UMass men's basketball eyes revenge against Central Connecticut
1
AMHERST - Any conversation about the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team's worst games in the 2010-11 season has to include both the 92-63 loss at Central Connecticut State and the 77-73 defeat at Fordham.
The Minutemen will try to avenge both of those results in their next two games beginning with today's 7 p.m. game against CCSU at the Mullins Center. The game completes UMass' nonconference schedule. UMass opens conference play at home against Fordham on Thursday.
Junior Javorn Farrell said that loss to Central last year still stings.
"Last year we took them lightly and we definitely didn't play our best basketball. That was probably one of the worst games I was part of in my basketball career," he said shaking his head. "We're doing a better job preparing for them."
UMass coach Derek Kellogg said he hasn't talked with his team much about that loss.
"I'm just focused about our team and trying to get better," Kellogg said. "That's really what we've worked on."
Senior center Sean Carter was trying to take a similar approach.
"We took some pretty hard ones last year in that down stretch we had. We're not going to harp on last year," he said. "We're just worrying about what's happening right now."
A year ago the Minutemen opened the season 7-0, but the loss to Central came during a 1-5 stretch that began to derail their season. At 10-3, the UMass players are hoping to avoid a similar slide.
"Our guys are in a much better frame of mind. They're more of a team and they feel good about things," said Kellogg, who hoped the team used its intersession break without classes as an opportunity to build on its strong start. "We spend a lot of time together. I think this is a group that's going to stay together and continue to play well."
Farrell agreed.
"The 10-3 start is better than any year I've been here. We're feeling a lot better," he said. "We're up here just playing basketball. We don't have a choice but to get better."
The Blue Devils are 5-6 in what's been a season of streaks for Howie Dickenman's squad. They lost their first two games, won their next five and have lost their last four, including an 85-59 loss to La Salle at home last week.
That loss came without leading scorer Ken Horton, who was out one game with an ankle injury. According to CCSU spokesman Tom Pincince, Horton will play tonight. The 6-foot-6 forward averages 9.3 rebounds and 22.5 points, which is No. 4 in the nation before Thursday's games.
NOTES - UMass is 6-0 at home, including the game at the Curry Hicks Cage, and 8-0 in Massachusetts with wins at Springfield and Boston College. ... Freddie Riley has averaged 10.4 points per game in UMass wins and 3.0 ppg in losses. Terrell Vinson has similar splits with 9.6 points in wins and 3.7 in defeat.
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.
