The UMass Minutemen and George Mason Patriots will play Wednesday at EagleBank Arena. Tip-off from Fairfax, VA, is at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Patriots are 4.5-point spread favorites and the game total is 144.5 points.
UMass, 13-8 SU and 11-10 ATS, defeated Duquesne 87-79 on Saturday. The Minutemen are 3-2 straight-up in their past five and 4-5 straight-up in Atlantic 10 competition.
George Mason, 12-10 SU and 11-11 ATS, was defeated 79-76 by St. Joe's on Sunday. The Patriots have won 2-3 straight-up in their past five and 4-5 straight-up in conference play.
George Mason and Massachusetts split their two meetings last season. The Pats are 11-5 all-time versus the Minutemen.
13-8 overall and 4-5 in A-10 play, UMass will need a strong finish to the regular season to have any hope of an NCAA Tournament berth. The Minutemen have shown flashes of potential, but now they need to put it all together.
UMass led Duquesne by six at halftime and never relented, beating their conference rival by eight at home. The Minutemen shot only 39.1 percent from the floor but got to the line often, hitting 30-of-39 free throw attempts (76.9%). They also outrebounded the Dukes 47-36 with 16 offensive rebounds.
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— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) January 29, 2023
Massachusetts scores 72.1 points (172nd) on 41.6 percent shooting (319th), including 35.1 percent from behind the arc (136th). It converts 70.1 percent of its free throws (226th) and averages 35.8 rebounds (31st) with a +4.8 rebounding margin. UMass is 206th nationally in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Senior guard Noah Fernandes paces the Minutemen, averaging 13.4 points and 4.1 assists per game. He also shoots 45.2 percent from three-point range (4.4-9.1). Other UMass players to watch include junior forward Matt Cross (12.1 PPG and 6.8 RPG), freshman guard RJ Luis (11.2 PPG and 3.8 RPG), and junior forward Dyondre Dominguez (9.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 40.4 3PT%).
The Minutemen surrender 70.9 points (224th) on 43.1 percent shooting (319th), including 35.1 percent from three (136th). They're 119th in schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency, 25th in adjusted tempo, and 150th in assist -per-turnover ratio.
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