University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Kennesaw State
Men's Basketball Entertains Kennesaw State on Saturday
December 15, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen continue Gotham Classic slate at 1 p.m.
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information | |
| Game 11 | Massachusetts (7-3 overall) vs. Kennesaw State (3-7) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016 | 1 p.m. ET |
| Location | Mullins Center (9,493) | Amherst, Mass. |
| Live Statistics | Sidearm Sports |
| Watch | Atlantic 10 Digital Network (Free) |
| Listen (Radio) | 105.5 FM WEEI (Western Massachusetts), 830 AM WCRN (Worcester) 95.9 WATD (South Shore), 1200 AM WXKS (Boston, Manchester, Providence) |
| Listen (Online) | WEEI Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Series History | First meeting |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Kennesaw State |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Kennesaw State |
| @UMassAthletics | @UMassBasketball | |
| UMass Men's Basketball | |
| Buy Tickets | Single Game | Season | Mini-Plan | Group | Parquet Pass | Student Tickets |
Follow UMass Athletics & UMass Basketball On Twitter
Instant information on the basketball program, including an inside look at key points and statistics in each game as well as updates from practice and other team events are available via the Twitter handle @UMassBasketball. Follow the Minutemen there and catch information about each University of Massachusetts Athletic Department program through @UMassAthletics.
The Kennesaw State Connections
University of Massachusetts athletics has two connections to current Kennesaw State staff members in athletic director Vaughn Williams and men's basketball head coach Al Skinner.
Williams graduated from UMass in 1992 with a degree in sport management and was a four-year letterwinner on the football team. In 2013, Williams was one of four recipients of the Harold J. VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumnus Award, presented annually by the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts' Isenberg School of Management.
Skinner played three seasons with the University of Massachusetts varsity men's basketball program from 1971-74, during which he was a three-time All-Yankee Conference selection. Skinner won honorable mention all-America following his senior season and concluded his playing days at UMass with 1,235 points, 749 rebounds and 320 assists in 79 games played. He was inducted into the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982 and his No. 30 jersey was retired on Feb. 18, 2004.
Luwane Strip-kins, Fast-Handed Minuteman
Freshman guard Luwane Pipkins has the second-most steals per game (3.4) across NCAA Division I men's basketball and is also second in total steals (34) through games on Wed., Dec. 14. He is the only player in NCAA Division I with two games of seven or more steals this season (8 vs. UMass Lowell; 7 vs. UCF).
His eight against UMass Lowell also rank tied for the third-most in a single game in NCAA Division I this season and are tied for the most in the history of the UMass men's basketball program.
Led by Pipkins' 34, UMass is 12th in the nation for steals per game (9.6) as of contests on Wed., Dec. 14. The Minutemen are one of only 21 teams in the country averaging nine or more steals per game.
Minutemen Marching To Non-Conference Victories
University of Massachusetts men's basketball enters the game against North Carolina A&T with a 7-3 record, the first time the Minutemen opened the year with at least seven victories in 10 games since 2013-14 (started 10-0). It is the fifth time in head coach Derek Kellogg's nine seasons Massachusetts opened 7-3 or better.
People Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend
UMass dished out 25 assists over 28 made field goals (89.3 percent) during the 65-59 victory over North Carolina A&T, the first 25+ assist game since the Minutemen had 27 on 38 made field goals against La Salle on March 5, 2008. It was a 100-63 victory for the Minutemen during which Chris Lowe recorded the most recent triple-double in school history on 14 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.
Donte Clark led the Minutemen with a season-high six, while C.J. Anderson and Luwane Pipkins added five. In total, seven Minutemen had at least one assist in the game, during which UMass also only committed eight turnovers (3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio).
Different Minutemen Shouldering The Load
A host of Minutemen step up to pace the squad in points, rebounds and assists through 10 games to the tune of seven different rebounding leaders, five scoring leaders and four assists leaders.
20-Pointers Becoming A Routine
Six members of the University of Massachusetts program have at least one outing with 20 or more points through the opening nine games played. Those six Minutemen include Rashaan Holloway (21 vs. UMass Lowell; 21 at Providence), DeJon Jarreau (25 at Ole Miss), Zach Lewis (20 at Ole Miss), Donte Clark (29 vs. Harvard; 22 vs. North Carolina A&T), Tyrn Flowers (20 vs. UCF) and Luwane Pipkins (20 at Providence).
Nearly Double-Doubles
Three Minutemen have fallen one rebound shy of a double-double this season, including Donte Clark, Tyrn Flowers and Rashaan Holloway. Each reached double-figures in the scoring column but ended their respective game at nine rebounds apiece. Clark had 14 points vs. UMass Lowell, Flowers poured in 20 against UCF and Holloway had 21 at Providence.
Sinking Pacific
UMass limited Pacific's offense to a sub-50 point showing in a 72-48 victory during the opening game of the Gotham Classic. The Minuteman defense recorded its first game holding a foe below 50 points since doing so against TCU on Nov. 20, 2010 in a 67-48 victory.
Massachusetts held Pacific to 31.5 percent from the field (17-of-54) and 30.8 percent on 3-pointers (4-of-13. In the pivotal second half, during which the Minutemen outscored Pacific 40-21, the Minutemen held the Tigers to just 21.4 percent from the floor (6-of-28), including 14.3 percent on 3-point tries (1-of-7).
Flowers Blossoms Into 3-Point Threat
Freshman forward Tyrn Flowers connected on six 3-point field goals against UCF - a personal best and the most by a Minuteman since Jabarie Hinds had seven in the 108-99 overtime win at Duquesne on Feb. 14, 2016. Flowers has at least one made 3-point field goal in seven of the 10 games played this season. He is 15-of-41 overall this season (36.6 percent) on 3-pointers.
Anderson Named A NABC Good Works Team Nominee
C.J. Anderson was selected as a nominee for the 2017 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Good Works Team, as announced by the NABC on Wed., Nov. 30. Anderson is one of 181 men's basketball student-athletes from the NCAA Divisions I, II, II and NAIA levels chosen as a nominee.
The Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams recognize players at all levels of college basketball whose charitable involvement and altruistic acts stand out amongst all other student-athletes participating in the sport. From leading an initiative to help end the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, to co-founding a non-profit with the mission to improve literacy rates across the country, the players nominated embody the true spirit of teamwork and giving back.
Minutemen In Primetime
University of Massachusetts men's basketball will play 14 televised regular season games during the 2016-17 season, and will appear on an array of networks, including ASN, CBSSN, FS1, NBCSN and the SEC Network.
American Sports Network (ASN): Temple (Nov. 17), Saint Joseph's (Jan. 18), at George Washington (Feb. 23), La Salle (Feb. 26) and at St. Bonaventure (March 4)
CBS Sports Network (CBSSN): Dayton (Jan. 11) and Rhode Island (Feb. 7)
Fox Sports One (FS1): at Providence (Dec. 10)
NBC Sports Network (NBCSN): at VCU (Jan. 7), at Rhode Island (Jan. 15), Fordham (Jan. 21), at Saint Joseph's (Feb. 11) and Davidson (Feb. 18)
SEC Network: at Ole Miss (Nov. 14)
