UMass Basketball

Sometimes, there's no way to explain how an underdog team conquers the odds and battles its way to a championship, but usually it has something to do with the bond among the players.

Such is the case with this year's UMass squad.

The Minutemen have forged an unlikely 25-11 record this season en route to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden, and the players credit their success to a "Brotherhood" that has developed as they have worked tirelessly toward the common goal of overcoming adversity and accomplishing something great.

This might be the season they finally do it.

Sophomore guard Chaz Williams, who leads the team in points (16.4 per game) and assists (6.4), told The Republican's Ron Chimelis, "It's a bond. Not many people can enter The Brotherhood."

Sophomore guard Jesse Morgan, who originally committed to Seton Hall before reconsidering, spending some time at a Connecticut prep school and joining the Minutemen midway through last season said, "The Brotherhood has allowed us to get past a lot of adversity from day one. … Everybody bought in. The Brotherhood is strong."

That is the secret to the difference between good teams and great teams; on great teams, every single player buys into the message, and because of that, they win.

The Minutemen don't play in the strongest conference in the world, and they may have beaten just one ranked opponent this year (No. 24 Temple, in the Atlantic 10 tournament). But the RPI ratings have them slated at No. 58 with a 0.572 strength of schedule, far above No. 75 Stanford (0.557 SOS).

To get to the semifinals, UMass has taken down Mississippi State and Seton Hall before barely sneaking by Drexel 72-70 last week. The Cardinal beat Cleveland in the first round before needing an extra period to defeat Illinois State 92-88 in the second round. It slaughtered Nevada 84-54 en route to this matchup, so maybe it is in for a letdown game against the Minutemen.

Or maybe the Minutemen will just win because they know how, because they've worked tirelessly as a cohesive unit all season to get to this point and they will make it happen by sheer force of will.

Sometimes these things just can't be explained. They just happen because a team wants it bad enough. The Minutemen really want this win, and they really want a championship, and their Brotherhood might just want it bad enough to take down Stanford to get it.

The UMass Minutemen have finally put their program on the map.

Derek Kellogg's squad erased a 17-point deficit to defeat the Drexel Dragons last night in the quarterfinals of the NIT.

Kellogg has coached his team to three consecutive road victories against higher seeds, showing that they might not be the second-tier team most believe they are.

The short-term result is that the Minutemen will travel to Madison Square Garden, as they will face either Stanford or Nevada in the semifinals in New York City.

If they win that one, they will be playing in the NIT championship with the hopes of claiming the title of the best team in the country not to make the NCAA tournament.

The long-term impact of the program's impressive NIT run is much more important.

Should UMass go on to win the NIT, it would give the program a huge boost. A boost in confidence, a boost in support and most of all, a boost in recruiting.

Prospects always like to go where they can play and win. They also like to play for a successful coach. Kellogg has become just that.

If you look at the team's stats this season, it's amazing that their regular season record wasn't better than 22-11.

They were 23rd in the nation in scoring, 13th in rebounding and 17th in assists.

Chaz Williams may be a guy you haven't heard of, but this kid is going to kill it if he sticks around for the next two years. He's listed at 5'9" (but definitely isn't that tall) and has everyone on the Amherst campus mesmerized by his skills.

He averaged over 16 points, six assists and four rebounds per game as a sophomore. Next season he will be one of the best in the country as he hones his skills.

This team is going to get better. Their four leading scorers are underclassmen and should return for another season. They're going to get new recruits thanks to their success.

Most of all, they're going to get better as they play with each other more.

You heard it here first: The Massachusetts Minutemen will be going to the 2013 NCAA tournament.

The Minutemen will be going to the NIT championship.

To get there, they first have to get past the Drexel Dragons.  The Dragons are led by Bruce Flint, the former coach at UMass, which will add some flavor to this matchup.  

On paper, Drexel looks like the more likely winner in this Final Four matchup.  The Dragons went 26-6 in the regular season and nearly made the NCAA tournament.  Drexel was a preseason favorite and it lived up to the hype. Team leader Sammy Givens and sophomore scorer Franz Massenat led this team. By contrast, the Minutemen went 21-11 and were a mid-level seed to the NIT.

