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| University of Massachusetts Men’s Basketball Notes & Information | |
| Matchup | Massachusetts at Fordham |
| Date | Times | Jan. 15 | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Bronx, N.Y. | Rose Hill Gymnasium |
| @UMassMBB | |
| @umassbasketball | |
| UMass Men’s Basketball | |
BRONX, NY. – The Minutemen travel to the Big Apple for a contest against Fordham on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Bronx, NY. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ with live updates and information available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
This week for the Minutemen
The Matchup
- Wednesday’s contest marks the 54th encounter between the two teams, with UMass boasting a 34-19 historical advantage.
- Massachusetts currently holds an 18-22 record in A-10 competitions and an 8-17 result on the road under Coach Martin.
Last Time Out
- The Minutemen fell to George Mason 77-70 on Saturday, Jan. 11 at EagleBank Arena. Despite forcing the Patriots into 17 turnovers, they couldn’t make the most of the opportunities, succumbing on the road.
- Rahsool Diggins was the top scorer with 21 points, hitting 6-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point territory. The senior guard is now averaging 22 points at a 40.3% shooting rate in Atlantic 10 action.
- Jaylen Curry added 15 points, achieving a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Marqui Worthy continued his solid performance stretch, tallying 13 points with 5-of-6 shooting accuracy from the field.
- Both Curry and Worthy performed well in ball possession, with neither recording a turnover during the match.
- Massachusetts capitalized on 25 points deriving from George Mason turnovers, successfully accelerating the pace of the game for segments. The Minutemen scored 22 points in transition, contrasting with just 10 for the Patriots.
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Scouting the RAMS
- Fordham enters Wednesday’s game following two A-10 road defeats to VCU (73-61) and Davidson (74-64).
- Senior guard Jackie Johnson III spearheads the Rams’ offense, registering seven performances exceeding 20 points while averaging 17.9 points per contest on 43.3% shooting.
- Johnson’s streak of 15 straight games scoring in double figures at the start of the season is the longest for a Fordham player since Chris Gaston accomplished the feat in 22 consecutive games across 2010-11 and 2011-12.
- Graduate student Japhet Medor has recently emerged as a key player, putting up 19.5 points per game on 50.0% shooting, including a 45.5% (5-for-11) success rate from beyond the arc during Fordham’s last two contests.
- Fordham has a home record of 6-1 this season and is 30-14 (.681) over the past three seasons at Rose Hill Gymnasium.
Rahsool Showing Out
- Rahsool Diggins has commenced A-10 play impressively, currently averaging 22.0 points at a 40.3% shooting rate from the field over four conference games.
- With a 33-point effort against Saint Joseph’s, Diggins became the first Minuteman to score more than 30 points in a game since Matt Cross recorded 31 against CCSU on Nov. 22, 2023.
- Diggins has maintained heightened performance levels in homecoming games, averaging 18.8 points and 2.8 assists at a shooting accuracy of 46.3% over five contests against teams from his native Philadelphia.
- The senior guard has now recorded points in double digits for six consecutive games dating back to Dec. 18 against Northeastern.
Last Season: By THE NUMBERS
- 1 – The Minutemen showcased the top offensive unit in the A-10, leading the league in scoring throughout the entire conference schedule.
- 2 – UMass guided its first pair to All-Conference First Team honors since Stephane Lasme and Rashuan Freeman did so during the 2006-07 campaign.
- 4 – UMass secured its first top-four seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship since the 2007-08 season.
- 9 – The Minutemen averaged an NCAA leading 9.0 points per game off post-up plays.“`html
first occurrence. - 9 – UMass achieved 9 or more non-conference victories consecutively for the first occurrence since the 2013-14 season.
- 11 – Massachusetts achieved 11 conference wins, indicating the first campaign with 11 or more of such triumphs since 2006-07.
- 20 – The Minutemen attained the program’s initial 20-win season since 2013-14.
Incoming Athletes
- The Minutemen introduce 10 newcomers, four of whom are transfers.
- Massachusetts enters the 2024-25 season with the A-10’s fourth-ranked incoming class as per 247sports, welcoming a range of remarkable athletes across various positions including Shahid Muhammad, Daniel Rivera, Malek Abdelgowad, Nate Guerengomba, Lewis Walker, and Amadou Doumbia.
- Transfer from College of Southern Idaho, Shahid Muhammad boasts a vertical leap of 47 inches and a wingspan of 7-4 while rejecting 106 shots over 30 games for the Golden Eagles.
- Rivera hails from Bryant University where he averaged 2.2 blocks per game, placing third in Bulldog program history with 73 in a single season.
- The two transfers collectively amassed 179 blocks and 434 rebounds last season.
- Murray State transfer Malek Abdelgowad contributes as a versatile addition in the front court, averaging 3.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 11.2 minutes per game last season.
Year Three Under Coach Martin
- Massachusetts basketball begins its third season with head coach Frank Martin in 2024-25.
- Under Martin’s guidance, the Minutemen experienced their most successful season since 2014 last year, concluding with a 20-11 overall record and securing a top-four seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship.
- Martin ranks third in program history with a 35-27 record through his initial two seasons with the Minutemen, closely following Bruiser Flint and Travis Ford.
- Coach Martin commenced his tenure in Amherst by steering the Minutemen to their best record under a new head coach since 1996 and the Myrtle Beach Invitational title during the 2022-23 season.
- Martin possesses a collegiate coaching record of 329-239 (.581), achieving 171 of his victories in 10 seasons at South Carolina, while collecting 117 wins in five seasons at Kansas State.
- Head coach Frank Martin recorded his 300th collegiate coaching victory on Jan. 25, 2023, with an 85-76 win over Richmond.
On The Bench
- Head coach Frank Martin oversees a skilled team rich in experience featuring three former head coaches, two former McDonald’s All-Americans, and a former NBA lottery selection.
- Associate Head Coach Allen Edwards served as the head coach of the Wyoming Cowboys from 2016-20. Edwards’ teams amassed 60 victories over four seasons, including consecutive 20-win campaigns.
- Assistant Coach Matt Figger has spent the past three seasons at UT Rio Grande Valley after four seasons leading Austin Peay.
- Assistant Coach Brian Steele enters his second tenure at UMass after spending time on head coach Frank Martin‘s staff at South Carolina. Steele was a three-year letter-winner at South Carolina as a student-athlete and acted as a student assistant during the 2015-16 season, contributing to the 2016-17 Final Four campaign.
- Director of Player Development Anthony Evans served as the head coach at FIU for five seasons following six years as the head coach at Norfolk State. At FIU, Evans’ teams ranked among the top-10 percent nationally from 2015-17 in the NCAA Academic Progress Report and developed numerous Conference USA all-league and all-defensive players.
- Director of Player Personnel Doug Edwards led the Seminoles to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1990-93. The Miami, Fla. native tallied 1,604 points during his career and is the only player at FSU to register 500 or more points in three successive seasons. Edwards earned All-SEC Second-Team accolades as a senior before being selected with the 15th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1993 NBA Draft.
- Coaches Allen Edwards, Matt Figger, and Anthony Evans together possess 360 wins and two coach of the year accolades at the Division I level.
- Head Coach Frank Martin previously coached current associate head coach Allen Edwards and director of player personnel Doug Edwards at Miami Senior High School.
Upcoming
- The Minutemen are set to return home to face La Salle on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Mullins Center. The matchup will be streamed on USA Network with live updates and links accessible at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
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