BleedGopher
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per the Daily Hampshire Gazette:
Just over five miles separate the two venues and almost exactly 24 years separate the two games. On the anniversary of UMass’ memorable upset of North Carolina in the 1993 Preseason NIT, the Minutemen will go back to New York City trying to pull off an upset of a ranked program.
UMass will face No. 14 Minnesota at noon Friday in the Barclays Center Classic.
Beating the Gophers wouldn’t have the impact that the Carolina game did, but for a program that’s reshaping itself under McCall, it would certainly be noteworthy.
On paper, Minnesota is the toughest team UMass will face all year. The Gophers have raced out of the gate at 5-0, beating South Carolina Upstate, Providence, Niagara, Western Carolina and Alabama A&M.
Point guard Nate Mason has McCall’s attention. A first-team All Big Ten player as a junior last year, he’s averaging 13.6 points and 4.0 assists. Junior Jordan Murphy has been outstanding in the early going. The 6-foot-6 junior is averaging 23.8 points and 12.2 rebounds. He’s one of five players scoring in double figures for the Gophers, who are averaging 95.4 points per game, which is 11th in the nation. Senior center Reggie Lynch (6-foot-10) leads the nation in blocks at 5.2 per game to go with his 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds.
“We all have our work cut out for us Friday night. We’ve watched them twice on film. Top to bottom, you don’t see a lot of weaknesses,” he said. “They have a terrific point guard, maybe the best in the country. They have a terrific front court player, terrific wings. They bring depth off the bench. It’s going to present a lot of challenges for us.”
http://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-faces-toughest-test-yet-in-No-14-Minnesota-13921855
Go Gophers!!
Just over five miles separate the two venues and almost exactly 24 years separate the two games. On the anniversary of UMass’ memorable upset of North Carolina in the 1993 Preseason NIT, the Minutemen will go back to New York City trying to pull off an upset of a ranked program.
UMass will face No. 14 Minnesota at noon Friday in the Barclays Center Classic.
Beating the Gophers wouldn’t have the impact that the Carolina game did, but for a program that’s reshaping itself under McCall, it would certainly be noteworthy.
On paper, Minnesota is the toughest team UMass will face all year. The Gophers have raced out of the gate at 5-0, beating South Carolina Upstate, Providence, Niagara, Western Carolina and Alabama A&M.
Point guard Nate Mason has McCall’s attention. A first-team All Big Ten player as a junior last year, he’s averaging 13.6 points and 4.0 assists. Junior Jordan Murphy has been outstanding in the early going. The 6-foot-6 junior is averaging 23.8 points and 12.2 rebounds. He’s one of five players scoring in double figures for the Gophers, who are averaging 95.4 points per game, which is 11th in the nation. Senior center Reggie Lynch (6-foot-10) leads the nation in blocks at 5.2 per game to go with his 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds.
“We all have our work cut out for us Friday night. We’ve watched them twice on film. Top to bottom, you don’t see a lot of weaknesses,” he said. “They have a terrific point guard, maybe the best in the country. They have a terrific front court player, terrific wings. They bring depth off the bench. It’s going to present a lot of challenges for us.”
http://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-faces-toughest-test-yet-in-No-14-Minnesota-13921855
Go Gophers!!