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UMASS (7-11, 2-3) at #10/10 XAVIER (18-2, 6-0)
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009 • 12 p.m. (ET)
Cintas Center (10,250) • Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: ESPNU (Jim Barbar & Dave Kaplan)
Radio: WRNX (100.9 FM - Flagship)
WCRN (830), WATD (95.9), WCAP (980)

UMass Heads To Top 10 Xavier For Saturday Clash
• The Minutemen will take on their third ranked opponent this season as UMass travels to Cincinnati to face No. 10/10 Xavier on Saturday at 12 Noon. In the 100th Season of UMass Basketball, UMass is playing a ranked opponent (AP Poll) for the 100th time (31-68 in previous games). The game will air nationally on ESPNU with Jim Barbar and Dave Kaplan calling the action. UMass is 1-1 this season against ranked foes, knocking off No. 25/23 Kansas, 61-60 on Dec. 13, 2008 and falling at No. 13/12 Memphis, 80-58 on Nov. 17, 2008. Xavier comes into the week with an 18-2 overall record, 6-0 in the Atlantic 10 and ranking fourth in the RPI according to RealtimeRPI.com. The Musketeers have won nine games in a row after Wednesday's 69-47 win against Charlotte.

• UMass is 7-11 overall and 2-3 in the A-10 following a tough 62-54 loss to La Salle at home on Saturday. The Minutemen have knocked off two of the top teams in the Atlantic 10 this season for their wins, handing Temple (3-1) and Dayton (4-1), their only conference losses of the season. After No. 4 Xavier, Dayton ranks second in the A-10 in the RPI at No. 42 and Temple is third at No. 49. The Minutemen have played with 49th-most difficult schedule in the nation and that will rise with the Xavier game.

• Live streaming video of Saturday's game will be available through ESPN360.com. The game can be heard on the UMass Sports Network across the state. Flagship station WRNX 100.9 (Springfield) carried the game along with 830 AM WCRN in Worcester/Boston, 95.9 WATD in Marshfield/Boston and 980 AM WCAP in Lowell/Boston. "Voice of the Minutemen" Josh Maurer, will call the action with Tim Kenney.

• Xavier has won the last three games in the series since UMass had consecutive wins in regular-season games in 2005 and 2006. Last season, the Musketeers came to the Mullins Center ranked No. 23/22 and beat UMass, 77-65 on Jan. 27, 2008.

UMass Against Ranked Teams
• This is UMass' 100th all-time game against a ranked team, based on the AP Poll. All-time, UMass is 31-68 against ranked teams.

• UMass has won four of its last 11 games against ranked teams including a 1-1 mark this season with a 61-60 win at No. 25/23 Kansas on Dec. 13, 2008. UMass lost at Memphis, 80-58 on Nov. 17, 2008. Last season the Minutemen were 1-2 against ranked teams with the winat Dayton, 82-71 on Jan. 16, 2008.

• UMass has played a ranked Xavier team four previous times and UMass is 1-3 in those games. Back on Feb. 8, 1998, No. 23 UMass knocked off No. 21 Xavier, 73-62. Xavier has beaten UMass three times as a ranked team: No. 20 XU won 87-84 on Feb. 1, 1997; No. 24 Xavier topped UMass, 65-59 in overtime on March 7, 2002 and last season, No. 23 Xavier beat UMass, 77-65 on Jan. 27, 2008.

• This will be the highest ranked Xavier team UMass has ever played.

• Last season, UMass broke a five-game losing streak against ranked teams with its 82-71 win at #14/18 Dayton on Jan. 16. The Minutemen's previous win over a ranked team came at #21 George Washington (76-74 in OT on Jan. 15, 2005). That was the second win a row over a ranked team that season as UMass also beat #7 UConn (61-59 on Dec. 9, 2004). In both those wins, three-time first-team All-Atlantic 10 honoree Rashaun Freeman hit the game-winning shot, beating UConn with 4.3 seconds left and topping the Colonials with a lay-up with 0.4 left in overtime.

