Rhode Island vs. UMass: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
The Rhode Island Rams will travel to Mullins Center to take on the UMass Minutemen in an Atlantic-10 conference showdown. These two teams met twice last season, with Rhode Island winning both times.
TV Schedule: January 13th, 7:00 pm ET. ESPN +
Arena: The Mullins Center in Amherst, MA.
The Rhode Island Rams have won three of their last four games. The Rams are 6-6 and 3-2 in conference play. They hope to advance their record above .500 and continue their hot streak into Wednesday night.
Last time out, Rhode Island went on the road and defeated VCU 83-68. Fatts Russell led the Rams with 23 points in the victory. Jeremy Sheppard added a career-high 20 points and seven rebounds. The Rams also have conference wins over St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph’s.
Rhode Island is averaging 73.8 points on the season. Individually, Russell leads the team with 15.5 points. They currently rank 69th in the nation, according to the KenPom rankings.
The Minutemen are soaring offensively. Although they ranked eighth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, the Minutemen are averaging 86.2 points on the season.
The Minutemen’s top returning player is preseason all-conference first-team selection Tre Mitchell, a 6’9 sophomore who averaged 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season. This season he is averaging 20.7 points and 7.2 rebounds through the first six games this season.
The Minutemen currently ranks 114th in the nation, according to the KenPom rankings. They’re 3-3 on the season and are coming off an 83-67 win over La Salle, leading by 24 points at the midway point. Four players reached double figures, led by Carl Pierre and Cairo McCrory each scoring 15 points.
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Although UMass has a better record than Rhode Island, the Rams have played more than double the amount of games and have faced nationally ranked teams throughout non-conference play. The Rams are a much tougher defensive team and if they can avoid foul trouble and turnovers, I like them as a favorite on the road.