January 17, 2009 | AP Press

AMHERST, MA – Ricky Harris scored 24 points, leading Massachusetts to a 79-75 win over Temple in an Atlanic 10 Conference game on Saturday.

Anthony Gurley added 16 points, Tony Gaffney scored 14 and Chris Lowe added 13 points, six rebounds and 11 assists as Massachusetts snapped Temple’s four-game winning streak.

Massachusetts (7-9, 1-1 Atlantic 10) trailed 37-33 at halftime.

UMass led once in the first half, 30-29 on a hoop by Lowe, with more than three minutes before the break. A three-pointer by Ryan Brooks gave the Owls (9-7, 1-1 A-10) their 37-33 margin at halftime.

Dionte Christmas, the Atlantic 10 scoring leader, led Temple with 28 points and 9 rebounds. Brooks had 17, while Lavoy Allen added 11 points and five assists for the Owls.

January 6, 2009  by WH | A10CollegeHoops

Here are my final noncon rankings and comments. Per usual, I am unlikely to post again until the end of league play once conference games begin.

Even though some teams have outperformed or underperformed my expectations, I can’t say any team has truly surprised me with the exception of GW (just terrible lately). I didn’t anticipate such a slow start for Charlotte, and UMass struggled more than I expected, but both teams had obvious question marks before the season began.

As of now, we only have two schools that look like NCAA teams, but Rhody has a decent chance and I expect another team to make a big run in league play (Temple with a full roster?). I would be thrilled to get three teams in given the so-so noncon performance.

Speaking of which, looks like I will finish 5 games below my noncon forecast. Ironically, this is the first year in awhile that I did not automatically deduct five wins from my combined forecast. Had I done so, I might be perfect! (not that it would be a good thing). Too many damned near misses and blown leads late in games.

VALEDICTORIANS

1)XAVIER (unchanged). The Muskies (11-2). The Musketeers bounced back from a two-game losing skid with convincing wins over Robert Morris and at Virginia. Frosh PG Terrell Holloway has taken over the starting position, allowing Dante Jackson to play more at his natural position of off-guard. Two other touted frosh, Kenny Frease and long-range gunner Brad Redford, have come on strong. Upperclassmen Derrick Brown and BJ Raymond have also stepped up. If Holloway continues to mature rapidly, the Musketeers have to be considered the clear league favorite.

2)DAYTON (unchanged). The Flyers (13-1) have beaten all the teams they are supposed to beat and have a marquee win over Marquette to put themselves in line for an NCAA bid. Dayton does struggle at times to put the ball in the basket, but the team is very athletic and plays topnotch defense. With just a little better shooting and scoring, the Flyers have all the tools to battle archrival Xavier for the league title.

HONOR ROLL

3)RHODE ISLAND (+1). The Rams (10-4) are a few points away – agonizingly close losses at Duke and Oklahoma State – from being locked in for an at-large bid. The team is still well positioned, but URI needs to rack up 11 or 12 wins in conference play and advance deep into the league tourney to merit consideration. Seven-foot sophomore Will Martell has been a surprise contributor while Jimmy Baron Jr. and Keith Cothran have performed like All-Conference players. The defense is still a bit unreliable, but the Rams are deep and athletic and have the talent to make a run for the conference championship.

AVERAGE STUDENTS

4)CHARLOTTE (+1). The 49ers (5-7) might be playing the best ball of any A-10 team outside of Xavier, Dayton and URI, but a rash of injuries has further depleted an already-thin roster. Sophomore forward An’juan Wilderness is out for a few weeks and sophomore Charles Dewhurst was lost for the year to a knee injury. Charlotte has no backup point guard and needs a few of its healthier players to step up. Hard to believe a 5-7 team might be the fourth best squad in the A-10, but every program in the conference has significant flaws.

5)RICHMOND (+1). The Spiders (8-6) are one of the most disappointing teams in the league despite eight wins. The team blew a late lead at Virginia Military Institute and has lost to all three in-state rivals (ODU and VCU are the others) even though the Spiders arguably have the most talent of the bunch. The defense has been soft and the offense mistake prone. Yet Richmond still has the size, athleticism and backcourt play to finish in the conference’s top four if the players learn how to close out games.

6) TEMPLE (-3). After beating Tennessee, the Owls (6-6) stumbled badly with three straight losses, including a whopper at Long Beach State. Temple rebounded Monday night with a win over Kent State. Sophomore forward Craig Williams had a career game (16 points) and touted Argentine PG Juan Fernandez (8 points, 4 assists) wowed the crowd in his debut. Temple’s problems have stemmed from poor point play – a concern of mine in my preseason review – and lethargic play among bigmen Lavoy Allen and Sergio Olmos. The addition of Fernandez and further contributions from Williams could make the Owls a big factor in conference play, however.

