Brian Tedder/Collegian

Last season the Massachusetts men’s basketball team sent its seniors out in a unique style. The Minutemen routed La Salle by 39 points in their last home game, and the emphatic victory put the team within one win of clinching a share of the regular season Atlantic 10 title in 2007-08. Additionally, then-senior forward Stephane Lasme became the third player in NCAA history to register four triple-doubles in a single season, with a 17-point, 10-rebound and 10-block performance. Lasme was on campus yesterday afternoon and is expected to make a Senior Night appearance. UMass coach Travis Ford hopes for a similar Senior Night performance from his upperclassmen this time around, but the Minutemen (19-9, 8-6 Atlantic 10) are not taking the Explorers (14-14, 8-6 A-10) lightly in tonight’s matchup at the Mullins Center. “They’re a young team led by a senior, which is a decent scenario,” Ford said. “But their younger guys have gotten better and better, and that’s the reason for their success. It’s a true case of just gaining experience.” The Explorers feature a roster laden with underclassmen. The inherent inexperience that comes with coaching young players translated into a second-to-last predicted order of finish in the preseason coach’s poll. Like many of its Atlantic 10 opponents, La Salle has surprised many in the league with its current tied-for-third standing. The Explorers stumbled through their non-conference schedule, but managed to improve during A-10 play. In fact, La Salle has played spoiler in the A-10 this year, notching victories over then-NCAA tournament hopefuls Dayton, Duquesne, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph’s. Yet the Explorers have little chance to receiving an at-large bid to the tournament. A continual theme of the season for the Minutemen has been the rebounding battle. La Salle is one of the better rebounding teams in the league, especially on the offensive glass. At times, the Minutemen have struggled to hold their own in the paint, as centers Dante Milligan and Luke Bonner have experienced bouts of foul trouble throughout the season. “We need to make sure we do our job on the glass,” Ford said. “Obviously we want our rebounding to ignite our fast break – you can’t get out on the break unless you rebound. It’s something that we’ve gotten better at, but it’s also been a weakness at times. If we don’t defensive rebound, I don’t think we have a chance to win.” Since both teams like to play at a fast pace, it will be junior point guard Chris Lowe’s responsibility to set the tempo for the Minutemen. The Maroon and White excel at turning an opponent’s missed opportunity into an easy basket at the other end of the court. Meanwhile, Senior Night could be extra special for Gary Forbes, who needs six points to reach 1,000 for his career. Since the captain leads the league in scoring (20.1 points per game), there’s a good chance he will reach the milestone against the Explorers. But the Minutemen need Forbes’ scoring production. Though sophomore shooting guard Ricky Harris ranks sixth in the A-10 in scoring, Harris has experienced periods of inconsistency this season. Tonight’s game will also be special Harris, as he’s facing a player of similar style and namesake that he also played back in high school in Darnell Harris. Similar to Ricky, Darnell ranks among the top scorers in the league. However, La Salle’s Harris does most of his damage from beyond the arc. The senior has made far-and-away the most 3-pointers of anyone in the A-10. Yet he also ranks second in 3-point percentage, as he’s connected on 49 percent of his attempts this season. “They are two very good two guards and they’ll be matched-up at times,” Ford said. “Darnell is a very good veteran basketball player.” Tonight’s contest will also have significant implications in the conference standings. UMass still has a chance to earn the second seed for the A-10 tournament. However, that scenario requires the Minutemen to win their final two regular season games and for Temple (16-12, 9-5 A-10) to lose its final two. As long as the Maroon and White finish among the top four, the team will earn a bye into the quarterfinals of the tournament. Michael King can be reached at [email protected].