The Series With Xavier
• Sunday's game marks the 20th meeting between UMass and Xavier. With the series beginning in the 1990-91 season, the Musketeers lead the meetings, 11-8, heading to Saturday's tip-off. Five of the 19 games have gone to overtime, including three of the seven games at the Mullins Center.

• Last year, No. 23/22 Xavier knocked off UMass, 77-65 at the Mullins Center on Jan. 27, 2008. UMass had its lowest offensive output of the season as Drew Lavendar led four Musketeers in double-figures. Etienne Brower led UMass with 22 points, the second-most points of his career. Gary Forbes added 16. Ricky Harris saw his streak of games with 10 or more end at 18, as he was limited to seven points.

• In the last game at Xavier, the Musketeers handed UMass an 83-77 defeat in Cincinnati before a sellout and national-television audience on ESPN on Jan. 18, 2007.

• The teams played twice in 2005-06, in back-to-back games, as UMass won the regular-season finale at the Mullins Center, 65-56 on March 4. Then just four days later at the A-10 Tournament at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Xavier gained a measure of revenge with a 75-66 win on their way to the A-10 Tourney title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. UMass won the 2005-06 regular-season finale, 65-56 on March 4, 2006 and an epic 90-86 win for UMass on Jan. 5, 2005 in triple overtime. Prior to that, UMass had lost four straight to Xavier.

• The Minutemen are 4-3 against Xavier in the Mullins Center. Two of the last six home overtime games for UMass have been against Xavier. The 2005 triple-OT game was the first extra-session game at Mullins since the Feb. 20, 1999 contest against the Musketeers. UMass went 77 games at home between overtime action with both games coming against Xavier.

• For all games played in Cincinnati, Xavier leads 6-3. UMass is 1-3 at the Cintas Center. UMass gave Xavier its first-ever loss at the Cintas Center on Jan. 9, 2001. Overall, Xavier has lost just 17 games at Cintas, with a 114-17 mark.

• Minuteman head coach Derek Kellogg will coach against Xavier for the first time. Earlier this seasonn, his former squad Memphis suffered a 63-58 loss to Xavier on Nov. 23, 2008. Miller is 3-2 against UMass.

UMass Playing 49th-Toughest Schedule
• The Minutemen are off to a 7-11 start, playing one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Minutemen play the 49th most-difficult schedule according to RealtimeRPI.com (as of Jan. 26). UMass has taken on eight teams in the RPI top 100 with wins over four of them (No. 35 Kansas, No. 42 Dayton, No. 49 Temple and No. 92 Hofstra. UMass has also played No. 11 Memphis, No. 56 Boston College, No. 80 Green Bay and No. 93 Houston.

• The A-10 has four teams playing schedules in the top 60 in difficulty: Xavier plays the eighth-toughest, Temple faces the 48th-toughest, UMass is playing the 49th-toughest and Saint Joseph's will battle the 56th schedule.

Off To See The United States
• UMass has played 10 games away from home this season -- in seven different states including Ohio for the second time with the game at Xavier. If you include the home state of Massachusetts, UMass has played games in eight states (Illinois, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri, Texas and North Carolina). The trip to Cincinnati brings the Minutemen's travel mileage to 12,469 this season according to basketballstate.com. Overall, UMass will travel 14,859 in the regular season.

Gaffney Among The NCAA Leaders
• With his amazing start this season, UMass senior forward Tony Gaffney is ranked in the Top 10 in the NCAA in two major statistics. He is second in blocked shots per game with 4.6, which also leads the Atlantic 10. He is ninth in the country in rebounding with 10.8 per game, second to Saint Joseph's Ahmad Nivins (11.6) in the Atlantic 10. Gaffney is averaging a double-double with a 11.5 scoring average. For much of the season, Gaffney was in the top four in the NCAA in rebounding until early January. Coming into the year, Gaffney's career averages were 3.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

• Gaffney is tied for 38th in steals per game with 2.2 per game, which also leads the Atlantic 10. Gaffney is the only man to top the Atlantic 10 in more than one stat and was leading in three (rebounding) until recently.