7)LASALLE (+2). The Explorers (8-5) beat several mediocre opponents to enter conference action with a three-game winning streak. Ruben Guillandeaux seems to be awaking from a season-long slumber while Rodney Green and Kimmani Barrett have stepped up their games. Defense and rebounding have kept LaSalle in most games, but postseason possibilities rest on whether the offense shows major improvement. The lack of consistent point play and outside shooting have been the team’s undoing.

*8*)ST. BONAVENTURE (unchanged). The Bonnies (7-3) recovered from a blowout loss at home to Niagara by topping Bucknell and Central Arkansas on the road. Granted, the competition wasn’t great, but two road wins of any sort is a big accomplishment for the rapidly recovering program. The 6-10 freshman sensation Andrew Nicholson looks like the program’s biggest recruiting find in a decade or more. Expect the Bonnies to be very competitive in most games, especially at home, and a winning record is by no means out of the question. The team now has enough talent to compete with almost any team in the A-10. Point play is just so-so, however, and the Bonnies lack outside shooting when Chris Matthews is cold.

9)DUQUESNE (+4). The Dukes (9-4) are one of the two big surprises in nonconference play, along with St. Bonaventure. They lost to the four best teams on their sked but have handled all the opponents from lesser conferences. Aaron Jackson, who’s playing like an A-10 First Teamer, is one of four “veterans” who have carried the program while the youngsters mature. Touted frosh Melquan Bolding has come on strong to join PG Eric Evans as top candidates for the league’s All-Rookie team. Shooter Jason Duty, formerly a recruited walk-on, has been a surprisingly big contributor. If only the Dukes had one legit bigman …

10) ST. LOUIS (+2). The Bills (9-5) have won seven of their last eight games against mostly weaker competition, though not without some struggles. Rick Majerus has his young squad playing solid defense and a controlled offense, but points sometimes are hard to come by. Frosh bigman Willie Reed looks like a future all-conference player and two other newcomers, PG Kwamain Mitchell and F Brian Conklin, have impressed. The Bills are a middle-of-the-pack team at best, but they will pull some upsets in league play.

BACK OF THE CLASS

11)ST. JOSEPH’S (-4). The Hawks (6-7) simply don’t have enough Division 1 players. Sophomore forward Idris Hilliard has shown marked improvement, but none of the reserves has contributed significantly. St. Joe’s has to rely on no more than 3-4 players, led by Ahmad Nivins, to do the scoring, but the core group doesn’t have tons of energy leftover for defense at the end of a game. The tank could run dry in late February unless Martelli develops a bench.

12)MASSACHUSETTS (-1). The Minutemen (5-8) followed a four-game win streak with a two-game skid in which the team lost by a combined 56 points to Houston and Vanderbilt. What to make? Impossible to say. Rookie coach Derek Kellogg sure looks green and senior point guard Chris Lowe is struggling mightily to run the new offense. Yet UMass is still capable of beating virtually any team in the A-10, as the win at Kansas attests. The first game in league play vs. Dayton could be telling.

CLASS CLOWNS

13)FORDHAM (+1). The Rams (2-10) have gotten a boost from 6-9 West Virginia transfer Jacob Green, but this team is headed for 20-plus losses. Much too young and much too small (-10 rebounding margin). Coach ain’t all that great, either.

14)GEORGE WASHINGTON (-4). The Colonials (6-6) aren’t worse than Fordham, but while the Rams are getting better, the Colonials have badly regressed. The team lost four straight to Vermont, Hawaii, Coppin State and … Longwood! Travis King is still not his old self, but at least he has an excuse. The same cannot be said for Rob Diggs, Wynton Witherspoon, Damian Hollis – or Karl Hobbs. GW is near the bottom of the league in scoring, shooting, rebounding and assists. Call the Coast Guard.

