senior Kevin Decker has completed 70% of his passes for 1,900 yards and 14 touchdowns so far. He has however thrown 6 interceptions. On the ground it's been a mix of Decker scrambling (247 yards) and Dontra Peters (265 yards). UNH is a passing team this year which may not be good with our secondary.

MattyV says the "UMass-UNH rivalry is tough to give up."

Here's the schedule of events for Saturday.

Updates all weekend on Twitter.

New Hoops Floor Design At Mullins Center

2011-10-17T16:42:00.001-04:00

Just tweeted by @UMassAthletics - love it!

10/14 Wrap Up - Pereira's Hat Trick Lifts Minutemen To First Win Since January

2011-10-14T23:34:00.001-04:00

And now three words hockey fans haven't heard since January 22nd: UMass won tonight. Mike Pereira scored three goals including an empty netter with ten seconds left to seal a 5-3 victory for the Mass Attack over Bentley tonight at the Mullins Center. It's their first W of the season and their first since they beat Vermont 6-0 in late January.

UMass fell behind early (naturally) when Aaron Stonacek scored two minutes into the game off a bad rebound from Kevin Boyle. Boyle got the start in net and played well after that mistake. He made ten saves in the 3rd period which winded up being huge considering the game was essentially a one goal game. Boyle didn't make any overly-impressive saves, but there wasn't much need for them because of how well the defense played.

After watching this team get pushed around game after game last season, wow was it nice to see us be the aggressors tonight. 6-7, 225 Oleg Yevenko slightly bumps other players and they go flying into the boards. Troy Power and Patrick Kiley - two guys I said deserved more time last year when a physical presence was needed - both provided it. And ~~Chris Pronger~~ Adam Phillips was like a heat seeking missile taking Falcons out all night. He joined the Southwest girls in an early departure from the game after getting stuck with a five minute "contact to the head" major and a game misconduct.

UMass is starting to push back

Danny Hobbs and Branden Gracel also had great games. Each had a goal. Hobbs had two assists.

Another one at Providence tomorrow night who, by the way, upset BU tonight down in Rhode Island.

3 Stars
1. Mike Pereira - hat trick
2. Danny Hobbs - goal, two assists
3. T.J. Syner - two assists (although he did miss a penalty shot)

*Pereira, Hobbs, and Syner all play on the same line.

Hockey Night In Amherst: The Funeral

2011-10-14T08:30:00.000-04:00

"The Funeral is about to begin" blares over the Mullins Center speakers right before the Mass Attack take the ice. Sometimes they're entering their own funeral. Occasionally early in the season we lay to rest the top ten ranking of a Boston school. Most times it's just a lyric from Plasmic Honey's "The Funeral" that they took from the 1977 horror movie Phantasm.*

Tonight however, UMass has a chance to bury a bad memory that has haunted the program for much of the past two years. On December 30, 2009 Bentley stunned then #15 UMass 4-1 in the final game of the UConn Tournament. The loss sent the team into that infamous tailspin that ended with a first round playoff exit and the early departures of Casey Wellman, Matt Irwin and James Marcou.

So while the crowd may not be quite as large and crazy as it will be on the 28th because it's "Bentley" (there's rain in the forecast for tonight as well), it's a big game mentally for the program and more importantly for the fans.

Bentley comes into the game 0-2-0 after dropping both of their games at #4 Michigan last weekend. Sophomore forward Justin Breton from Fitchburg, Mass leads the way with two points so far, both of them assists. Forwards Alex Grieve and Jared Rickord have scored both of the Falcons' goals. In net Kyle Rank and Branden Komm have each gotten a start. Rank allowed five goals in the season opener and Komm let in three the following night. Rank was in goal for that game back in '09.

Five To Watch

Player	Pos	G	A	Pts	+/-
Justin Breton	F	0	2	2	0
Alex Grieve	F	1	0	1	-3
Jared Rickord	F	1	0	1	+1
Brett Switzer	F	0	1	1	-3
Steve Weinstein	D	0	1	1	+1

*Side note: the other lyric from the song - "They're coming to get you..." - comes from Night of the Living Dead. Somehow I came across both clips yesterday and recognized them from the song. No idea how that happened.

Follow Minutemen Nation on Twitter for updates.