• He is having a breakout senior season averaging a double-double with seven double-doubles this season after none in his career in 81 games entering the season. He also had grabbed at least seven rebounds in 15 of 18 games and at least 11 in 11 of the 18 games. His most recent double-double came against La Salle (1/24) when he had 19 points and 11 rebounds along with four blocked shots.

• Gaffney has three games with 15 or more rebounds, most recently at Houston (12/30) with 16. He also had 19 at Memphis (11/17) and 18 vs. Boston College (12/6).

• Gaffney has five or more blocks in nine games this year including seven against Dayton (1/10). After that game, UD coach Brian Gregory called Gaffney "the best non-scoring player in the nation" for his all-around game. His career-high of nine came vs. Boston College (12/6).

• Gaffney nearly had triple-doubles in back-to-back games on Dec. 6 and 10. In those contests he has a combined 32 points, 29 rebounds and 17 blocks. Against Holy Cross, (12/10), he had 17 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks. That followed a titanic effort vs. Boston College (12/6) with 15 points, 18 rebounds and a career-high nine blocked shots.

• Gaffney's 83 blocked shots already rank as the sixth-best single-season in UMass history. At No. 5 is Marcus Camby with 103 in his sophomore season of 1994-95. Gaffney's 142 career blocks is seventh in a career at UMass. Kitwana Rhymer (184) is sixth all-time.

• Many of Gaffney's best performances of 2008-09 have come against national powers. At #25/23 Kansas (12/13), he posted 13 rebounds and six blocks. Against Boston College when he had 15 points, 18 rebounds, and a career-high nine blocked shots, his put-back of a missed Chris Lowe free throw sent the game to overtime, giving UMass a chance for its second-straight win over BC. Another outstanding game came at Memphis (11/17), one which Memphis John Calipari called him the best player on the court. Against the No. 13 Tigers, Gaffney scored 16 points and grabbed 19 rebounds along with five blocks. It was his second career double-double. He opened the year with 16 points and 13 rebounds against Arkansas-Monticello (11/11).

• Gaffney played 31 or more minutes in the first nine games, all more than any game he previously played at UMass, and that many in 16 of 17 games. He set a career-high in minutes, playing 43 of the 45 against BC. He played a then career-high 39 minutes when he had his third double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds along with eight blocked shots vs. Jacksonville State (11/24) in the home opener. The 20 points were also a UMass high. He scored 20 while at Boston University vs. Stony Brook in 2006.

Lowe Closing In On Assists Record, 1000 Points
• Chris Lowe is moving up on the all-time assists list at UMass as he stands third with 593, just 40 shy of the all-time record. His 11 assists against Boston College (12/6) propelled him past Alex Eldridge (518) and into third place. Next on the list is Edgar Padilla (597), just seven away. Carl Smith (633) is the all-time leader.

• With his current average of 6.0, he would break the record in seven games from now (Feb. 18 vs. Rhode Island.)

• Lowe is 16th in the NCAA with 6.0 assists per game, which also leads the Atlantic 10. He has led the league in assists in each of the last two years and would become the first player to lead the A-10 in assists for three years in a row.

• Lowe has six 10-assist games this season and 12 in his career, all in the last two seasons (all in the last 31 games). He racked up 11 assists against Temple (1/17) for his last double-figure game. Lowe had 10 or more assists in four of five games in December with 10 each vs. Hofstra (12/20) and IUPUI (12/27). Lowe had 12 vs. Holy Cross (12/10) and 11 against Boston College (12/6).

• The Mount Vernon, N.Y. product became the fourth player with 500 career assists at UMass after he gained five against Jacksonville State (11/24). He passed his coach Derek Kellogg (453) most recently at the end of last year.

• With a career-high 14 against La Salle (3/5/08) - part of the sixth triple-double in UMass history (14 pts, 10 reb), Lowe moved past UMass Hall of Famer Joe DiSarcina (431) into fifth. Last season, he also passed two illustrious coaches who played at UMass: BC Coach Al Skinner (320) and Louisville coach Rick Pitino (329).