ALL-CONFERENCE PROJECTIONS (based on current performance)

POY

Dionte Christmas

FIRST TEAM

Dionte Christmas, Temple
Ahmad Nivins, St. Joseph’s
Derrick Brown, Xavier
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Chris Wright, Dayton

SECOND TEAM

Tony Gaffney, UMass
Jimmy Baron Jr., Rhode Island
Damian Saunders, Duquesne
Ricky Harris, UMass
Keith Cothran, Rhode Island

THIRD TEAM

Jonathan Hall, St. Bonaventure
David Gonzalvez, Richmond
Tommie Liddell, St. Louis
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Dijuan Harris, Charlotte

DEFENSIVE POY

Tony Gaffney, UMass

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Tony Gaffney, UMass
Garrett Williamson, St. Josephs
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Ahmad Nivins, St. Josephs

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Eric Evans, Duquesne
Terrell Holloway, Xavier
Jio Fontan, Fordham
Brian Conklin, St. Louis

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

Tony Gaffney

December 27, 2008 | AP Press

AMHERST, MA. — Ricky Harris scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to spark Massachusetts to a 62-57 win over Indiana-Purdue-Indianapolis on Saturday.

Tony Gaffney added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Massachusetts, which led 34-31 at halftime and stayed on top the rest of the game.

IUPUI (7-5) fell behind by 10 points early in the second half, but staged a 9-0 run to come within one of a tie at 44-43 on a hoop by Alex Young, who led the Jaguars with 19 points.

John Avery added 13 points and 7 rebounds for IUPUI, which had won 6 of its last 7.

Massachusetts (5-6) used its defense to hold IUPUI without a field goal for nearly nine minutes in the second half.

The Minutemen, who started their season by losing six of seven, now have won their last four.

December 13, 2008 | AP Press

KANSAS CITY, MO – Ricky Harris had 18 points, Chris Lowe added 12 and Massachusetts used a stingy defense to hold off Kansas (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 25 AP) on Saturday, 61-60.

UMass (3-6) has had trouble pulling out close games this season, with four of its six losses by seven points or fewer. The Minutemen built a 14-point lead in the first half, let Kansas back in it, but held on this time to end the Jayhawks’ 30-game home winning streak.

Tony Gaffney had 13 rebounds, six blocked shots, three assists and three steals for UMass.

Kansas (7-2), back in the top 25 after being knocked out last week, shot 34 percent overall and 5-of-23 from 3-point range.

The Jayhawks pulled within 61-60 on Sherron Collins’ long 3-pointer with 27 seconds left. Kansas had a final chance after Lowe missed two free throws with 20 seconds left, but Collins missed a left-handed scoop shot and Kansas couldn’t get another shot off before the buzzer.

Collins, the Jayhawks’ leading scorer, had 19 points on 6-of-21 shooting, including 1-for-7 on 3-pointers. Cole Aldrich added 12 points and 13 rebounds for Kansas.

The game was played at the Sprint Center, about 45 minutes from KU’s campus. It was still considered a home game for the Jayhawks and felt like it, with most of near-sellout crowd wearing red and blue, cheering as if it were at Allen Fieldhouse.

They spent most of the first 20 minutes grumbling, watching Kansas play its worst half of the season.

Making sloppy passes and struggling against the physical Minutemen, Kansas went more than 7 minutes without a field goal and shot 8-for-28. Gaffney had something to do with it, blocking four shots by halftime, and the Jayhawks didn’t help themselves with 10 turnovers, most on ill-advised passes that had coach Bill Self screaming from the bench.

Kansas also had numerous defensive breakdowns, giving UMass uncontested jumpers from the top of the key, 3-pointers from the corners. The Minutemen took advantage, getting eight points from Harris during a 16-1 run that put them up 32-18 with just over 3 minutes left.

Then Kansas finally came to life.

Sparked by Tyrel Reed’s 3-pointer from the wing, the Jayhawks started hitting shots and picked up the defensive pressure, pulling within 36-30 by halftime.

Kansas kept the momentum going in the second half, chipping away until Reed hit a 3-pointer to give the Jayhawks a 46-45 lead, setting up a back-and-forth final 12½ minutes.

December 10, 2008 | AP Press

AMHERST, Mass. — Ricky Harris fired 23 points, including 17 in the second half, to lead Massachusetts to a 73-59 win over Holy Cross Wednesday night.

The Minutemen (2-6) trailed 32-29 at halfime but used a 12-0 run midway in the second half to stay on top for good.

Holy Cross, which has lost six of its last seven, fell to 3-7.

Tony Gaffney had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Anthony Gurley added 14 points for the Minutemen.

Harris had 5 points and Gaffney 4 in the uprising which ended with the Minutemen in front 53-45 with 11 minutes to play.

For Holy Cross, R.J. Evans led with 17 points, while Devin Brown scored 11 and Andrew Keister 10.

December 6, 2008 | AP Press

AMHERST, MASS. — Joe Trapani and Tyrese Rice drained foul shots in the final seconds to help Boston College beat Massachusetts, 85-81, on Saturday night.

