AMHERST – UMass’ Atlantic 10 Conference-opening men’s basketball loss at St. Bonaventure on Saturday didn’t fit the Minutemen. Much like the team’s previous defeats against Towson, UMass Lowell and North Texas, UMass (9-4, 0-1 A-10) strayed from its identity. The Minutemen didn’t play like themselves.

“The St. Bonaventure moment wasn't a consistent moment. That was an aberration,” UMass coach Frank Martin said. “Now we don't act like ‘ah, no big deal.’ No, that was bad. Our mindset was bad. We were all in our feelings. We got what we deserve for deviating from who we've been.”

That clarity of intent has focused UMass for much of the season. The Minutemen know who Martin wants them to be and who they need to be against Saint Louis in their A-10 home opener at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday as part of a doubleheader with the Minutewomen, which host Rhode Island at 5 p.m. (NESN/ESPN-Plus for both).

“That’s our response, get back to doing what led us to wins,” UMass forward Isaac Kante said. “It's uncomfortable being who you are not. We just want to keep our team identity what it is, because that's what led us to be a winning team during the non conference. You just want to continue doing that.”

They’re hosting a Saint Louis team finding its footing. The Billikens (9-5, 1-0 A-10) won their league opener at Saint Joseph’s after stumbling through a 1-3 stretch to end non-conference play.

They’re the conference’s highest scoring team at 76.8 points per game and own the A-10’s second best field goal percentage defense (39.6 percent). Saint Louis hits 75.9 percent of its free throws and leads the league in total rebounds (41.4 per game) and defensive boards (29.2). The Billikens also have the conference’s best assist to turnover ration (1.42) and most assists (16.86 per game).

Gibson Jimerson leads four Billikens averaging double figures scoring 13.4 points per game. Yuri Collins (12), Javon Pickett (11.4) and Javonte Perkins (10.5) join him.

“You can’t be late. They’ve got the ultimate green light, and they’re high-level shooters,” Martin said.

Collins is the engine for Saint Louis’ hot rod offense. He leads the nation averaging 10.6 assists per game. That’s more than two assists higher than anyone else in the country.

“When he gets downhill, he's a major problem because he's an elite passer when he's driving the basketball,” Martin said. “Guys that drive to score, it’s easy to guard them. Guys that drive to pass, they put unbelievable stress on the defense because he can make layups, and he makes enough 3s where you have to guard him. If he gets downhill, he sees every spot on the court, and he knows where to go with the ball.”

UMass will have to defend the Billikens without their anchor. Wildens Leveque missed the St. Bonaventure game with knee tendonitis and won’t be available for a few weeks to rest the tendon. He’d been battling the condition for about a month and was tolerating a lot of pain.

“It wasn’t fair for him to keep playing with that discomfort,” Martin said.

That will put more defensive onus on Kante, who started his first game of the season against the Bonnies and posted a double-double. The graduate transfer has been The Guy at both Hofstra and LIU and knows what that means.

“Definitely more to shoulder but I've been in this position my whole college career,” Kante said. “It’s more of a responsibility, but I should be fine. I’ve been here before.”

UMass will also shift smaller to lineups with Dyondre Dominguez at center and utilize the team’s athleticism.

The Minutemen will have backup point guard Rahsool Diggins available after he missed the St. Bonaventure game to be with his girlfriend for the birth of their child. Diggins, a UConn transfer, started in place of point guard Noah Fernandes when he missed five games with an ankle injury.

Fernandes returned against the Bonnies and led UMass in scoring despite battling foul trouble.

“It's definitely needed. Noah was like the leader of our team. We moved to his beat,” Kante said. “We felt like we were missing something when he was out.”

Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.]]>