AMHERST - University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Derek Kellogg hopes for an effort similar to Wednesday's with a better result on Saturday when the Minutemen face Rhode Island at 2 p.m. at the Ryan Center.

UMass is coming off Wednesday's 87-79 loss at home to Xavier, a game where the Minutemen erased a 17-point halftime deficit and took the lead before falling.

"We have to keep trying to get better every day," Kellogg said. "We need to bring the effort we brought in the second half for 40 minutes,"

That holds particularly true for senior guard Ricky Harris, who struggled in the first half Wednesday as he was forced to play point guard because David Gibbs is out with a broken left foot. But Harris scored 20 of his 24 points after intermission to spark the Minutemen.

"He didn't have a good first half, but in the second half he was the best player on the floor," Kellogg said. "We need him to play well."

Saturday marks the end of a the toughest three-game stretch in conference play for UMass. The Minutemen (8-14, 2-6 Atlantic 10) lost back-to-back games to NCAA Tournament contenders Charlotte and Xavier before tangling with the Rams who are 18-3 overall (6-2 Atlantic 10).

Kellogg said the stretch has not been fun, but he's glad the league is tough.

"It would be nice to have a game that you're supposed to win or where you're the more talented team," Kellogg said. "But there are four or five teams in this league positioned to make the NCAA Tournament and that's good for everybody."

The Rams are in good shape for a tournament bid, ranked No. 11 in the ratings percentage index. They are second in the conference in scoring at 78.1 points per game. "With the way they pressure you, you're going to get some open shots and you have to make them," Kellogg said. "I don't want to get into a total track meet. We have to push and be smart."

UMass, which has had its shots blocked all season, is facing the conference leader in swats. Rhode Island has averaged 5.8 blocks per game despite not having a single player among the league's top 10 shot-blockers. Four different Rams are averaging at least one blocked shot per game.

Keith Cothran has emerged as the go-to-guy for Rhode Island on offense this season at 16.1 points per game, which is eighth in the Atlantic 10. Cothran broke out last year against the Minutemen with 26 points in the final game of the regular season.

Lamonte Ulmer is a force inside for the Rams. The 6-foot-6 forward is averaging 12 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

CORREIA HOMECOMING - Saturday's game represents not only a trip to his home state for Gary Correia of Providence, but also a return to the site of his best collegiate game. Correia had a career-high 12 points on four 3-pointers last year at the Ryan Center.

HARRIS CLIMBING - Barring an injury, a significant increase in his scoring average or a postseason run by the Minutemen, Harris is likely to finish his career at No. 4 on the all-time UMass scoring list. He could reach that on Saturday.

Harris enters the game at No. 6 with 1,728 points, three behind No. 5 Lorenzo Sutton (1,731) and 16 behind former teammate Rashaun Freeman, who is fourth at 1,744 points.

No. 3 is Lou Roe with 1,905. At Harris' current scoring average of 18.1, the Minutemen would need two Atlantic 10 Tournament games for him to catch Roe. Harris would need to average 22.1 points per game to catch Roe in the regular season.

SCOREBOARD WATCHING - There are five teams including UMass in the Atlantic 10 with two wins in conference play. The other four play each other as Duquesne (11-11, 2-6 A-10) is at George Washington (12-9, 2-6 A-10) on Saturday, while St. Bonaventure (9-11, 2-5 A-10) is at Saint Joseph's (8-14, 2-6 A-10) in a game rescheduled to Sunday by a snowstorm.

One of those five, along with Fordham (0-8 A-10) will likely miss next month's conference tournament.

BONNER IN SPRINGFIELD - A pair of former Minuteman big men will square off against each other at 7 p.m. Saturday in Springfield.

Luke Bonner, who recently signed with the Austin Toros, could be matched up against his former teammate Dante Milligan of the Springfield Armor.

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.