• With his 214 assists last season, Lowe had the third-best single-season in UMass history after passing Smith (212), Smith (191), Alex Eldridge (174) and Rick Pitino (168).

Harris Hits 1,000-Point List
• Ricky Harris became the 40th UMass player to score 1,000 career points on a free throw with 9:50 left in the first half against Hofstra (12/20). In 86 college games, Harris has 1,141 points to rank 28th in UMass history.

• Next on the list for Harris to pass are a pair of players tied at No. 26 in Will Herndon (1989-92) and Lari Ketner (1996-99), both with 1,148. At No. 25 is Rodger Twitchell (1,151) and No. 24 Rafer Giles (1,163).

• Chris Lowe is also just 17 points from 1,000 in his career. He would be the 41st UMass player to reach the milestone.

• Harris has picked up where he left off last season, when he was named the A-10 Chris Daniels Most Improved player. Harris is leading UMass with a 18.9 scoring average and led the team in scoring in 11 of the first 18 games with 20 or more in eight games. Harris is 46th in the NCAA in scoring per game and third in the Atlantic 10. He dropped a season and career-high 35 points on BC (12/6). The 35 points were good for the 13th most in school history and only six behind the school record of 41 held by Billy Tindall on Feb. 10, 1968 vs. Vermont. It was also Harris' second ever 30+ point scoring effort. Two games prior, he netted 27 at Green Bay (11/29) and had 24 points at Southern Illinois (11/12).

Harris Rises on 3-Point Charts
• Junior Ricky Harris has also continued to blister from 3-point range. He is shooting 40.9 from beyond the new extended-distance arc. He has made 54-of-132 from 3-point range.

• Harris, who tied Carmelo Travieso for the single-season mark for made treys last year with 104, is rising on the career charts. Harris stands sixth in career made 3-pointers with 175 and fifth in career attempts with 477. With four treys at Green Bay, he passed Edgar Padilla (136) and his coach Derek Kellogg (138). Next on the list at No. 5 is Lorenzo Sutton (178).

• On the attempts list, Harris is fifth, passing Sutton(424), James Life (425) and Edgar Padilla (431) after passing Kellogg (362) earlier this season. Next on the attempts chart is Rafer Giles (592).

• Harris had his streak of 26 games in a row with at least one 3-pointer ended in the loss to Vanderbilt (1/3).

Gurley Going Great Guns
• Wake Forest transfer Anthony Gurley has made an instant impact with the Minutemen in his redshirt sophomore season. The wing is tied with Tiny Gaffney for second on the team in scoring with 11.5 per game along with 3.8 rebounds. He has his some clutch 3-pointers and is second to Harris (54) on the team in treys with 38.

• Gurley has scored in double-figures 11 times this season most recently with 10 on his 21st birthday at Charlotte (1/21). Gurley's best scoring game with UMass came against Hofstra (12/20) when he tallied 19.

• He has been great in the second half of two of UMass' biggest wins of the season as he netted 13 of his 16 in the final 20 minutes of the win over Dayton (1/10), making four 3-pointers. A week later against Temple (1/17) on ESPN2, Gurley knocked down 13 of his 16 points in the second half including a 4-point play as he was a perfect 3-of-3 in the second half on 3-pointers. Gurley hit a second 4-point play against La Salle (1/24).

Big Nights For Bonner
• Since returning from a left MCL sprain which kept him out a month of action, senior center Luke Bonner has had some of the best games of his college career. Bonner posted his first-career double-double at Charlotte (1/21) with a career-high tying 15 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. That performance came in a career-high 39 minutes, shattering his former length of 26 minutes by 13. Bonner also set or tied career highs for field goals attempted (11), made 3-pointers (3), 3-pointers attempted (8) and assists (3).

• Bonner, who was injured on Nov. 12 at Southern Illinois, returned to action on Dec. 20 against Hofstra with a career breakout game. He posted then-career bests 15 points and nine rebounds. That came in just 18 minutes off the bench.