Rice led Boston College (6-2) with 21 points. Corey Raji, Trapani and Rakim Sanders added 16 points apiece to hand UMass (1-6) its sixth straight loss.

The teams were tied at 77 at the end of regulation, with Tony Gaffney’s tip-in at the buzzer helping UMass survive into extra time.

Ricky Harris scored a game-high 35 points for the Minutemen. Anthony Gurley added 17, while Gaffney had 15 points and 18 rebounds.

Harris made a pair of free throws and Gaffney had a putback basket to give UMass a 32-29 edge at halftime. There was never more than six points between the teams before the rest period.

December 3, 2008 | AP Press

TOLEDO, OH– Justin Anyijong hit a tip-in at the buzzer to take Toledo to a 57-56 victory over Massachusetts on Wednesday night at Savage Arena.

In a matchup that saw 10 lead changes, the Minutemen (1-5) had a 56-55 advantage with 16 seconds left after Tony Gaffney hit two free throws. Gaffney then forced out a drive by Tyrone Kent, but Anyijong tipped in the rebound at the last second to secure the win for the Rockets (2-5).

Jonathan Amos and Kent had 13 points apiece for Toledo. Anthony Byrd added 11.

Chris Lowe led Massachusetts with 15 points. Ricky Harris scored 13 and Gaffney added 11. Tyrell Lynch had a game-high nine rebounds.

The game marked the grand re-opening of Savage Arena, formerly Savage Hall. A pre-game ceremony dedicated the Bob Nichols Court in honor of the men’s basketball coach from 1965-1987 who holds the Mid-American Conference record for victories with 376.

November 24, 2008 | AP Press

AMHERST, Mass. — Jonathan Toles scored 18 points, including a runner from the key with eight seconds to play, as Jacksonville State beat Massachusetts, 75-74, on Monday.

The Gamecocks (3-1) fell behind 74-69 after Massachusetts mounted a dramatic 15-3 run in the final minutes. A four-point play by Brandon Crawford, however, set up the winning shot for Toles.

Crawford ended with 17 points and Geddes Robinson added 10 rebounds.

It was the home debut for Massachusetts and new coach Derek Kellogg.

Massachusetts (1-3) led 34-31 at halftime, but trailed by seven points several times in the second half before making its determined comeback.

Tony Gaffney had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Massachusetts. Chris Lowe added 20 points.

Massachusetts trailed most of the first half, holding an early margin at 13-9 before Jacksonville went on an 11-4 run.

November 18, 2008 | AP Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – During his years as a Memphis assistant, Derek Kellogg had seen the Tigers’ formula in many of their wins.

Let the opponent hang around for a bit, then start throwing more players at them, run them until they wear down and pull away in the second half.

Monday night, Kellogg — in his first year as Massachusetts coach — was on the receiving end of the tactic.

Antonio Anderson had 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds as No. 13 Memphis shook off a poor shooting performance to beat Massachusetts 80-58.”I’ve seen it before on that bench numerous times,” Kellogg said.

“Their process is, ‘We have more bodies than you. We have bigger, longer players than you, and we’re going to wear you down.’ At the end, they take advantage of it, and that formula worked again.”

Freshman Tyreke Evans had 19 points and Robert Dozier added 18 for the Tigers, who were limited to 39 percent shooting for the game, including 2-of-19 from outside three-point range. It marked the second straight game where Evans, one of last season’s prized recruits, led the Tigers (2-0) in scoring. Evans keyed a first-half rally that put the Tigers up for good.

“There were a lot of things that I didn’t like,” Memphis coach John Calipari said. “I’m going to go watch tape and probably pull my hair out.

“Ricky Harris led the Minutemen (1-2) with 17 points; Tony Gaffney scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds.

Calipari became the winningest coach in Memphis history with 221 victories, surpassing Larry Finch, who led the program from 1986 to 1997.The game was a real family affair.Kellogg, in his first year as coach at UMass, played for Calipari from 1991 to 1995 during Calipari’s tenure as coach of the Minutemen. Kellogg was an assistant under Calipari for eight years at Memphis before moving to his alma mater.

The Memphis crowd gave Kellogg a standing ovation when he was introduced at the start of the game.And, if that isn’t enough, Calipari’s daughter, Erin, is a fourth-year student at UMass. Calipari’s wife, Ellen, and his other daughter, Megan Rae, wore shirts representing both schools.Both coaches said afterward that they were just glad the game was over.

