The UMass men’s basketball team is set to begin conference play in the Mid-American Conference for the first time in the program’s history this weekend. Entering with a five-game win streak, the Minutemen start things off against one of the top teams in the MAC in Kent State.
Last weekend, UMass defeated Florida State, 103-95, in the Orange Bowl Classic for its second win against Atlantic Coast Conference foes in as many games. The first came against Boston College last Wednesday at the Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield.
Against the Seminoles, the Minutemen finished with their highest point total of the regular season so far. Four different players eclipsed 18 points, including K’Jei Parker recording a season high of 24 points in 25 minutes off the bench.
The veteran big three of Marcus Banks Jr., Leonardo Bettiol and Daniel Hankins-Sanford rounded out the other spots, with 18, 20 and 24 points, respectively. Those four have been the leading scorers all season long, using their versatile skillsets to keep defenses guessing.
“We’ve got four guys that are doing things at a high, high rate,” UMass head coach Frank Martin said. “So we have balance, it’s just adding more to the formula to make it a little easier for everybody. [If] one guy has an off night, then we can have a different guy be the fourth, fifth guy, whatever it may be.”
Balanced scoring will be needed moving forward for the Minutemen, with another prolific opponent on the docket. Kent State is 9-2 to begin the year, boasting a consistent offense averaging 96.6 points per game this season, compared to UMass’ 80.3.
Seven different Golden Flashes players are averaging over nine points per game individually, led by Delrecco Gillespie, who is averaging 19.4 points on over 60% shooting from the field in his fourth season with the team.
Gillespie has been a problem for opponents all season long, currently leading the nation in rebounds per game at 11.9 as well. Morgan Safford is the team’s second leading scorer and leading 3-point shooter, averaging 16 points per game on 41.2% shooting from behind the arc.
“We’ve got our hands full,” Martin said. “[Kent State’s] off to a great start. Unfortunately, they lost their last game against Portland, but they’re balanced. They don’t turn it over, they defend and they play inside-out basketball offensively.”
This will be the first time the Minutemen have taken on a MAC opponent since the 2021-2022 season, with the unfamiliarity forcing Martin to see these games similarly to non-conference play.
“We have to study coaches and understand what they like to do, the decisions they’d like to make, the style of basketball they like to play,” Martin said. “And then we’ve got to study their personnel. And then we’ve got to be as prepared as we can. And the game starts, and you feel it all out because you’re going against them for the first time.”
Entering the first game of conference play on a five-game winning streak should help UMass’ confidence entering the matchup. Despite the hot stretch, Martin knows it’s important for the team to not become complacent.
“We can’t allow five wins to make us too comfortable that we figured things out,” Martin said. “You’ve got to stay humble to the next game and excited about the opportunity to work… the respect has to be for the uniform and the guys that get dressed next to you in the locker room, and giving them everything you got every time that team is together.”
The Minutemen host the Golden Flashes on Saturday, December 20, at the Mullins Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.