Air Laguerre Grounded

2011-10-13T19:43:00.000-04:00

MattyV is reporting that Jordan Laguerre is unable to play this season after being ruled a partial qualifier by the NCAA. From the article:

Laguerre will be able to practice with the team but won't be eligible to play in games or travel, making him, for all practical purposes, a redshirt.

Not good news for UMass. I for one was really looking forward to seeing some of this in person this season:

Thursday Notes

2011-10-13T14:37:00.000-04:00

Really just nothing going on sports wise this year on campus. Kind of sad. Got a few crazy days coming up though were there's a doubleheader or tripleheader of UMass sports.

Yesterday marked one month until basketball starts their season. Today was A-10 Media Day in Brooklyn and the Minutemen were picked 12th. A bit low in my opinion, but it will just make winning this season all the more sweeter. Here's the full projected order of finish as compiled by coaches and media people:

1. Xavier (18) 304
2. Temple (4) 287
3. Saint Louis 239
4. St. Bonaventure 217
5. Richmond 196
6. Dayton 168
7. St. Joseph’s 165
8. George Washington 163
9. Duquesne 151
10. Rhode Island 117
11. Charlotte 115

12. Massachusetts 107

13. La Salle 52
14. Fordham 29

Cody Lalanne was selected to the preseason Rookie Team - the only Minutemen to receive any individual preseason honors. Lalanne is still recovering from a broken foot and is expected back in about 10 days according to MattyV.

Yesterday was Massachusetts Basketball Media Day featuring UMass, BU, BC, Holy Cross, Harvard and Northeastern. MattyV writes the coaches brought up the possibility of a tripleheader. Last year's game at the Garden drew well and generated a lot of excitement. This would be a great idea and it's good to see DK leading the fight for it.

Tomorrow night's home opener against Bentley seem fairly uninteresting? Don't forget what the Falcons did to the Minutemen in December of 2009. The Mass Attack were very well positioned in the playoff picture and ranked #15 in the country before Bentley stunned them 4-1 and sent them into that infamous tailspin to end the season. Dick Baker based his latest article on the subject.

More later...

Laguerre & Putney Star In New Rap Video

2011-10-10T13:54:00.000-04:00

Check out Jordan Laguerre and Raphiael Putney showing off their skills in The Cage in this rap video by "Aziz." Starts around 0:55.

Victor Cruz Just Made The Catch Of The Season

2011-10-09T15:58:00.000-04:00

Victor Cruz has caught 5 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown today against the Seahawks. Here's the touchdown catch which has to be the early favorite for NFL catch of the season:

Stephane Da Costa Got Jacked Up Last Night

2011-10-09T13:52:00.002-04:00

Former Merrimack stand-out and Mass Attack killer (3 goals & 4 assists in 4 games) Stephane Da Costa left North Andover to play for the Ottawa Senators in March. This happened to him last night:

Keep your head up.

10/8 Wrap Up - Julmiste, Thelen Save The Day

2011-10-08T22:44:00.004-04:00

Massachusetts: 42 Central Connecticut State: 26

FINAL

Box Score - Highlights - Photo Gallery

Don't let the final score fool you. Central Connecticut State was a tough team to beat tonight at McGuirk. Gunnar Jespersen and the Blue Devils option offense was almost too difficult for the Minutemen to handle. They came within a two point conversion of tying the game with 8:46 left to play. Fortunately they failed to convert the two point attempt and the Minutemen got two big plays later in the quarter to win the game (and perhaps save Kevin Morris' job for another week).

Thellen had 2 INT

After the two point conversion, CCSU kicked it to Jesse Julmiste who returned it 90 yards for a touchdown and a 35-26 lead. Darren Thellen sealed it at the 1:33 mark with an 85 yard pick six, his second interception of the game. And just like that UMass improved to 3-2. Certainly don't want to see a game this close against an NEC team at home, but simply winning was the important thing tonight.

Brandon Hill got the start with Kellen Pagel sitting this one out following a head injury at Old Dominion last week. Morris said after the game that it was a "doctor's decision" to sit him. I gotta say Hill earned the starting job tonight. He completed 10 of his 18 passes for 169 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. He looked indecisive at times, but he made the throws when they counted. By far the best performance we've seen from a UMass quarterback this season.