“Driving down, I thought: ‘If Derek wins, this would be a huge game for him on ESPN for recruiting,’ ” Calipari said. “Then I said: ‘Forget that.’ “Memphis built the lead to double digits in the first half and extended it to 27 in the second.

UMass was without 7-foot-1 senior center Luke Bonner, who injured his left knee in an 80-73 loss at Southern Illinois last week. In the second half Monday, the Minutemen lost 6-7 reserve forward Matt Hill to a left Achilles injury. But Gaffney’s effort allowed UMass to outrebound the Tigers 49-48.

“Tony Gaffney’s been absolutely phenomenal,” Kellogg said. “If we had two more of him, we’d have a pretty good record. We’re pretty thin, right now.”While Memphis struggled from the field, UMass was even worse, shooting 30 percent. Add in 24 turnovers, and the Minutemen were unable to stay in the game in the second half.The Tigers led 33-25 after a first half filled with poor shot selection, sloppy ballhandling and plenty of misfires from both teams.Harris was 3-of-5 from three-point range to lead UMass with 12 points in the first half.

Dozier had 12 points for Memphis and Evans had 11, seven coming during an 11-0 run that erased an early UMass lead and put Memphis up by double digits.

Dozier got inside for a handful of baskets to keep the Tigers in the game early, but turnovers, shots that barely caught the rim and difficult unsuccessful layup attempts led to anemic shooting percentages.

UMass shot 28 percent for the half; Memphis connected on 33 percent, but missed 11 of 12 3-pointers.

Memphis rebuilt the lead to double digits when Shawn Taggart, who had seven points and 11 rebounds, converted a three-point play with 15:37 left in the game, and Massachusetts never got the deficit to less than 10 the rest of the way.

“Guys just didn’t make shots,” Anderson said of the Memphis shooting. “That’s how it goes. … When guys aren’t making shots, we’ve got to figure out another way to earn the win. We did that by driving the ball and attacking the rim.”

November 12, 2008 | AP Press

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Despite opening up a 15-point first half lead, the UMass men’s basketball team couldn’t hold off a charging Southern Illinois Salukis squad, which used a late 12-0 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 10-point advantage on its way to an 80-73 win on Wednesday night. With the loss, the Minutemen have been eliminated from the 2K Sports Classic, falling one win shy of a return trip to Madison Square Garden where last season’s memorable NIT run culminated. Junior Ricky Harris was the offensive star for the Minutemen while senior Tony Gaffney shined on the defensive end with a career-high seven blocks. UMass now looks ahead to a meeting with former bench boss John Calipari and his Memphis Tigers in a game slated to begin at midnight following the Nov. 17 Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills Monday Night Football game.

UMass shot 45% from the field (23-for-51), including 40% from three-point range. The Salukis used a hot second half to reach 48% shooting for the game (30-for-64), 41% from long distance (9-for-22). The Minutemen won the battle of the boards, 38-26, including 12 on the offensive end.

Harris impressed with a 7-for-14 shooting night, including 4-of-9 from behind the arc and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Anthony Gurley chipped in with 15 points (5-for-10), 10 of which came in the first half.

Gaffney finished with six points and nine rebounds to go along with the seven blocks. He continued his high-energy pace from the get-go with a blocked shot less than five minutes into the game, springing freshman David Gibbs for a layup and the 14-4 lead. Gaffney later cleaned up freshman Tyrell Lynch’s miss and scored on the put back to make it 30-20 in favor of the Minutemen.

After Southern Illinois’ Bryan Mullins scored the game’s first points, UMass responded to close out the first half with a bang. The Minutemen went on to score seven-consecutive to make it 7-2 capped off with one of Harris’ four threes. UMass opened up a double-figure lead, with its biggest advantage being 15 after a Lowe three-pointer at the 3:08 mark which made it 39-24.

Trailing by as many as 15, the Salukis used an 11-0 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second to pull right back within four at 39-35 with 18:26 still remaining. The Minutemen responded with two Lowe free throws and a Harris three pointer to reopen a nine-point advantage, 44-35.

Southern Illinois’ hot streak continued, culminated by its first lead since it was 2-0, as Kevin Dillard’s fourth three-point field goal of the second half made it 53-51 in favor of the Salukis with 11:55 remaining in the contest.

The back-and-forth half continued as the Minutemen responded with a 7-0 run to retake a five-point advantage at 58-53. The Salukis then used a run of their own (7-1) to retake a one-point lead at 60-59 with 6:42 remaining in the game.

The score was later tied at 60, 63, 65, and 67 before the Salukis took over with three minutes remaining to open up a 10-point lead at 77-67 after two Dillard free throws.