UMass over Boston College tonight 76-74.
Their slow start surprised me, but I think my conference time they are going to be one of the top MAC teams.
+1. With all their transfers (I know, a lot of teams can say that!) it seems like they needed more time to gel. But I think they could challenge for the 2nd spot behind Akron.
In related MAC news, Miami finally played a half-decent team and needed OT to get the win.
What impressed me most about the UMass win was that after they were up big in the second half (14?), BC went on a major run to take a 5-6 point lead. My thinking was here we go, BC’s going to blow them out of the gym. Didn’t happen. The Minutemen got it together and came back to win. They seemed to have quite a few pieces and I was impressed with them, including their big. In my opinion, even it was just one game, they may very well challenge Akron for the top spot in the conference.
Frank Martin is an excellent coach.
Many of the good MAC teams (Akron, Miami, Kent even UB) score 80-plus points a game. Not sure UMass can handle that over the course of the MAC season, especially on the road.
But their odds improve greatly on Cleveland's neutral court. Every year there is one MAC team you want to see lose its first MAC Tournament game, ... or you may not beat them at all.
This season, right now, I would say UMass could be that team.
They remind me of a couple past Kent teams; athletic, above the rim and tough. And those teams always seemed to get better/tougher to beat as the season wore on.
Last Edited: 12/11/2025 6:47:37 PM by OUcat