Brandon Hill earned the starting job with his performance tonight

Jonathan Hernandez was shut down by the CCSU defense. On his first seven carries he ran for just one yard. Overall he ran for 75 on 20 carries and scored twice. Emil Igwenagu caught four passes for 99 yards and a TD.

That'll do it for the out-of-conference portion of the schedule. UMass travels to #13 Delaware next Saturday for a 3:30 showdown with the Blue Hens. They shutout #9 William and Mary 21-0 at home earlier today.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't forget about hockey! Had no time to do a write up of last night's tie at Northeastern. The Mass Attack should've come away with two points, but let the Huskies score with two seconds left in regulation. We saw that last season where they just couldn't close games. NOT a good sign that it carried over to this year. Fear The Triangle has a full recap.

Mass Madness Moved To Saturday

2011-10-07T16:48:00.001-04:00

The preseason basketball party originally scheduled for next Friday at The Cage has been moved to Saturday and the Southwest Beach. "Bash at Southwest Beach" will start at 4:00. For those who don't know, the Beach is right below the Southwest basketball courts. Here's the message from DK on the event's Facebook page:

Come join us at the Southwest Beach!!!!

We will be giving away FREE T-Shirts and other UMass Giveaways.

Secondly, ANY STUDENT can register for a raffle in which the grand prize is a new iPad.

Finally, ANY STUDENT that comes can sign-up and enter the Coca Cola Shootout. The grand prize will be a trip for 2 to join me and the rest of the Minutemen as we travel to the Bahamas and stay at the world renown Atlantis Resort!

Live music will still be provided by Killa Instinkt Productions.

Make sure to come down and support the Minutemen as we kick off our season at the Bash at Southwest Beach as we look forward to seeing all of you throughout the season!

Coach Kellogg

Tonight's Starting Goalie Is...

2011-10-07T10:16:00.000-04:00

...Kevin Boyle! Word has it that Jeff Teglia is sick so freshman Kevin Boyle from Manalapan, New Jersey will make his first collegiate start tonight for the Minutemen. He announced it on Twitter just a short time ago:

Hockey Night In Amherst: Season Opener

2011-10-07T08:18:00.000-04:00

Yes, now it's October. In Minutemen Nation, that can only mean one thing: ~~one home football game~~ it's hockey season! After a six win 2010-2011 season, the Mass Attack's young core are now Sophomores and will be looking to take the next steps in climbing the Hockey East ladder.

Tonight is the first step in that journey. It took until the annual pre-Thanksgiving game with Vermont on November 23rd last season for the Minutemen to get their first win. Glancing at the early portion of the schedule, it may not take that long this season, but the first month has the potential to get ugly with heavy doses of BU, BC, and UNH. A win tonight will get UMass some early points and we know every point matters come March.

Northeastern Huskies (0-0-0, 0-0-0 - 8th in preseason Coaches Poll)
Northeastern will be one of the teams battling it out with UMass all season long. Most have Lowell and Providence missing the playoffs and 1-5 belonging to BC, BU, UNH, Merrimack, and Maine in varying order. That leaves the Huskies, UMass, and Vermont fighting it out for the final three seeds.

Rawlings

One thing going in Northeastern's favor is the return of goalie Chris Rawlings. Rawlings posted a 2.68 GAA and .920 SV% to go along with 5 shutouts (tied for 4th nationally) last season. Look for him to be among the best goalies in Hockey East again this season.

One thing not going in their favor is the loss of their top four scorers from last year. They only scored 2.84 goals per game (6th HE) and will now rely on guys like Mike McLauglin, Anthony Bitetto, and Rob Dangara to at least match that. Defensively the Huskies have the size, but not a lot of experience. Only one defender is an upperclassman. Keep an eye on Bitetto (20 pts, 3 PPG last season) and freshman Ben Oskroba who is listed at 6-5, 220.

Putting it all together will be Jim Madigan who was named head coach in July. He replaced Greg Cronin who was suspended back in February for recruiting violations before leaving to become an assistant with the Maple Leafs.

