UMass Basketball: McCall’s strategy effective in win over Davidson

Coach McCall and the UMass Minutemen found their footing in a major way following a catastrophic loss.

With or without your best player, you can’t allow the 0-8 Fordham Rams to build up a 30-point lead on your home floor. Period. Yet, with star guard Luwane Pipkins nursing a hamstring injury, that’s exactly what the UMass Minutemen let happen in what may qualify as their most embarrassing loss of the season last Wednesday (a case could easily be made for the Howard loss as well).

Entering the contest at 1-8 themselves, the Minutemen could hardly be considered intimidating, but it was expected that they would at least have the pride to defend home-court against the one team in the conference below them. The more cynical voices in the fan base expressed doubts about securing a victory with Pipkins absent, but even they wouldn’t have believed how the game actually turned out. UMass didn’t just lose – they got absolutely hosed, and it seemed like they must have spent the previous days’ practice doing zombie impressions.

After the debacle (I won’t call it a “game”), an at once furious and exhausted Matt McCall took much of the blame upon himself, but he also was not shy about calling it the worst effort that he had ever been a part of. He bemoaned the fact that a lot of players on the roster were more focused on their individual image and statistics than the success of the team, and he emphasized the general sense of entitlement in the locker room.

In a risky maneuver that could have lost him the team entirely, he decided to relocate practice from the state-of-the-art Champions Center to the rickety and outdated Curry Hicks Cage. The players would have the opportunity to play in their beloved facilities again, he said, but earning that privilege back would be a challenge.

On Saturday, as UMass prepared to host the 8-1 Davidson Wildcats, Luwane Pipkins remained sidelined. The obstacles, combined with their recent performances, left little room for optimism concerning any turnaround in the team’s immediate future. It was almost unanimously accepted that they would end up with another loss, but the hope in Amherst was that they would finally show some fight and keep the margin of defeat in respectable territory.

Whatever it was that went on between the Fordham and Davidson games – perhaps the forced change of scenery during practice – the UMass team that took the floor on Saturday was a far cry from the one that showed up on Wednesday. Not only were their shots falling, but, even more encouragingly, they displayed a level of heart that had been absent for the vast majority of conference play.

In addition to holding the league’s most explosive offense to 51 points – and future NBA player Kellan Grady to 1-8 from the floor – the Minutemen moved the ball fluidly and finally appeared connected as a unit overall. Carl Pierre led the way with 23 points, but role-players like Samba Diallo and Unique Mclean also provided effective minutes (combined 14 rebounds and 6 assists), and it was Keon Clergeot’s 3-pointer with 4 seconds left that served as the dagger.

Upon the sound of the final buzzer, McCall’s Minutemen had secured the biggest upset in A10 play to date, and they demonstrated their potential to compete with anybody in the conference when they’re locked in on a common goal.

Especially since it came without Pipkins’ help, the Davidson win could certainly be the first step in UMass becoming the team that many currently disappointed fans expected at the beginning of the season.

As a team that’s consistently struggled to follow up victories with inspired efforts, however, it will be essential for them to maintain their focus leading up to a date with the 7-3 George Mason Patriots. If they’re able to come out of that contest feeling connected and confident, they’ll have a real opportunity to gain momentum heading into March.