AMHERST — For most UMass basketball fans, tonight’s 8 o’clock game at Saint Louis is simply “The Travis Ford Game.”

Sure, it’s a conference game for a Minuteman team that could use a win against the struggling Billikens. But at the end of the day, it’s the Minutemen against their former coach.

Ford, 45, who spent eight seasons at Oklahoma State after leaving Amherst, is in his first season at Saint Louis, following his OSU dismissal. He said playing UMass isn’t as meaningful as it might have been years earlier, but will still stir emotions.

“A lot of time has passed and I still have a lot of close relationships in Amherst and at UMass, a place I absolutely loved,” Ford said. “It was a great three years. I don’t think people really grasp how much we did enjoy it. There’s still some emotions. There’s no doubt.

“But a lot of time has passed,” he continued. “Derek (Kellogg) has done a terrific job there.”

The two squads have some connections. SLU graduate assistant Dante Milligan played at UMass, and Minuteman assistant coach Adam Ginsburg stayed on with Kellogg after beginning his stint in Amherst under Ford. UMass director of basketball operations Matt Vogel was a students manager under Ford.

Kellogg bought Ford’s old house when he moved to Amherst.

It’s been rough going for Ford in year one at the Gateway to the West. His team is 5-14 and 1-6 in the Atlantic 10. SLU has lost seven of its last eight games. Ford has a good recruiting class signed for next year, and transfers sitting out who are expected to help. But, for now, his current roster is struggling.

Before the season, Ford said he hoped to implement his up-tempo style even if his roster wasn’t quite suited just yet. But as injuries further depleted an already thin roster, he’s been forced to slow things down just to stay competitive.

“We’ve got to get healthy. We’re already shorthanded,” Ford said. “We’ve had to take several steps backwards as far as putting in system. I’ve tried to adjust to this team as much as I can to give us as much of a shot as we can. Especially right now with all the injuries. I think it’s still a work in progress.”

His leading scorer, sophomore Jermaine Bishop, has missed the last 10 games with an ankle injury.

Given the Billikens struggles, it might make more sense for him not to return and receive a medical redshirt.

Without Bishop, scoring has been a problem. The Billikens are last in the A-10 at 59.8 points per game and one of just three teams in America that aren’t averaging 60 points a game. Their scoring average is 11.6 points per game worse than what they’re allowing (71.4 ppg.). SLU is shooting 39.0 percent from the field, also last in the conference.

The Billikens get outrebounded by 4.1 per game and average more turnovers (14.1) than assists (10.8). Their leading healthy scorer is junior guard Davell Roby, who averages 10.6 points and 3.2 assists per game. Senior Reggie Agbeko leads SLU with 7.7 rebounds per game to go with his 9.6 points.

The Minutemen (12-8, 2-5 A-10) are trying to get back on track against SLU after a tough home loss Saturday to Fordham. Kellogg said he’s focused on moving forward: “You almost have to have amnesia. I’m going onto the next practice, not even the next game. They’re a fun-loving group, but they’re immature in certain ways. They’re fun to be around and I think they have a good winning spirit.”