The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team has had an odd tendency in recent years of being the opponent in games that get extra attention for unusual reasons.

In 2005, the Minutemen were in Philadelphia to play Temple when John Chaney suspended himself after admitting sending in "goons" to commit hard fouls in a game against Saint Joseph's.

Chaney, who spent a career as a controversy lightning rod, got plenty of national attention, as did the game and assistant coach Dan Leibovitz, who coached the Owls to a win in Chaney's absence.

In 2002, UMass was the next opponent on St. Bonaventure's schedule when the news broke about the Bonnies' eligibility scandal. After they were forced to forfeit most of their earlier wins, the St. Bonaventure players decided to quit on their season, leaving the Minutemen without a home game and a forfeit win.

On Friday, UMass will be the other team on the floor for the Central Florida debut of Marcus Jordan, the younger son of NBA Legend Michael Jordan.

Marcus Jordan has been in the center of a shoe controversy in recent weeks. Central Florida's athletic department has a sponsorship deal with adidas, but Jordan plans to wear the Nike Air Jordans, a shoe that bears his father's silhouette as its logo.

"It's a level of importance with the Jordan brand and my family," Marcus Jordan told the Orlando Sentinel. "I have a high level of respect for adidas, but I'm going to be wearing Jordan shoes."

Adidas plans to pulls its $3 million dollar sponsorship of Central Florida athletics for breach of contract, but school officials claim that adidas representatives agreed to an exemption for Jordan. The school and the shoe giant will likely be headed for court.

Friday's season-opener for the Golden Knights will likely get considerable national attention with cameras pointed at Jordan's feet.

The game is the first of a handful with interesting subplots scattered throughout the Minutemen's nonconference schedule this season.

BEST CHANCE FOR A BIG-NAME WIN - Florida has actually gone backwards since losing to the Minutemen in the 2008 National Invitation Tournament semifinals.

The Gators are picked near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division in most preseason polls. If the Minutemen face the Gators on Nov. 28 in either the final or third-place game in the Legends Classic, UMass could pull off the upset.

BEST CHANCE FOR A NOT-SO-BIG-NAME LOSS - The home opener against Cornell at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, is the ultimate no-win situation for the Minutemen among casual fans.

The Big Red return all five starters from last year's Ivy League championship squad. This Cornell team might even be the best team the Ancient Eight has produced in recent years. The Big Red could very well be a favorite in that game. But too many fans will think UMass should never lose to an Ivy League team.

The Minutemen will be rooting for Cornell to beat Alabama on Saturday to give the Big Red that much more credibility as a win or a loss on the UMass schedule.

THREE NAMES TO KNOW - LaceDarius Dunn, 6-foot-4, Jr. G, Baylor: One of the top shooters in the nation. His 109 3-pointers led the Big 12 last year. UMass is at Baylor on Jan. 23.

Kalin Lucas, 6-foot-0, Jr. G, Michigan State- The Minutemen could face the Spartans' star guard on Nov. 28 in the Legends Classic in Atlantic City. Among the best floor generals in the nation, Lucas is a big reason many people think Michigan State will make another Final Four run.

Jeremy Hazell, 6-foot-5, Jr. G, Seton Hall - Last year's No. 2 scorer in the Big East at 22.7 points will be among the tougher matchups for the Minutemen this season when they play Dec. 7.

LEGENDS CLASSIC INSTRUCTION MANUAL - Next week's games against Cornell and Arkansas Fort-Smith (Nov. 21) are the Amherst portion of the Legends Classic Tournament.

But regardless of how UMass does against the defending Ivy League champs and the Division II school, the Minutemen will advance to Atlantic City, N.J,. on Nov. 27 and 28 for the semifinals and finals/third place game of the event. Cornell, meanwhile, advances to Philadelphia for three games against Toledo, Vermont and Drexel.

Confused?

The Legends is one of scores of exempted events in November and December, which means teams can participate and have all four games count as just one toward the NCAA-mandated maximum number. So the first games actually have nothing to do with the tournament part of the event. They're simply tacked on to give participants more games and making playing in the field more attractive.

HEY REMEMBER ME I? - In that Cornell game, UMass will tangle with former Minuteman Max Groebe, who transferred to the Big Red after falling out of Travis Ford's rotation during the 2007-08 season.

HEY REMEMBER ME II & III? - When the Minutemen head to Baylor on Jan. 23, there will be two familiar faces working for the Bears.

Former UMass athletic director Ian McCaw now holds that position at Baylor, while former Minuteman associate head coach Tim Maloney is the Bears' director of basketball operations.

FORD IN NEW ENGLAND - Former Minuteman coach Ford will face a familiar foes in a familiar place. Now the coach at Oklahoma State, Ford will bring his Cowboys to play Rhode Island on Dec. 2 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

SHORTHANDED SETON HALL - The game against Seton Hall (Dec. 7, Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.) may have just gotten a little easier for UMass.

Keon Lawrence, a transfer from Missouri, was suspended indefinitely by the Pirates after he was charged as the result of a car accident. The 6-foot-2 guard was charged with driving under the influence when he was driving the wrong way on the Garden State Parkway.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.