Top Returning Scorer: Anthony Bitetto (3G, 17A)
Sieve: Chris Rawlings (2.68 GAA, .920 SV% in 2010-2011)

UMass Minutemen (0-0-0, 0-0-0 - 7th in preseason Coaches Poll)

The biggest question mark for UMass this season is undoubtedly the goalie. Sophomore Jeff Teglia will likely be given the first chance to grab the starting role. Will he rise to the occasion after a bad freshman season? Or will it be one of the freshmen - Kevin Boyle and Steve Mastalerz? OR could it possibly be senior Kevin Moore who has seen a grand total of 3 minutes and 40 seconds in net for the Mass Attack since joining the team in January 2009?

Is Teglia the answer in goal?

That will be the big storyline to follow. No announcement has been made yet about tonight's starter, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't Teglia. The other thing to watch is the growth of the 13 sophomores who make up 45% of the roster. You know what you'll get from Syner, Hobbs, and Marcou, but can the young guys turn the corner - something they just couldn't quite do last season. There'd be times where you thought the switch was finally being flipped, but it just never happened. And what will Rocco Carzo do in his junior season? Can Darren Rowe stay healthy?

So many questions. We start to get answers tonight at 7:00 in Boston.

Related Stories
"Three Way Battle For UMass Starting Goaltender Job" - Daily Hampshire Gazette
"There's Power And Grace-L In Those Sophomores" - Springfield Republican
"Northeastern Preview" - Fear The Triangle

October At-A-Glance

Random Wednesday News

2011-10-05T16:26:00.000-04:00

Previews for Northeastern and CCSU coming tomorrow. Here's some things of note I found around the internets...

Dana O'Neil of ESPN.com gives basketball's out-of-conference schedule a 4 out of 10 on his toughness scale.

Tomorrow night's football radio show will be broadcast live from the library. There is an exhibit in the Lower Level of the library called Saturday's Rivals: Football Memories From the 'Aggie Eleven of 1879' to the MAC of 2012 that features posters, programs, artifacts, and other football stuff from over the years. It runs until January 3rd.

Dave Hendrickson of USCHO.com says goaltending will be the biggest question mark for the Mass Attack this season.

The Minnesota Wild sent Casey Wellman down to their AHL team (Houston Aeros) to start the season. Wellman dealt with back issues during the preseason and never really got a chance to play.

Speaking of hockey alum, this guy helps you learn "How To Properly Pronounce James Marcou in English." Very strange.

More tomorrow.

Football Posters Get An A+

2011-10-04T03:10:00.000-04:00

One of the things I look forward to over the year is collecting all of the schedule posters. Last year's were very well done with the "Join The Revolution" theme and this year's are even better. I don't know if all the sports posters will look like this, but football's is the best looking one I've seen in my 3+ years on campus.

Good luck finding one however. The bookstore does not have them and I did not see any at McGuirk. Best bet is near the offices in Boyden or your dorm hallway.

10/1 Wrap Up - Votes Of No Confidence

2011-10-01T23:38:00.001-04:00

The panic meter is now at level red in Minutemen Nation. UMass (2-2) gave Old Dominion their first ever CAA victory tonight in Virginia before a packed Foreman Field. The Monarchs, playing their first season in the CAA, jumped out to a 25-0 lead before halftime and squashed a UMass rally with 21 fourth quarter points to win 48-33. The UMass defense has now given up 93 points over the past two weeks.

Kellen Pagel continued to look shaky, throwing two interceptions and missing receivers before being sidelined with what is rumored to be a concussion in the 3rd quarter. To his credit he helped UMass rally (even take the lead at one point) and finished with 245 yards and three touchdowns. Brandon Hill looked uncomfortable when he got his chance though he completed 7 of his 10 passes.

This may shock you, but Jonathan Hernandez ran for 100+ yards again to go with a touchdown.

So why is the panic meter at level red?

We the people of Minutemen Nation have officially lost all confidence in Kevin Morris as head football coach of the University of Massachusetts. By all accounts he is a great guy and he's done a lot for the community. But the results are not coming and the team comes out flat game after game. Even if the Minutemen were to win every remaining game this season, nothing short of sweeping next year's out of conference schedule will ever restore our confidence in Coach Morris at this point. With the program moving up and searching for money, that's not a situation you want to be in.