• In 11 games, he is scoring 6.4 points per game along with 5.6 rebounds. He has also made 15-of-39 3-point field goals.

UMass 5-1 Vs Defending NCAA Champs
• With the 61-60 over #25/23 Kansas (12/13), UMass is now 5-1 all-time against defending national champions, as the Minutemen have won three in a row against the champs. With last year's win over Florida in the NIT Semifinals, UMass has beaten the last two NCAA champs in their title defense year.

• UMass head coach Derek Kellogg has been a part of three of the wins over the champ as a player in 1993 and 1994 and the head coach in 2008 vs. Kansas.

• On Dec. 9, 2004 as the Minutemen downed No. 7 UConn at the Mullins Center, 61-59 as Rashaun Freeman scored with seconds left to lift UMass to the historic win. The game marked the first time a defending champion visited the Mullins Center.

• UMass knocked off North Carolina, 91-86, in overtime on Nov. 24, 1993 in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden.

• One year later, UMass thumped Arkansas, 104-80, on Nov. 25, 1994 in the Tip-Off Classic at the Springfield Civic Center.

• That win over No. 1 Arkansas is symbolic, as it vaulted UMass to the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll for the first time in school history. Last week was the 14-year anniversary of the school's first No. 1 ranking, as the Minutemen played their first game as the No. 1 team on Dec. 3, 1994.

• UMass' only loss against a champ came on Nov. 22, 1999, as the Minutemen lost to UConn at Gampel Pavilion, 79-65, on Nov. 22, 1999.

Notes On UMass' Win Over Kansas
• UMass topped No. 25/23 Kansas, 61-60 on Dec. 13 in Kansas City. The UMass win was its first in 17 tries against a non-conference ranked team outside the state of Massachusetts. The win ended Kansas' 30-game home win streak (the game at KC was counted officially by the NCAA as a home game since it was part of the season-ticket package and was staffed by KU).

• UMass won a non-conference game against a ranked team, away from Massachusetts for the first time since it beat Georgetown in the 1996 NCAA Elite Eight on March 23, 1996.

• For head coach Derek Kellogg the win was sweet as his Minutemen picked up their first win over a ranked team under his watch in just his ninth game as a head coach. The previous fastest UMass coach to beat a ranked team was Bruiser Flint, who beat then-No. 19 Boston College in his 17th game as the head man on Jan. 18, 1997. Kellogg also gained a win against Kansas, the team which downed Memphis in the 2008 NCAA title game when Kellogg was an assistant for former UMass coach John Calipari.

• UMass beat a non-conference ranked team on the road for the first time since win at #21 Louisville on March 2, 1996, 62-59.

• UMass beat a non-conference ranked team for the first time since topping UConn, 61-59, on Dec. 9, 2004. Since that game, UMass is 4-7 against ranked teams (1-1 this season, losing at Memphis).

• UMass last beat a ranked team at #14 Dayton on the road last season, 82-71 on Jan. 16, 2008.

• The Minutemen have won the last two games against Kansas, winning at the Mullins Center in 1999. All-time Kansas leads the series, 3-2. All five games have been played in different states (New York, California, Kansas, Massachusetts and Missouri).

UMass' Big Win In Springfield
• The Minutemen posted a 75-62 win over Dayton in Derek Kellogg's hometown of Springfield, home of the Basketball Hall of Fame on Jan. 10. The Flyers came into the game, essentially ranked 26th, as the first team in "others receiving votes" according to the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Flyers had won six games in a row and stood at 14-1 entering the conference opener for both teams. Ricky Harris led four Minutemen in double-figures with 23. Tony Gaffney had 17 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks along with Anthony Gurley's 16 points and Chris Lowe's 15 points and six assists.

