Time to get back to action for UMass' spring teams on Tuesday. The men's lacrosse team hosts Providence at 3 p.m., at Garber Field in the only home event over the next week. The baseball team moves over to Norman, Oklahoma to face the Sooners at 8 p.m. The tennis team begins its spring break trip against Charleston Southern.
No Student-Athlete Birthdays on March 16.
MEN'S LACROSSE
The USILA Poll was released on Monday and UMass is listed second among "Others Receiving Votes." Its the first time this season the Minutemen are out of the Top 20. UMass opponents are ranked all over the poll: No. 6 Hofstra, No. 9 Georgetown, No. 12 Drexel, No. 14 Harvard, No. 17 Yale and No. 20 Brown.
In the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, the Minutemen are listed fifth among "Others Receiving Votes." UMass opponents come in at: No. 6 Hofstra, No. 10 Georgetown, No. 11 Harvard, No. 16 Drexel, No. 17 Brown, No. 19 Delaware and No. 20 Yale.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Two UMass opponents from this past season will have new coaches when the teams play in 2010-11. Both Charlotte and UCF made changes at the top on Monday. Kirk Speraw was let go at UCF and the Orlando Sentinel has the story. Here's news on Lutz's firing. Masslive.com has a look as well.
Here's another story on Pro Basketball Weekly about UCF's coaching change and how Michael Jordan -- who's son Marcus plays for the Knights -- could impact the hire. There are mentions of UMass in the story.
NESN.com has a story on John Calipari reincarnating his "Refuse To Lose" with Kentucky this season. The Cats wore shirts with the phrase during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday night. Back in 1996, he won approval to trademark the slogan.
College Hockey News has a look at teams vying for seeding in the NCAA Hockey Tournament.
FOOTBALL
Former UMass all-conference defensive back Tracy Belton is playing in Arena Football League with the Milwaukee Iron. Here is a breakdown on the Iron roster from the Examiner. Tracy Belton (WR/DB, 6-0, 175) This speedster played for Landsee in Af2 as a member of the Green Bay Blizzard. Belton ranked among the AFL leaders in 2008 in Arkansas with six interceptions and 34 passes defended. He was a First-Team All Atlantic 10 defensive back at UMass.
BASEBALL
SoonerSports.com has a preview of this week's series at Oklahoma on Tuesday. The No. 13 Sooners are 15-2 this season, a tall task for the Minutemen.
In the Springfield Republican, Ron Chimelis has a nice story on UMass alum Chad Paronto, who is fighting for a spot with the Boston Red Sox.
UMass alum Ron Villone was released by the Washington Nationals. Read about it in the Washington Post.
Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Visit the UMass Auctions Page to bid on the 2009-10 Throwback Jerseys worn by the basketball team during the season for the Memphis, La Salle and Xavier games.
Don't Miss This: Here's your Tuesday schedule of UMass sports: 2 p.m. - Tennis team at Charleston Southern; 3 p.m. - Men's Lacrosse team vs. Providence at Garber Field; 8 p.m. - Baseball team at Oklahoma.
The basketball and hockey seasons at UMass came to an end over the weekend with losses in the conference tournaments. It was a tough weekend overall for the UMass squads, but they will look to get back on track this week. The postseason men's basketball tournament brackets were announced on Sunday night and several UMass alums will be taking their squads into the NCAA Tournament including UTEP's Tony Barbee and Louisville's Rick Pitino. Two former UMass coaches also have teams in the NCAAs: John Calipari with Kentucky and Travis Ford with Oklahoma State.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
With the NCAA Tournament bracket unveiled, there are many connections to UMass. Alums Tony Barbee leads UTEP into the tournament for the first time while Rick Pitino will be back in the NCAAs with Louisville. Two former UMass coaches also have teams in the NCAAs: John Calipari with Kentucky and Travis Ford with Oklahoma State.
The Atlantic 10 had a great tournament with three teams being selected: No. 5 seed Temple, No. 6 seed Xavier and No. 7 Richmond. Three other UMass opponents from the season were selected to the NCAAs: Baylor, Cornell ad Michigan State.
Additionally in the NIT, two A-10 teams were selected for the Bracket: No. 2 seed Rhode Island and No. 3 seed Dayton. Three other UMass non-conference foes were selected to that field: No. 3 seed Memphis, No. 4 seed Seton Hall and No. 8 seed Quinnipiac.
In the ECHL, Chris Davis scored his ninth goal of the season for the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday. The Nailers won the 173rd and last game in their long and storied rivalry with the Johnstown Chiefs with a 4-1 victory Saturday night at the Cambria County War Memorial. The Chiefs are closing out their 22nd and last season in Johnstown and will move to Greenville, SC next season.
The UMass team travelled to Long Island and lost to Stony Brook, 12-6 on Saturday. Here are some reviews: Stony Brook Independent.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - MARCH 15: Elizabeth "Boopa" Walsh (Swimming), Kevin Czepiel (Hockey)
FOOTBALL
The Sacramento Bee has a mention of Vladimir Ducasse, who is expected to be Second Round pick in the NFL Draft with the San Francisco 49ers might pick him.
Viking Update, reports the Minnesota Vikings have lined up a visit with Vladimir Ducasse as the draft nears.
The Acme Packing Company, a blog for the Green Bay Packers also mentions the team possibly selecting Ducasse.
The Springfield Republican's Ron Chimelis is down at Red Sox Spring Training. In his blog on Sunday, he mentions UMass alum Chad Paronto, who is in camp with the Red Sox.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
UMass-bound Talen Watson had a great weekend as her high school Arundel captured the Class 4A State Championship in a win over Gaithersburg, 53-40. The Baltimore Sun has a recap as Watson scored 16 points, including 10 in the decisive fourth quarter.
Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Visit the UMass Auctions Page to bid on the 2009-10 Throwback Jerseys worn by the basketball team during the season for the Memphis, La Salle and Xavier games.
Don't Miss This: Monday will bring conference weekly honors as well as the UMass Athlete of the Week announcement. Also check back to see if the men's lacrosse team will stay in the USILA poll.
