UMass To Face Toughest Test Yet
The Minutemen will be on the road tonight facing unbeaten Miami-Ohio
UMass heads back on the road Tuesday night with another close-game test awaiting, this time against one of the hottest teams in the country.
The Minutemen travel to Oxford, Ohio, for a 9 p.m. tip against #25 Miami-Ohio at Millett Hall, a matchup that pits a battle-tested UMass group against an unbeaten RedHawks team riding a historic start.
The game can be seen on ESPNU.
UMass enters the night at 13-8 overall and 4-5 in MAC play, fresh off a 68-67 road win at Buffalo and an 84-82 home victory over Toledo. Nine of the Minutemen’s conference games have been decided by a combined 36 points, a reflection of a team that has lived late into games and seems to be learning how to navigate tight margins.
That composure has been driven by balance.
Graduate forward Leonardo Bettiol leads the Minutemen with 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while Marcus Banks Jr. averages 16.2 points and ranks among the MAC’s most prolific perimeter shooters. Daniel Hankins-Sanford continues to anchor the interior, averaging 11.7 points and 7.2 rebounds while owning eight double-doubles, the second-most in the league.
UMass has also leaned into efficiency on both ends. The Minutemen lead the MAC in opponent three-point percentage at 29.2 percent, rank second in rebounding margin at plus-6.1 and sit third in the league in assists per game at 17.6. Freshman guard Danny Carbuccia has been central to that flow, averaging 6.0 assists per game with one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the country.
Miami presents a different kind of challenge.
The RedHawks are 20-0 overall and 8-0 in conference play, extending their winning streak with a 107-101 overtime victory at Kent State last week. That win secured the best start in program history and placed Miami among the final undefeated teams in the country.
Offensively, Miami has overwhelmed opponents with pace and shot-making. The RedHawks rank first nationally in scoring offense at 94.6 points per game, field goal percentage at 54.0 percent and effective field goal percentage. They have scored 100 or more points seven times this season and enter the night riding a 26-game home winning streak.
Brant Byers leads the team at 15.2 points per game, while Peter Suder and Eian Elmer provide frontcourt punch and rebounding. Miami also protects the ball at an elite level, committing fewer than 10 turnovers in six games and forcing opponents into mistakes that fuel transition offense.
The matchup will test UMass’ ability to stay disciplined defensively against one of the most efficient attacks in the country, while continuing to execute late as it has recently.
The programs have met twice previously, with UMass winning both contests during a brief home-and-home series in 2013 and 2014. This will be the first meeting since then and the first as MAC opponents.
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