The UMass men’s basketball team hits the road for its second consecutive Atlantic 10 Conference road contest on Wednesday night against Loyola Chicago. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will air on CBS-Sports Network.

Entering Wednesday’s game, the Minutemen are 4-0 following losses this season, winning those games by an average margin of over 20 points. On Saturday, UMass lost to Rhode Island 89-77 as it played without its best player in Matt Cross.

Cross left last week’s game against La Salle with a left ankle injury, which forced him to miss the contest with the Rams. Because of that, freshmen forwards Tyler Mason and Tarique Foster saw brief action off the bench, and sophomore Daniel Hankins-Sanford slid into the starting lineup. Hankins-Sanford (10 points, six boards) played well, but there wasn’t a reliable option behind him. The Minutemen’s depth took a big hit once Cross was ruled out.

UMass (11-5, 2-2) also went small at times, with Jayden Ndjigue playing sparing minutes at the four-spot when head coach Frank Martin decided to use a four-guard lineup. Five players scored in double figures for the Minutemen, led by Josh Cohen’s 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Jaylen Curry netted 14 points and four assists off the bench, contributing all but six of the Minutemen’s 20 points from non-starters. Rahsool Diggins and Keon Thompson scored 12 apiece, but the two starting guards combined to shoot 7-for-24 and only had two assists between them.

If Cross continues to miss time, Diggins and Thompson have to be better given they are the two longest tenured UMass players aside from Cross. And that needs to start Wednesday against the Ramblers.

Loyola Chicago (11-6, 3-1) is one of five Atlantic 10 teams with three conference wins – UMass has already played two of the others (Dayton and URI). The Ramblers are coming off a 78-75 win at Saint Joseph’s, where sophomore guard Jayden Dawson scored 20 points and senior forward Philip Alston added 18. 

Over its last six games, Loyola Chicago is giving up just 61 points per contest, resulting in a 5-1 record over that span. Offense was a struggle for UMass against the Rams despite the 77 points on Saturday. The Minutemen recorded only nine assists on 27 made field goals, and every bucket was hard-earned. That’s once again expected to be the case Wednesday considering the Ramblers’ recent string of defensive success.

Aside from Dawson and Alston, Loyola Chicago also leans on junior guard Desmond Watson (12.4 points per game) and senior guard Braden Norris (9.1 points, team-high 4.8 assists per game) on the offensive end.

Minutewomen host Loyola Chicago

While the men head out to take on the Ramblers, the women stay right at home to do the same. UMass has played extremely well over the past several weeks for head coach Mike Leflar, but that has yet to translate to wins for the Minutewomen (3-14, 1-4).

Over their last three games, the Minutewomen have either had leads in the fourth quarter or been within two possessions, but they’ve lost each one – all against Atlantic 10 opponents.

On Saturday, UMass entered the final frame with a 47-42 lead against La Salle, but was outscored 28-17 over the last 10 minutes to drop its fifth game in six tries. Bre Bellamy played one of her best games this season with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Stefanie Kulesza (12 points, nine rebounds, four assists) and Alexsia Rose (12 points, four assists) also played well for the Minutewomen. Chinenye Odenigdo recorded a career-high 10 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench.

Loyola Chicago (8-8, 2-3) is fresh off a home loss to VCU and sits a game above UMass in the A-10 standings. Alyssa Fisher and Sam Galanopoulos are the Ramblers’ leading scorers, both sitting at just north of 12 points per contest. Fisher, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, has had four games of 20 or more points, including a season-high 28 against Saint Louis on Jan. 3.

Since then, she’s scored a combined nine points over her last three contests, so she’s due for another breakout performance. Rose and Kristin Williams will have their hands full with Fisher and Galanopoulos on the perimeter.

The Loyola Chicago forwards don’t do too much scoring, however, so Kulesza, Bellamy, and Lilly Taulelei all have the potential to impact the game on both ends of the floor.

Tip-off for Wednesday’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Mullins Center and will air on NESN-Plus.