• It marked the fourth game in a row, UMass has beaten the Flyers and third which ended a significant Dayton win streak. Last year, the Minutemen ended No. 14/18 Dayton's 13-game win streak at UD Arena, 82-71, last season on Jan. 16, 2008. It was UMass' first win over a ranked team in three years, since UMass won on Jan. 15, 2005 at George Washington (76-74). Two seasons ago, UMass ended Dayton's home dominance in 2006-07, handing the Flyers their first loss after a 14-0 start at UD Arena, winning 77-69 on Feb. 22, 2007. The win was also UMass' first at Dayton since 1999.

• For UMass, the win was the first in Springfield since 2001 when the Minutemen downed Oregon, 62-58 on Nov. 27. Oregon had three players on that squad who turned pro: Luke Ridnour, Luke Jackson, and Chris Christoffersen. UMass is now 39-23 all-time at the MassMutual Center, formerly Springfield Civic Center.

100th Season Of UMass Basketball
• UMass is celebrating the 100th season of UMass basketball in 2008-09. UMass will be honoring six eras/decades throughout the season by inviting back every living UMass player to attend his respective celebration. The first event was held at Boston College game on Dec. 6 which honored the Classic Era (1899-1959).

• The next event will be the 1990s Celebration on Feb. 8 against Saint Joseph's.

• The following players were on hand for the BC game: Don Akerson, Frank Barous, George "Trigger" Burke, John Edgar, Dick Eid, Wray Gunn, Paul Kollios, Ned Larkin, John MacLeod, Condon McDonough, Ed McGrath, George Morin, Alex Norskey, Bill Prevey, Bill Stephens and William Walsh.

• The 1960s Celebration was held at the Vanderbilt game on Jan. 3. Here are the players who attended: Jim Babyak, Peter Bernard, Dennis Chapman, Chuck Demers (trainer), Joe DiSarcina, John Dreyer, Robert Eichorn, Ray Ellerbrook, Gary Gasperack, Jim Girotti, Paul Gullicksen, John Lisack, Bob Murphy, Richard Perkins, Ed Rubin (manager), Dick Samuelson, Rich Starsiak, Frank Stewart and Billy Tindall.

• The 1970s Celebration at the Temple game honored: Jim Burke, Bob Dempsey, David Dibble, Mark Donoghue, Billy Endicott, Michael Littman (manager), Tom McLaughlin, John Moynihan, Charles Olsen, Bob Powers (manager) Sam Provo, Mike Pyatt, Peter Trow, Rick Vogeley and Ray Witkos. The family of the late John Murphy was also recognized.

• At the La Salle game on Jan. 24, the 1980s Celebration was held and the following players attended: Matt Anderson, Bob Braun, Tony DePina, Kurt Funk, Bill Hampton, Cary Herer, Dennis Jackson (assistant coach), Sean Nelen, Horace Neysmith, Hal Shaw, Jack Sheehan, Fitzhugh Tarry, Keith Whitt and Ron Young.

• In looking back at UMass basketball, the program started with its first season in 1899-1900 with the first game played on Jan. 10, 1900, a 14-9 win over the Northampton YMCA.

• The program had several hiatuses in its history as, this is the 100th season with the program starting 109 years ago. UMass did not field a team in 1900-01, 1909-10 to 1915-16 and during World War II in both 1943-44 and 1944-45.

• Under the leadership of John Calipari, the Minutemen become A-10 Tournament Champs five consecutive times (1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96). Overall, UMass has appeared in the NCAA Tournament eight times, in addition to those five A-10 title years (1961-62, 1996-97 and 1997-98). They have two appearances in the Elite Eight (1995, 1996) and a Final Four appearance (1996). Last year UMass, went 25-11 in reaching the NIT Championship game. It was UMass' 10th NIT appearance including each of the last two season.

UMass Alum Leading UMass
• Derek Kellogg is the first UMass alum to serve as the head coach of his alma mater since Tom McLaughlin, who coached the Minutemen from 1981-83. Kellogg graduated from UMass in 1995 where he was an All-Atlantic 10 selection in 1995. McLaughlin graduated from UMass in 1973 where he was one of three future head coaches on the team. He was joined by current Boston College head coach Al Skinner and Louisville coach Rick Pitino. Kellogg is not the current head coach from the UMass rosters in the mid-90s as Tony Barbee is in his fourth year as the head coach at Texas-El Paso.

