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New England schools will battle on the hardwood when the Rhode Island Rams (8-17, 10-15-0 ATS, 4-9 A-10) host the UMass Minutemen (13-13, 11-15-0 ATS, 4-10 A-10). UMass has won four of the last five over the Rams after beating Rhode Island 75-65 in January. Neither team has had much success since then. Round two is scheduled to tipoff at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, and the game is taking place in Rhode Island's Ryan Center.
The Minutemen are amid a five-game losing streak after a tight loss to the Loyola Chicago Ramblers on Tuesday. The 64-62 defeat brought UMass into a tie with the Rambles for last in the A-10 standings. To UMass' credit, they did battle back from an 18-point deficit to give themselves a chance. T.J. Weeks Jr. had the most points in the game for either team with 18.
That loss came at home, but the road has been much crueler. The Minutemen are 2-7 away from home this season. UMass is 208th in the nation according to KenPom.
They play at a fast pace, ranking 29th nationally in adjusted tempo. It leads to 72.1 points per game, sixth in the A-10. It also helps mask their ineff iciency, as they only hit 42.1% of their shots, 14th among 15 A-10 schools. The Minutemen lead the conference with 12.7 offensive rebounds per game.
Defensively, UMass bleeds points, allowing 72.2 per night, which is 13th in the A-10. Opposing teams shoot 44.0% on them, 12th among A-10 schools, and 33.0% on three-pointers, eighth in the conference.
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