But UMass has several important factors going for it that make the Minutemen an upset lock.  The team has already unexpectedly won two big games in the tournament already (upsetting No. 1 seed Seton Hall and No. 4 seed Mississippi State en-route to this Final Four game).  

The Minutemen have two great closers, Terrell Vinson and Chaz Williams, who hit back-to-back threes to put away Seton Hall 77-67.  Having those kinds of ice-cold finishers is an essential component to winning big games like this one.  

UMass will also benefit from its group's youth and speed.  

Vinson and Williams are the closers while sophomores Jesse Morgan and Raphiael Putney also average over 10 points per game.  That gives the group scoring versatility and the athleticism to run Drexel off the floor.  

Although the Dragons are an excellent team, they don't have the Minutemen's speed or their ice-cold efficiency late in games. They nearly blew an 18-point lead to Iowa State in this tournament.  

The Minutemen also have history on their side: The school has won in its last two appearances in the NIT quarterfinals. That includes their last appearance, when they were coached by none other than Bruce Flint. 

Now, Flint is staring at the other side of history.   

There was just one game lined up in the NIT on Saturday. No. 1 seed Seton Hall took on No. 5 Massachusetts. 

This was the second game of the second round of the NIT. The Washington Huskies took down Northwestern on Friday in the first game of the second round. 

No. 5 Massachusetts 77, No. 1 Seton Hall 67

The Minutemen continued their hot play by taking down Seton Hall. This was UMass' fifth win in their last six games, and they are getting better with each one. 

The Associated Press, via ESPN, offered up this postgame comment from UMass coach Derek Kellogg: 

It's a testament to the guys on my team. They are playing some of the best basketball we have played all year, and they want to play to July. I keep saying it. They would love to play all the way to July, if they could. Maybe even August because the weather is nice.

UMass was in control of this one all game. They entered halftime with a 36-30 lead and were playing at a level above Seton Hall all game. 

The Minutemen were led by their point guard Chaz Williams. He played all 40 minutes and pitched in 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. 

He was 4-8 from the field, and his aggressiveness was evident by the fact that he finished 10-14 from the charity stripe. 

This was an excellent showing for the talented and diminutive 5'9", sophomore guard. With Williams playing like this, the Minutemen are going to be tough to beat. 

Fuquan Edwin of Seton Hall was the game's high scorer with 21 points. He finished 8-of-14 from the field and pitched in seven boards. 

Massachusetts won their second-straight road game in the 2012 NIT Tournament on Saturday against No. 1 Seton Hall.

The Minutemen defeated Mississippi State and Seton Hall—two teams that may have deserved to be in the field of 68. Massachusetts has won five of six games down the stretch, including victories over the Atlantic 10 regular-season champion Temple.

UMass will continue streaking all the way to an NIT Championship.

Chaz Williams is the Minutemen's leading scorer at 16.7 points per game. He went off for 20 points, six assists and seven rebounds against Big East's Seton Hall on Saturday. They showed good depth as well, as  there were six players that scored seven or more points. 

This team can do things on the offensive side of the ball.

Massachusetts is 23rd in the nation in scoring, 13th in rebounding and 17th in assists, with 76.8 points, 39.3 rebounds and 15.8 assists per game.

They share the wealth on the offensive end, rebound their misses and can capitalize on second-chance opportunities—if they can play enough defense, this is their tournament to win.

When I look at dangerous one-game elimination style teams, I look at the amount of three-pointers made as a team. The Minutemen have made 274 three-pointers this season; they make about eight per contest.

Any time you have multiple shooters on the floor, anything is possible. One, two or even three could be on fire at the same time.

Look at what VCU did last season from distance: Their three-point barrage was arguably the biggest reason they advanced to the Final Four.

Massachusetts has the players capable of taking over games. They are unselfish, score at a great rate and have multiple shooters from outside.

The Minutemen can ride this streak to an NIT Championship.  

AMHERST, Mass. — Mentality can undoubtedly have an effect on performance, and after the University of Massachusetts basketball team’s plane made an emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit en route to Olean, NY, on Tuesday night, the Minutemen had a reasonable excuse not to play well against St. Bonaventure on Wednesday night, after being rattled by the experience.

But despite the unsettling events and lack of practice time, the maroon and white took it in stride and were able to put together another strong road performance in conference play, out-pacing the Bonnies 78-69 at the Reilly Center.

