The UMass men’s basketball program is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1995-96 Final Four team on Saturday, Feb. 21, against Buffalo.
A majority of the players who made up the team will be returning to Amherst for the celebration, as the team will be honored throughout the course of the game as part of the Alumni Day celebrations.
The event will include video-board highlights, messages and an on-court appearance by returning team members.
Back in the 1995-96 season, the Minutemen finished 35-2, winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament in the process.
John Calipari led the squad to the Final Four, with Marcus Camby leading the team on the court. Camby went on to win National Player of the Year and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, while also being a consensus first-team all-American.
After opening the season with a 10-point victory over No. 1 Kentucky, UMass worked its way to the No. 1 ranking in the nation off the back of a 26-game winning streak.
The Minutemen claimed the A-10 Tournament championship with a 75-61 victory over Temple, entering the NCAA Tournament as one of four No. 1 seeds.
UMass beat UCF, 92-70, in the first round and defeated Stanford, 79-74, in round two. The team then took down Arkansas, 79-63, in the Sweet Sixteen and dominated in a 24-point win over No. 4 Georgetown in the Elite Eight.
Eventually, the Minutemen came up just short, with their last game of the season pitting them against their opening-day opponent; a loss to fellow No. 1 seed and No. 2 nationally ranked Kentucky, 81-74, in the Final Four.
The outstanding season led to Calipari being named the Naismith College Coach of the Year and NABC Coach of the Year.
The Minutemen have made the NCAA Tournament three times in 30 years since the program’s memorable season.