• Prior to McLaughlin, the last UMass alum to lead his alma mater was Lorin Ball (Class of 1921), who coached the team from 1945-52.

UMass 6th; Harris & Lowe Honored
• UMass was picked sixth in the preseason poll released by the Atlantic 10 coaches and media on Oct. 29 as part of the league's media day. Senior guard Chris Lowe was named the A-10 Preseason First Team while junior guard Ricky Harris has earned a spot on the Preseason Second Team. Lowe was also named to the Preseason All-Defensive Team.

UMass Gets Preseason Honors
• With UMass alum Derek Kellogg in town to lead the Minutemen attack, the program is getting considerable attention from national media as it hopes to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1997-98. Lindy's and Athlon both predict UMass to finish in the top five in the Atlantic 10.

• Lindy's predicts that the Minutemen will finish fourth behind St. Joseph's, Temple, and Xavier. It mentions the good news as "Derek Kellogg returns to his alma mater and has plenty of perimeter firepower." Lindy's includes Harris on the First Team All-Conference while recognizing Chris Lowe with "Top Playmaker" in its honor roll.

• Athlon sports predict that the Minutemen will finish fifth, trailing Xavier, Temple, Charlotte, and Dayton, while earning their third-consecutive NIT berth. Like Lindy's, Athlon predicts Harris to be a First-Team All-Atlantic 10 performer. Replacing A-10 player of the Year Gary Forbes will be a challenge, but Athlon says "Wake Forest transfer Anthony Gurley should give Kellogg another wing scorer.

• Sporting News wrote that with Gibbs on board (to go along Lowe, a senior), "the Minutemen should be able to play at breakneck speed." It predicts that the best shot-blocker in the conference will once again come from UMass (Tony Gaffney), while Lowe is deemed the "best passer." Sporting News identifies three-point shooting as a big asset as "Together, Harris and Gurley give UMass a pair of solid three-point threats."

• Rivals.com has pegged Anthony Gurley as the No. 3 overall impact transfer in all of Division I.

UMass Back To National Prominence
• After a 2006-07 season which included the program's first postseason appearance since 2000, the Minutemen headed into the 2007-08 campaign with high expectations. UMass finished with a 25-11 record good for its second-consecutive season with at least 24 victories.

• The team would not disappoint as it used a magical postseason run to reach the NIT Finals, highlighted by topping the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome in the quarterfinals while beating defending National Champion Florida at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals. UMass eventually succumbed to Ohio State in a hard-fought finals game, 92-85.

• The Minutemen had two six-game winning streaks (Dec. 18 through Jan. 2 and Feb. 17 through Mar. 8) along with the four-game streak in the NIT (Mar. 18 to April 1).

• The Minutemen picked up their 20th win of the season on March 5 with the 100-63 win over La Salle. It marked the 14th time in history that UMass reached the mark and second year in a row after going 24-9 in 2006-07. The last time UMass won 20 in back to back seasons was 1994-95 (29-5) and 1995-96 (35-2).

• With 25 wins, UMass reached the fifth-most wins in school history passing the 2006-07 team (24-9) and the 1992-93 squad (24-9). Fourth on the list is 28 wins set in 1993-94.

• In 2006-07, UMass picked up its 20th win of the season on Feb. 21, 2007 beating St. Bonaventure, 83-44. The win gave the Minutemen their first 20-win season since 1997-98 when UMass went 21-11. Prior to that season, UMass last won 20 or more when they set the school record for wins with a 35-2 record during the Final Four season of 1995-96.

• In the first round, UMass posted a solid 80-60 win over Southland Conference champion Stephen F. Austin on March 18 at the Mullins Center. Dante Milligan had a career game in UMass' NIT First Round win over SFA, as he had 24 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots. A-10 Player of the Year Gary Forbes added 19 points and the league's Most Improved Player Ricky Harris had 16 points.