Senior guard Anthony Gurley (20.4 points per game) had another dominant performance, following up his 30-point showing against Richmond, with 28 against St. Bonaventure. Sophomore Javorn Farrell played an important role with 16 points, which upped his average to 10.1 ppg (second-best on the team).

The win marked the second straight road victory in the conference, the first coming against Charlotte (73-54) last Wednesday, which have been difficult to come by in recent years for the Minutemen in the competitive Atlantic 10 schedule. Last year UMass went 2-6 in road games in the Atlantic 10, while in Kellog’s first year (2008-2009) they finished 3-5 on the road in conference. So far in 2010-11 UMass is 2-1 on the road in the A-10, with the only loss coming to first-place Xavier (79-50) at the Cintas Center, one of the toughest places to play in the country.

UMass currently sits at 12-7 (4-2 Atlantic 10). The 12 victories match the win total in each of the first two years of a Kellogg era (12-18, 2008-09) (12-20, 2009-10), and with 10 regular season games remaining there is a strong possibility of the team finishing with a winning record for the first time since Kellogg took over.

The UMass program is headed in the right direction, after a pair of rebuilding years, and to currently sit five games above .500 at this junction is a good accomplishment. Not only is UMass winning in tough environments in the A-10, but they are also taking care of business against the teams that they should beat, which may not have seemed like a given after falling by 29 to Central Connecticut State in the non-conference finale and to Maine earlier in the season. Three of UMass’ four conference wins have come against the bottom five teams in the conference, including St. Bonaventure (10-9, 2-4 A-10), La Salle (9-11, 1-4 A-10), and Charlotte (9-11, 1-5 A-10), and it still has four games remaining against teams in the bottom of the ranks (St. Joe’s twice, Fordham, and La Salle again).

The Minutemen’s two conference losses came at the hands of perennial contenders and potential at-large NCAA tournament teams, Richmond and Xavier. However on the bright side, UMass picked up arguably its biggest win of the season Jan. 9 against the defending NIT champion Dayton Flyers. The Flyers may be headed to the NIT again, as they sit in the second tier of the top half of the conference.

The maroon and white will be back in action on Sunday when they take on Rhode Island, in a rivalry game at the Mullins Center. It will be another opportunity to knock off a team from the top half of the A-10 conference.

AMHERST — The University of Massachusetts basketball team started 7-0, with the help of senior guard Anthony Gurley and contributions from the sophomore class, but perhaps their record wasn’t indicative of how good the team really is.

The Minutemen have since dropped their last two contests. They'll face a pivotal point in their non-conference schedule with back-to-back quality opponents coming to Amherst in the coming weeks, where they'll have the chance to prove how serious a threat they are as the conference season approaches.

The biggest question surrounding the team coming into the season was who would replace graduating senior Ricky Harris and his 19.8 points per game. That question was answered quickly when Gurley dropped a career-high 31 points, and sharp-shooting sixth man Freddie Riley added a career-high 28, to overcome a 21-point first-half deficit and secure the victory over Rider in the season opener at the Mullins Center.

Gurley has since led the team in points in eight of their nine games, with an average of 20.3 points per game. Riley (11.2 ppg) and the other sophomores from last season’s highly touted recruiting class—Javorn Farrell (10.9 ppg) and starting small forward Sampson Carter (10.3 ppg)—have made major contributions.

The only player not to live up to expectations from the class has been sophomore starting power forward and former Top 100 recruit Terrell Vinson, who hasn’t yet proven his ability to rack up big points (5.3 ppg) and is tied for fifth on the team in rebounding average (3.2).

The 7-0 start may have been deceiving, since the Minutemen played a favorable schedule and won in less-than-convincing fashion. UMass played four of those games in Amherst, where they have performed significantly better than on the road over the past couple of years. Two were 35 minutes away in Springfield, and only one was on the road against Quinnipiac.

Furthermore, the schedule has lacked any of the marquee matchups against perennial powers that Seasons One and Two of the Kellogg era had (Kansas and Memphis).

A “w” is a “w,” but some of them weren’t so pretty, including facing a 22-point hole against Rider (6-4) in the second half, having a 24-point lead with 8:21 remaining against Holy Cross (0-7) turn into a four-point lead with 31 seconds left and letting a 17-point halftime lead against Quinnipiac (6-2) come down to a game-winning shot at the buzzer to make their record 7-0.

