Key To UMass Win Vs. NIU Starts Up Top

UMass head coach Frank Martin breaks down the game within the game for Saturday's matchup against Northern Illinois.

(UMass Athletics)

UMass head coach Frank Martin pointed to guard play and ball pressure as the defining factors for Saturday’s game against Northern Illinois, starting with the matchup between the point guards.

“That young man, (Gianni) Cobb, I can see why (NIU head coach Rashon Burno) decided to put him in the lineup,” Martin told reporters earlier this week.

Cobb, Northern Illinois’ point guard, has become the focal point of that pressure, something Martin said affects far more than just the backcourt.

“That young man impacts the game in a positive way with his energy, his enthusiasm, his relentless approach,” Martin said. “His ball pressure gets people sped up.”

That disruption changes where offenses are forced to operate.

“You start playing from different parts of the floor and you dribble and play to areas of the floor where certain passes can’t be made,” he said. “And that’s what disruption is. And that’s what that young man creates.”

On the other side, Martin said his freshman point guard Danny Carbuccia (pictured) will be tested by that pressure, especially given how much responsibility falls on UMass’ guards to initiate the offense.

“Danny obviously is a freshman,” Martin said. “I think one of my staff members told me he’s top 30 in the country in assist-to-turnover (ratio). He’s a true freshman.”

Martin said the matchup between Carbuccia and Cobb could determine how the game flows.

“I think that that dynamic is going to have a lot of impact in the game,” he said. “I think that’s going to be a crucial matchup in which way the game flows.”

The result of the play up top could dictate the battle inside between Northern Illinois forward Gustav Winther and UMass big man Leonardo Bettiol.

“Leo’s established himself as a pretty good inside scorer,” Martin said. “When we’re good, he plays well. When he don’t play well, we’re usually not very good.”

Getting Bettiol the ball in the right spots depends entirely on the guards winning their battles up top, according to Martin.

“If you can’t get the ball to the right place, then Bettiol catches the ball further away from the basket,” he said. “And the further away from the basket he gets, the less efficient he is.”

It’s all connected, according to Martin.

“Our point guards can’t allow ball pressure to keep them on the half court line,” he said. “Because then you don’t catch it in the wing, you catch it high on the slot.”

Avoiding fouls is the other non-negotiable against the Huskies, particularly against guards Dylan Ducommun and Makhai Valentine, who Martin said can change games at the free throw line.

“We’ve got to make sure that we do not foul,” Martin said. “Those two guys are going to drive the ball.”

Fouling will allow Northern Illinois to dictate the game and helping too much only creates new problems, particularly with shooters like Valentine (#1) and Taj Walters (#6) spacing the floor.

“#1 and #6 shoot 40 percent from the three-point line,” Martin said. “Those guys start making threes, so now you’re late on closeouts…Every game I watch, (Valentine) shoots six free throws a game on getting fouled on two different three-pointers.

“You’ve got to be able to stay close to bodies there. You can’t put them on the line because when they’re shooting free throws, their defense sets and when their defense sets, the level of effort that they play with jumps through the screen when you’re watching film. We’ve got to make sure that we do not allow them to set their defense.”

UMass wants to race its opponents down the floor when it gets the ball.

“I just believe in pace,” said Martin. “I believe in trying to beat the defense down the court.

“I believe the game is played at the rim and out, not out and to the rim. So we’re always trying to attack the rim as early as we can. That’s where the pace comes from. Because once the defense gets set, it’s really hard to get to the rim. We’re trying to beat people down the court so we can attack the rim before their defense sets.”

For Martin, the keys to the game are simple, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy.

“We can’t let their ball pressure impact our offense. We’ve got to make sure that we do not allow them to set their defense.”

The game tips at 3 p.m. at Northern Illinois and can be seen on ESPN+.

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