I have seen a great deal of UMass games so let me sum up a few things. Umass doesn't trap too often like vcu does. They will do it in spurts and try to catch the other team off guard. This has been effective in getting turnovers. Umass can get into early foul trouble which is why they don't press all the time. Umass has played very well away from home. The have wins away from home vs. New Mexico, Ohio, Clemson, Nebraska, and lost their only game in a close game to Florida State in Florida despite having a 4 point lead with 2:30 left in the game. At home they have gone 8-0 but many of those games have been a grind.
Chaz Willimas is the straw that stirs the team he is hurt but expected to play Wednesday. He was on crutches after the game Saturday and in a walking boot Monday & Tuesday. This is something to keep an eye on, UMass has 3 games in a week, all on the road so there is a chance he may be limited or not play at all. Trey Davis is the backup and does play a lot of minutes; UMass will use a 3 guard lineup at times. When Trey and Chaz are both in the game often Trey is at PG with Chaz at SG. I would not be surprised to see Trey at PG a lot Wednesday with Chaz on the bench or at SG to reduce the wear and tear on Chaz’s foot. Umass is thin at guard so the Chaz injury could be the X factor. The freshman guards have played very little this season. Umass can play out of control at times and will turn the ball over. They also play with great speed and often will shot with more than 20 seconds on the shot clock. They are very athletic and love to run the floor. They don’t play a zone defense but they can be relentless on M2M defense and create chaos in the half court and get turnovers. On offence they have struggled vs. the zone and Umass leads the county in most shots blocked against them. The thing to watch early on is does Putney hit the first few open shots he gets and how quickly Cady pick up his first foul. If Putney gets off to a good start and Cady doesn’t get any fouls in the first 5 minutes then Umass can execute their game plan. Smapson Carter is a streaky player who has had recent struggles but did play well Saturday. Derrick Gordon is a great defender but limited on offence, he has a poor outside shot and awful from the FT line (40%) but he can score going to the basket very well and is a good rebounder. On the bench Maxie Escho is prob the best 6th man in the A10 and players starter minutes. When he is in the game he makes very few mistakes on either end. The last player who plays significant minutes is Tyler Bergintin (T-Berg) who will come in for Cady. T-berg is limited on offence but can bang around under the basket and collect garbage rebounds and plays pretty good defense. Seth Berger is a freshman who hasn't played much but he might see some action Wednesday night. A true freshman from Washington who could have gone to Gonzaga. RS Freshman Clyde Santee is a pure lefty shooter who hasn't played a lot this season but he could see some action if Umass is struggles to score. he put up 14 points in a game earlier this season in less than 4 minutes.
I think this game is close, at the half I see a 3 point Umass lead but GM coming on strong in the second half and pulling off the upset and winning 70-63 with the help from some late FTs.