The best option for UMass would be to let Coach Morris go now. Put an assistant in charge for the remainder of the season and let the college football world know that the UMass job is open. Coaches who will either be let go or are contemplating going elsewhere will have ample time to think about it and interview with the school. No doubt UMass will be an attractive place to come coach with the jump to FBS and all that comes with it (Gillette Stadium to name one).

Another reason to do it now: Boston College has had it with their coach as well. It's only a matter of time before Spaziani is fired. If there's an opening at UMass and BC, you know the people on the Hill will have the cash advantage.

Personally, I don't believe the administration sees him as the long term coach here. Assuming that's the case, let him go now rather than in a few years when his contract is up. We have to go into the MAC building from day one. We can't go in destroyed, start cleaning things up a few years in, and then re-build.

I wish him and the team the best, but I'm not confident and that's a big problem with UMass transitioning to FBS and looking to fill an NFL stadium next season.

Hockey East Media Day

2011-09-27T16:54:00.001-04:00

The weather wouldn't make you think it, but hockey season starts next week. Today was Hockey East Media Day at The Garden and the opener is next Friday at Northeastern.

The Mass Attack were picked 7th in the preseason Coaches Poll which is hard to argue with. Northeastern, Lowell, and Providence sit underneath them with Vermont right above. BC sits at #1 and #5 in the USCHO.com national rankings. UMass received 3 votes in the national poll (final team listed under "others receiving votes").

Here's Danny Hobbs talking about his expectations for the season both inside and outside of Minutemen Nation:

CHN has a good article about Media Day including Hockey East's new TV deal.

UMass has announced a Maroon and White scrimmage on Saturday at 4:00 inside the Practice Rink that is open to the public. Immediately after the game will be the annual Skate with the Minutemen.

Monday Polls And Awards; Other Stuff

2011-09-26T16:43:00.000-04:00

Football drops three spots to #20 in this week's Sports Network/Fathead.com Poll.

Not surprisingly the Minutemen failed to grab any of the weekly awards.

Mike Lee is OUT for Saturday's game at Old Dominion

Matt Vautour is reporting cornerbacks Mike Lee and Ed Saint-Vil are both out for Saturday's game against Old Dominion. Antoine Tharpe, who missed both the URI and BC game, is questionable. Not good news for UMass who will be facing the third ranked passing offense in the CAA.

Meanwhile, things continue to not go well in Soccerland. UMass lost their fifth straight game, this one at Dartmouth on Saturday. Stephen Hewitt of the Daily Collegian has the recap. The loss keeps the Minutemen in the basement of the A-10 with St. Joseph's and Dayton.

Speaking of the A-10, they launched a brand new website that is miles ahead of the old one. It was much needed and looks great!

The new home of the A-10 Tournament starting in 2013

One more note on the A-10, Andy Katz of ESPN is reporting that the Men's Basketball Tournament will be moved to the new Brooklyn Arena starting in 2013. This should gain the A-10 a lot of exposure with Jay-Z promoting the heck out of the arena and the newly named "Brooklyn Nets." As Katz alludes to, they'll also want to challenge Madison Square Garden as the best place for entertainment in New York City. Brooklyn is also the home of Chaz Williams.

9/24 Wrap Up - Not Quite There Yet

2011-09-24T17:11:00.000-04:00

Usually I like to stick to a basic summary of the game in recaps, but listening to the postgame show I can't let this go unaddressed.

"We did a lot of good things today" Coach Morris said after today's 45-17 loss at Chestnut Hill Prep. To be fair, he isn't completely wrong. UMass did do some things well this afternoon:

-Offensive line continued to play well - definitely an FBS caliber line
-Kickoff returns - I could tell Julmiste was destined to take one back at some point. He got great blocking all game.
-Jonathan Hernandez took a beating, but kept on going
-Defensive line and linebackers were good for the most part

But when you lose by 28 points to your in-state rival in a game that could have proven UMass is ready for the big time, it's just not a good statement to make. This was the game that everyone was watching - from the die-hards, to alumni, to other athletes at UMass, to students who tune into football once a year. And UMass got blownout in front of them.

