Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
The UMass Minutemen hit the road and head to the land of cheesesteaks as they prepare to take on St. Joseph's in Philadelphia in A-10 action on Saturday. UMass comes into this matchup at 11-6 this season and 2-3 in A-10 play thus far. The Hawks of St. Joseph's have a record of 8-10 thus far overall and 2-4 in conference play. The opening tap for this A-10 rivalry game is set for 1:00 pm EST.
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UMass looked to be in good shape to easily eclipse 20 wins this season and make its case for a postseason berth. Since then, the Minutemen have dropped three of four games in league play and will look to right the ship against St. Joseph's. In their latest loss, the Minutemen fell to VCU on the road, 83-55. UMass had the lead for a large portion of the first half, including a 9-point cushion, before VCU took the game over. UMass shot just 29% from the field compared with 52% shooting from VCU. Matt Cross led the Minutemen with a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the defeat.
Final. pic.twitter.com/1RU6KDZV6P
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) January 18, 2023
UMass ends this brief road trip looking to head home on a high note. The team is currently 2-3 on the road this season. UMass comes into this game with the 135th ranked scoring offense in the country. The team is ranked just 254th in the country in field goal percentage. From long range, the Minutemen are ranked a more solid 111th in the nation. UMass can certainly be pressured as they are prone to mistakes. The team is ranked just 294th in turnovers per game. UMass is ranked 153rd in scoring defense thus far and rank 135th in opponent's field goal percentage. UMass is tough on the perimeter defensively, ranking 61st in 3pt defense. Lastly, UMass does solid work on the boards, ranking 28th in the country in total rebounding.
Key Injuries: Two key contributors are listed as questionable for Saturday with guard RJ Luis and, more importantly, leading scorer Noah Fernandes are both listed as questionable for Saturday's game.