The Massachusetts and Rhode Island men’s basketball teams met just over a month ago, but when they square off for the second time on Saturday in Kingston, UMass’ squad will look much different from the one it had during the first meeting. 

Minuteman forward Matt Cross suffered a knee injury during Tuesday’s loss against Loyola Chicago and will be out on Saturday. Brandon Martin more than likely will miss the game as well after suffering an elbow injury against La Salle last Saturday. 

Cross and Martin both started during UMass’ 75-65 win over the Rams, Cross playing 33 minutes and scoring 22 points while Martin had eight points and five boards in 21 minutes. 

While Cross seems to have avoided major injury, according to Minuteman coach Frank Martin during Thursday’s media availability, there is no timetable for when he may return.  

“He’s getting some film done of his knee today but the prognosis is that he avoided any major injury,” Martin said of Cross. “Which is great news for him and great news for us. Does he get back on the court this year where we’re so close to the end of the year? I don’t know. With sprains, it’s a non-surgical issue. It’s not pain tolerance but you have to let the ligament heal. This is coach talking, not Dr. Martin, but those things can be two weeks but everyone is different. J.J. Barea sprained a knee at Northeastern and played six days later. Knowing Matt he’d play tomorrow if someone would clear him. I don't have a timetable on him.”

While Brandon Martin is improving, Frank Martin doesn’t believe he’ll be good to go against URI. 

“Brandon stretched the UCL, which is the Tommy John ligament,” Martin said. “It’s not torn. He could have ran but he couldn’t pass or shoot. It’s his right arm and he’s right handed. It makes you handicapped on the court. He felt better this morning than he did two days ago. I don’t think he’ll play Saturday.”

Martin provided an update on point guard Noah Fernandez on Thursday, who hasn’t suited up for UMass since Jan. 11 with an ankle injury, though don’t expect him back anytime soon. 

“He had a CAT scan done,” Martin said. “He and I have been texting about the baby, not the ankle. I haven’t asked Dave, our trainer, about the results of the CAT scan. I have to think those results are back and if they would have been negative I would have been called on right away. Knock on wood I’m hoping everything is OK there. I think he’s back today but I was gone all day today. Even if that CAT scan comes back negative I don’t see him playing this week. Maybe conference tournament but that’s wishful thinking.”

With the absence of multiple key players, the Minutemen will need multiple players to step up if they want to end their five-game skid. 

TJ Weeks, Dyondre Dominguez, Keon Thompson, Wildens Leveque, Isaac Kante and RJ Luis each logged over 20 minutes against Loyola on Wednesday while Tafara Gapare and Rahsool Diggins are two other players who will be playing key roles as UMass waits for its players to get back to full health. 

Thompson, Weeks, Kante and Wildens closed out the game against Loyola, with Martin saying that those four will most likely be in the starting lineup Saturday. 

“It’s why I try to play a lot of guys,” Martin said. “You have to keep guys ready to go. Players all want to play. I tell players all the time that their job is to make me play you. It’s not my job to play you. Some guys make me play them. Other guys want to play but they haven’t made me play them. Well now they’re going to play. Now you get your opportunity and that’s what life is all about. They’ll have an opportunity to go out there and compete. I’m not pessimistic about it’ I’m optimistic because I see them play every day. Now they get their chance.” 

The Minutemen won’t be the only shorthanded team on Saturday. Brayon Freeman, who was averaging 14.3 points-per-game for the Rams, was dismissed from the team earlier this week. 

In their first game without Freeman on Wednesday against VCU, the top team in the Atlantic 10, URI nearly pulled off an upset, falling 55-54. Ishmael Leggett scored 21 points while Jalen Carey added 13 points, with those two players being guys UMass will be looking to contain. 

“It will be different than the first meeting,” Martin said. “They’re missing a guy who scores a lot of points for them. I watched them [against VCU on Wednesday]. It’s not my place to comment on other teams and what makes them good or bad but I thought they were very good defensively. Offensively I thought they took better shots. They got the ball into Leggett and Jalen Carey’s hands and they took better shots. Not my place to comment on why but that’s what I saw.” 

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in Kingston. 

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