With just two regular season games remaining in what has been a disappointing season for the Massachusetts men’s basketball team (10-16 4-10 Atlantic 10), third-year UMass coach Steve Lappas is surely finding it difficult to keep his young squad motivated despite playing for nothing more than pride.
However tonight, the motivation takes care of itself, as the Minutemen renew acquaintances with eternal conference enemy Temple Owls (14-11 8-6 A-10). With tip-off set for 7 p.m. at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pa., the contest serves as the latest chapter of what was once one of college basketball’s fiercest rivalries.
“There’s no question, it’s tougher to play games like this down the stretch when you’re out of it then it is when you’re right in the thick of things,” Lappas said. “But it’s Temple, and the rivalry speaks for itself. These kids know the history between these two teams, and you only need to look back at the last time we played to see how competitive the series is.”
In that earlier meeting, played Jan. 24 at the Mullins Center before a national television audience on ESPN, the Maroon and White squandered a 23-point second half lead and needed a clutch 3-pointer from freshman guard Art Bowers with just 31 seconds remaining to grab a hard-fought 66-65 victory.
The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for UMass, and was its first conference victory of the season while it also deprived legendary Owl coach John Chaney of his 700th career victory.
Bowers led UMass with 19 points, while Temple star David Hawkins rebounded from a poor first half that saw him score just three points to notch a game-high 22 points.
“It was a quality win for us, to go out and beat a quality team like that,” Lappas said. “We showed we knew how to win by coming back after blowing the big lead, and we think that success can carry over for us into [tonight’s] game.”
For the Minutemen, the onus will be on stopping Hawkins and his 23.7 points per game. One of the nation’s top scorers, the oversized guard also averages 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 steals per contest, and has helped the Owls to eight wins in ten games since the loss to UMass, with both losses over that period coming to undefeated No. 2 St. Joe’s.
“Hawkins is a great player,” sophomore forward Jeff Viggiano said. “He’s bigger than most defenders, and does a lot of things well. He’s a big-time scorer and we’re going to need to be able to contain him.”
Other weapons in Chaney’s arsenal is sophomore guard Mardy Collins, who ranks second on the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game, as well as sophomore forward Michael Blackshear, who averages a team-best 6.5 rebounds per contest.
“They’re guards are big and they have guys who can really go get the ball off the glass,” Lappas said. “We need to be able to box out and not give them second-chance opportunities.”
The Minutemen are hoping for another solid performance from sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman, who is coming off of a 31-point, 18-rebound effort in a win over St. Bonaventure that earned him his sixth Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week award on the season.
UMass also hopes to receive a solid effort from junior captain Anthony Anderson, who is averaging 13.1 points and 3.5 assists per game, but scored just six points on 1-of-3 shooting in the win over the Bonnies.