Then UMass was brought back down to earth, dropping a hard-fought contest to a quality Boston College team last Saturday and having a letdown against the University of Maine on Wednesday. BC never trailed, but UMass played well, cutting the deficit to three with 1:12 left but couldn’t convert key stops as the Eagles prevailed. The Maine game featured an offensive collapse in the second half in which the Minutemen only shot 22.9 percent from the floor.

The next two games will be a turning point in the season. UMass welcomes a rebuilding Seton Hall (3-4) to the Mullins Center on Saturday. The Pirates will be a good test, since they lost to Xavier, 57-52, and Temple, 62-56, both of which are perennial Atlantic 10 contenders. This game should give the Minutemen an idea of where they stand in the conference.

Then, on Dec. 22, UMass hosts the University of Central Florida (7-0), who recently knocked off a ranked University of Florida team. The Knights may be the toughest opponent yet for UMass, and the Minutemen will have their hands full trying to stop leading scorer Marcus Jordan (MJ’s son) and power forward Keith Clanton. UMass lost to both teams last season.

Realistically, UMass could be in the midst of a four-game losing streak going into the Boston University game on Dec. 31 but if they can turn it around, play a full 40 minutes of basketball and somehow find a way to win the next two games against quality opponents, they may be able to claim they are one of the better teams in the A10 going into conference play.

I often mention my favorite teams in other sports as part of a baseball post every now and then, but I thought I would give my alma mater some special love today and give them a post to themselves.

After beating host Quinnipiac last night, the UMass basketball team has improved to 7-0 on the season. It’s their best start since yours truly was a freshman in '95-'96.

While their schedule hasn’t been great shakes so far, though they did beat New Mexico St. and TCU pretty handily in Springfield, they have improved tremendously under third-year coach Derek Kellogg. They have done a complete 180-degree turn from what I saw last year to what I have seen so far this year.

This team plays defense now; albeit not great, but much better than the two previous years, and has some nice slashers who can get to the rim in senior Anthony Gurley, and sophomores Javorn Farrell and Sampson Carter.

Kellogg has shown improvement as a coach as well. He has proven he can recruit with some of the players he has brought in and will bring in (Jordan Laguerre is a legit shooting guard, who has killed against top competition), but the question has been can he be a successful head coach? He hasn’t gotten all the way there yet as evidence by some of the lapses UMass has had during games recently, but he is getting there.

I will say I am very concerned with Terrell Vinson. He was Kellogg’s prized recruit two years ago and now as a sophomore, he looks completely lost out there. If this team is going to take the next step, then he needs to pull his head out of his rear.

UMass will get tested on Saturday when they play a Boston College team that just laid the smackdown on Indiana last night. If UMass can win that game at the TD Garden in Boston, there is a very good chance they could be 12-1 or even 13-0 heading into conference play.

UMass most likely won’t be a tournament team this year as I think they are a year or two away, but if this team continues on this path and if transfer Jesse “The takeover” Morgan, who will be eligible in the second half of the year, is everything I have read about, this team will cause havoc in the A-10 and be a very tough out this season.

Great job so far DK and the rest of the UMass team. Keep up the solid play!

First off, I'd like to thank Javorn Farrell for taking his time to have this interview with me. He's a great kid, and by the time you read this interview, you'll think of him as the ideal collegiate athlete.

Javorn Farrell is currently a freshman at the University of Massachusetts; during his freshman season, he averaged five points, four rebounds, and an assist a game with about 18 minutes of playing time each game.

I have no doubt in my mind that he'll be a key player in the near future for the Minutemen.

Farrell was nice enough to answer seven questions with me.

Garrett Tucker: For those that aren't aware of your style of play, who would you compare yourself to in the NBA? 

Javorn Farrell: An NBA Player that I'd compare myself to is Aaron Afflalo...we're the same height and basically do the same things [on the court].

Tucker: What was the biggest difference to you between high school basketball and college ball that you witnessed in your first season?

Farrell: The biggest difference is the speed of play and the strength of the players.

Tucker:  As a college basketball player, what does the latest NCAA Tournament expansion mean to you?

