UMass Seeks Its First MAC Win...Again
The Minutemen will look to notch their first league win of the season at home on Saturday against Bowling Green.
UMass returns home Saturday still searching for its first Mid-American Conference win, and Bowling Green represents another early measuring stick as the Minutemen continue to adjust to league play.
The Minutemen (9-5, 0-2) enter the 2 p.m. matchup at the Mullins Center coming off a frustrating road loss at Eastern Michigan, a game that exposed many of the same issues head coach Frank Martin has been hammering since conference play began; defense, discipline and physical engagement.
Martin was more pointed about the fundamentals that slipped in the Minutemen’s most recent lost. UMass struggled to defend the ball, fouled at a high rate and failed to control the interior, things Martin has pointed to as consistently showing up when his team faces bigger, more physical teams.
“We don’t handle physicality,” Martin said. “We don’t defend. Our guards were bad defensively. They got big guards and we just didn’t defend. Then our centers are zero in the middle of the zone. You put somebody on the line 40 times, you’ve got no chance to win.”
The Minutemen will certainly need to defend on Saturday.
Bowling Green (10-4, 1-1) has been one of the more efficient offensive teams in the league and has proven comfortable playing at a fast pace. The Falcons have consistently scored, including three games with 120-plus points this season. They arrive having lost a home game to Miami-Ohio, but won seven of eight prior to that.
The Minutemen have found rhythm offensively, where their ball movement and shot-making have been more consistent, but Martin has made it clear that scoring alone will not be enough against teams that can impose their will physically.
Martin pointed to foul discipline as a lingering issue, noting that many of the fouls UMass commits are avoidable and not the product of playing hard or aggressive defense.
“We commit the worst fouls in the history of mankind,” he said after Eastern Michigan. “They’re not physical fouls. They’re all bad fouls. Somehow, some way, we’ve got to figure that part out.”
Bowling Green’s ability to generate offense and get to the free-throw line will test whether those lessons have been grasped. The Falcons have shown an ability to turn defensive pressure into quick scoring runs, and UMass cannot afford long stretches of empty possessions paired with defensive breakdowns.
Bowling Green features a balanced attack with guards Javontae Campbell (15.6), Josiah Shackelford (11.3) and Javon Ruffin (10.1) averaging in double-figures along with forwards Sam Towns (13.6) and Mayar Wol (10.8).
UMass is led by guard Marcus Banks Jr., who is averaging 16.2 points per game, forward Leo Bettiol, who is averaging 15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, and forward Daniel Hankins-Sanford, who is averaging 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds.
But Martin has not shied away from calling out his starters.
“When your starters don’t give you anything, it’s really hard to win,” Martin said. “They’re starters for a reason. They’ve got to play that way.”
That sentiment hangs over Saturday’s matchup. UMass needs to find some consistency as it navigates its first MAC season. Bowling Green provides another opportunity to show progress, particularly on the defensive end, where Martin believes the group’s ceiling ultimately lies.
“We’ve got a good group of guys,” Martin said. “I like the guys. I’m disappointed in some of the lack of desire to engage in that game on the road, but we’ve got to figure out a way to get home and figure out a way to get our first conference win.”
Saturday offers that chance, but only if the fixes Martin has outlined translate from film room to floor. Against a Bowling Green team that is comfortable scoring and comfortable playing through contact, UMass will need far more than flashes to turn effort into results.
The game can be seen on ESPN+.
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