It's not just a football problem. Think back to another BC game last December when basketball lost at the Garden in front of a largely pro-UMass crowd. Game had the same hype - UMass was undefeated, this was a chance to prove we belong on the big stage by winning a game in Boston against hated BC. UMass, at least in the past few years, can't get over the hump and win the big one for whatever reason. I am not looking to blame anyone and still think we have a bright future in all of our sports. We just aren't quite there yet.

As for the game...

AP Photo

Things didn't look good right away as Kellen Pagel was intercepted on UMass' first play from scrimmage. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned 96 yards for an Eagles touchdown while completing only 18 of his 37 passes. Pagel didn't complete a single pass in the first quarter. I thought we should've seen Hill at some point, but Morris stuck with Pagel all the way through. Who knows, that may be good for him in the long run.

UMass got a spark in the 2nd quarter when Jesse Julmiste returned the kickoff 102 yards to put UMass on the board. BC took a 24-7 lead into halftime and put it away with 14 more points in the 3rd quarter.

Jonathan Hernandez fell shy of 100 yards for the first time this season. He ran the ball 22 times for 80 yards and a touchdown. Tom Gilson picked up 58 yards on 4 catches to lead the receivers.

For BC quarterback Chase Rettig was 14 of 22 for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Player of the Game
Jonathan Hernandez for the third straight game. With Pagel struggling, he took a beating today, but kept on running.

Still could be a great season for UMass. Big bounce back opportunity at new CAA member Old Dominion next Saturday.

Mass Madness Set For October 14th

2011-09-20T12:55:00.002-04:00

Back in 2009, UMass stopped the Midnight Madness parties that are hosted on campuses throughout the country to kick off the new college basketball season. Now with a solid student fan base and others calling for it's return, UMass is bringing back the preseason party at The Cage.

"Mass Madness" will take place on Friday, October 14th from 9:00 to midnight at the Curry Hicks Cage. There will be giveaways as well as live music. There is a Facebook event page for it here.

Hockey's home opener is at 7:00 that night against Bentley so you'll likely already be in the area. No reason not to stop by and support the team as they prepare for the season!

Monday Polls & Awards

2011-09-19T13:51:00.000-04:00

The Minutemen jumped up to #17 in the Sports Network Poll and to #19 in this week's Coaches Poll following their win over URI on Saturday.

Cornerback Kirk Nelms was named both the Sports Network/Fathead.com Freshman of the Week and the CAA Rookie of the Week after his two interceptions including one he took back 80 yards for a touchdown in the 4th quarter.

9/17 Wrap Up - Rhody, Rhody, Rhody! Beaten, Beaten, Beaten!

2011-09-18T16:46:00.002-04:00

You knew last night's home opener vs. Rhode Island wasn't going to be easy. And it wasn't...for the first half. UMass led 9-7 at halftime only because of a late field goal by Brendon Levengood.

But they turned it up in the second half with 27 points to put the Rams away 36-27 and improve to 2-0 heading into Chestnut Hill next Saturday. Jonathan Hernandez couldn't be stopped with 167 yards on the ground, 49 through the air, and two touchdowns. Kellen Pagel made some mistakes, but settled down in the second half - throwing for 259 yards overall and two touchdowns (1 rushing). And how 'bout redshirt freshman Kirk Nelms from Spotsylvania, Virginia who picked off Steve Probst twice including one he returned 80 yards to put the Minutemen up 8 with 7 minutes to play.

Students wave rally towels prior to the opening kickoff

The crowd is listed at just 11,167, but it was much larger than that. The visitors side was jammed with students and almost a full section of URI fans who were loud the whole game.

UMass went with all maroon uniforms which I thought looked great and I heard a few others say so as well. The biggest surprise were names on the back of the jerseys! According to the UMass Football Blog, it was the first time since the 1970s that the Minutemen have featured names on the back of the jerseys. They also had a red and blue stripe on their helmets to commemorate the ten year anniversary of 9/11. Initially I thought they were maroon and it looked really good. There's been talk about new uniforms/helmets and I definitely think a double maroon stripe on the white helmet is something to consider.

There was also a giant food tent located under the middle sections of each side, replacing the food tables that used to be at the bottom of the stairs. It made the food-getting process much easier. MinuteFan Park looked good as well. The firework display after the game was great and seemed to go on forever. Credit to UMass for creating an FBS worthy atmosphere!