Farrell: As a player, personally I would have been mad if they changed it from 65 to 96 [teams], but I think the expansion of three more teams won't make that big of a difference...if they changed it to 96 it would have watered down the event, and making the tournament as a 96 seed, I don't think would've meant the same. 

Tucker: What stuck out to you about the University of Massachusetts?

Farrell: The coaches really stuck out when I took my visit [to UMass] and on the in-home visit about UMass. I felt like they wanted me to be the best possible player not just for the program, but also for my future basketball career.

Tucker: What school first contacted you about playing college basketball? What was your impression on them?

Farrell: The first school that ever contacted me about basketball was through mail...it was UCLA the third day of my freshman year in high school...my first thought was they're pretty good...and I like LA... but the first school to contact me over the phone was Pitt. Associate head coach Tom Herrion contacted me the first day we were allowed to get phone calls.  It felt great; he was a cool guy and he didn't only talk basketball when we spoke.

Tucker: Since you play in the up-and-coming Atlantic-10 conference, which conference opponent would you say you like playing the most?

Farrell: Definitely Rhode Island...no matter the record of either team, it's going to be a big game because the two schools are so close...it's a nice rivalry.

Tucker: What are your goals for the rest of your college career? How about the NBA?

Farrell: My goals for the the rest of my college career are to make the tournament and advance, win the A-10 [Atlantic-10 conference], and make UMass be the team it was in the mid-90s.  My personal goals are to get Most Improved Player in the league, make the A-10 All Defense Team, and make the All A-10 Team.  I plan on pursuing the NBA. I've been working hard and watching players at my position in the league to see exactly what I need to get there, and I know if I stay positive and keep working hard God will bless me with an opportunity.

Great interview Javorn!

Now honestly, how many collegiate athletes goals are to get Most Improved Player, as well as make the All-Defense Team?

Make sure to follow Javorn Farrell on Twitter @j_d_f

This interview is also featured on Real Sports Net !

There have been plenty of questions raised in the offensive category when looking at UMass basketball to start the season.

Their inconsistency to score the basketball through the first couple of games was evident as the Minutemen lost to Central Florida and Cornell.

However, after scraping together a victory over a pesky Quinnipiac team last Wednesday, UMass put together their best offensive and overall performance in a weekend victory over a struggling Holy Cross team.

With the back-to-back wins, UMass has improved to 4-4 on the young season and eight games in, head coach Derek Kellogg has seemed to have found a consistent duo within his offense.

Senior Ricky Harris was expected to put up big numbers offensively and be the go-to-guy for UMass. He has lived up to those expectations early on.

Harris’ 18.0 points per game and 3.1 assists per game are best on the team in both categories. However, Harris is averaging almost four turnovers per contest as well.

The senior has done a decent job in picking his shots so far this year. Harris is shooting 48 percent from the field, while leading the team in averaging just under 13 shots per game.

It has seemed that Harris, as expected, would be up among the team’s leading scorers each game, but with that being said, the next question would be who else would be there to help contribute?

The answer to that has been Anthony Gurley. A former Top-100 recruit as rated by Rivals.com in 2006, Gurley transferred to UMass following only one season at Wake Forest.

The Massachusetts product has emerged as a key contributor for Coach Kellogg putting up great offensive numbers to begin the year.

Gurley, a 2006 graduate of Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts has only started three of the first eight games. But even when he comes off the bench for UMass he has able to find an offensive flow quickly.

Gurley is second to Harris in scoring, averaging 17.8 point per game and is third on the team with 4.2 rebounds per game.

Like Harris, Gurley has shot the ball particularly well at 52.9 percent from the field while leading the team in free throw attempts per game. Through this part of the season, he has been able to display his versatility in being able to shoot, as well as get to the line.

It has not been a great start to the season for the Minutemen, but at 4-4 overall they prepare for a key road game at Seton Hall on Monday. They will enter the game on a two-game winning streak, which includes the victory over Quinnipiac and one over Holy Cross.

Seton Hall is expected to give UMass more of a test than they have had in either of those two contests, but the Minutemen are coming off their best performance of the year and will look to build off that as they head into New Jersey.

UMass (4-4) and Seton Hall (6-0) will match up at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7.

*Photo Credit: Masslive.com/Eric Gallant/J. Anthony Roberts