Player of the Game
Jonathan Hernandez for the second straight game. He picked up 216 yards combined and ran for two touchdowns.

Photo Gallery

Highlights

Meet Freshman Linebacker Ryan Phillips

2011-09-08T12:24:00.001-04:00

Freshman linebacker Ryan Phillips didn't get to see any playing time during the season opener at Holy Cross. But he did get mentioned on Howard Stern this morning.

Turns out Ryan is the son of former Mets general manager and ESPN analyst Steve Phillips. Sirius/XM talk show host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo mentioned Ryan and UMass on Stern this morning.

Props to my Dad for the story

UMass Basketball Schedule Released

2011-09-06T15:37:00.006-04:00

The long offseason is showing signs of coming to an end. The 2011-2012 UMass basketball schedule has just been released, giving us a chance to look ahead towards a new season and further putting the Dayton game in the rear-view mirror.

DK and the Minutemen open the season November 11th against Elon at the Curry Hicks Cage!

November
11th: vs. Elon (Curry Hicks Cage)
14th: vs. Northeastern
17th: vs. NJIT
21st: at Boston College
--Battle 4 Atlantis--
24th: vs. Florida State, 4:30
25th: vs. Harvard/Utah
26th: TBD
30th: vs. Towson

December
3rd: at Miami
6th: at East Carolina
9th: vs. Siena (in Springfield), 8:00
17th: vs. Quinnipiac
22nd: vs. Davidson
28th: vs. Central Connecticut State

January
5th: vs. Fordham
8th: at La Salle
11th: vs. Charlotte
14th: vs. St. Joseph's
18th: at Duquesne
21st: at Richmond
28th: vs. St. Louis

February
1st: at Rhode Island
4th: at George Washington
8th: vs. St. Bonaventure
11th: at St. Joseph's
18th: vs. La Salle
21st: vs. Xavier
25th: at Dayton
29th: at Temple

March
3rd: vs. Rhode Island

Conference Catch-Up

2011-09-06T12:52:00.001-04:00

Every Tuesday we'll take a look around the Atlantic 10, Hockey East, and Colonial Athletic Association to keep track of all the happenings with UMass' conference opponents.

CAA
It was a rough week for five CAA teams who took on FBS opponents in their first game. Delaware, New Hampshire, James Madison, William & Mary, and Villanova all got blown out in their season openers. The combined scores of those five games was 222-59 in favor of the FBS teams.

One CAA team was successful in their season opener against an FBS school. Richmond beat Duke 23-21 for the third straight time since 2006. It was the first game for interim coach Wayne Lineburg who took over for Latrell Scott who resigned just days before the start of the season.

Elsewhere, Maine took care of Bryant 28-13, Old Dominion crushed Campbell 41-14, and Towson beat Morgan State 42-3.

Offensive Player of the Week: QB Grant Enders (Towson)
Defensive Player of the Week: DB Cooper Taylor (Richmond)
Special Teams Player of the Week: PR Trevor Coston (Maine)
Rookie of the Week: WR Antonio Vaughan (Old Dominion)

Atlantic 10
The 2011-2012 UMass Basketball schedule should be released very soon...

Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! blogs about his A-10 basketball projections and five storylines to watch.

Hockey East
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas brought the Stanley Cup to Vermont, his alma mater.

30 days until UMass Hockey...

Wrap Up: UMass Takes Care of Holy Cross in Season Opener

2011-09-02T00:06:00.003-04:00

Jonathan Hernandez ran for 151 yards on a career-high 29 carries (AP)

Considering it was a season opener, UMass did a pretty good job beating Holy Cross in tonight's season opener in Worcester. Not to say it was an easy win, but the game was never really in doubt despite what the final scores says. The Minutemen won the 50th all-time meeting 24-16 behind a 163 yard night from Jonathan Hernandez who led the way offensively while Brandon Hill and Kellen Pagel split time at quarterback.

Hill started the game, but Pagel took over on the first drive of the 2nd quarter and took a large majority of the snaps the rest of the way. Hill only saw the field once in the 2nd half and all three plays of the drive were runs. Pagel completed 10 of his 16 passes for 104 yards and 2 TDs which will likely move him to the top of the depth chart.

Hernandez ran for 151 yards on 29 carries (career high) which was his 7th career 100 yard game. He also caught 2 passes for 12 yards and overall looked just as good, if not better, than he did last season. Hernandez is going to be counted on to lead the offense and looks poised for a big season.

Can't leave out rugby-style punter Jeff Strait who averaged 42.8 yards on 6 punts. He pinned Holy Cross at their own 11 and 1 yard lines on back-to-back punts in the 2nd quarter.

Holy Cross put the game in the hands of QB Ryan Taggert which wasn't a bad idea as he threw for 246 yards and ran for 15 more including a touchdown in the 2nd. UMass held Holy Cross to 75 yards on 23 carries.

Scoring
UMass scored first when TE Emil Igwenagu took the hand-off and leaped over the pile from the one for the first touchdown of the year. We didn't see a lot of creative stuff like that last season so it's nice to see the coaching staff mixing it up this year and trying some new formations.

They'd score again in the 2nd when Pagel found Jesse Julmiste from 10 yards out. Julmiste caught 6 passes for 61 yards which led all receivers. Brendon Levengood attempted and made his first career field goal in the 3rd to put UMass up 17-9. A Julian Talley touchdown catch with 8 minutes left in the game proved to be the difference.

Bottom Line

Pagel took over for a struggling Hill and immediately sparked the offense as he likely earned himself the starting role for the Rhode Island game and beyond. Hernandez is going to be a nightmare for opposing defenses all season long. Our defense hit the Crusaders hard all night, especially the secondary who forced 2 fumbles. It was definitely a bend but don't break night for the D who will need to improve as the opponents get better.

Star of the Game
Jonathan Hernandez: 29 carries, 151 yards, 2 catches, 12 yards

Football at Holy Cross Preview

2011-09-01T10:41:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to Minutemen Nation! Amazingly the 2011-2012 season is already one game old (soccer lost at Delaware) and tonight is the start of the football season. I'll have more on the blog and the upcoming season in the next few days, but for now here's a preview for tonight's game which is less than 12 hours away!

Game Info

Kickoff: 8:00

Weather: 65° partly cloudy

TV: CBS College Sports Network

Radio: WRNX

Updates: MN on Twitter, Matt Vautour on Twitter, Live Stats

Storyline
UMass' final season at the FCS level begins tonight with their 50th all-time game against Holy Cross and potentially a crowd of 20,000+ in Worcester. The Crusaders are rolling in temporary lights to play tonight's game which will be the first night game in the history of Fitton Field (opened in 1924).

The Minutemen are not eligible for postseason play because of the move to the FBS, but they are for the national polls and begin the year at #25 in the Sports Network Poll. Redshirt freshman Brandon Hill was named the starting QB on Monday, but Coach Morris said that Kellen Pagel ("PAY-gul - like bagel" - from the UMass game notes) will also see some playing time tonight.

While the wins and losses may not officially matter this season, you know the seniors are going to want to leave on a high note and set the tone for next year.

The Series

All-Time: 23-21-5 UMass
At Holy Cross: 15-13-5 Holy Cross
Last Meeting: September 11, 2010 - UMass won 31-7 in Amherst

Head-To-Head Match-Up

Massachusetts at Holy Cross

0-0 Record 0-0

25 Ranking N/A

-- Points Per Game --

-- Points Allowed Per Game --

-- Yards Per Game --

-- Passing Yards Per Game --

-- Rushing Yards Per Game --
-- Yards Allowed Per Game --
-- Passing Yards Allowed Per Game --
-- Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game --

What A Win Would Mean
A good start to the season...putting last season's collapse behind us.

Players To Watch (2010 stats)
#36 - LB - Tyler Holmes - 83.5 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 5 interceptions
#33 - LB - Ricky Otis - 108 tackles (led Patriot League), 2 fumble recoveries
#1 - WR - Julian Talley - 56 catches, 747 yards, 6 TD
#22 - RB - Jonathan Hernandez - 938 rushing yards (168.4 per game), 9 TD
#7 - QB - Ryan Taggart - 1,899 passing yards, 14 TD, 58.4 completion percentage

#87 - TE - Alex Schneider - 30 catches, 217 yards, TD

Random Fact

UMass has won 10 of their last 12 season openers.

Prediction

UMass wins 27-21