After dropping a 74-73 shocker to the Mid-American’s bottom-ranked Ball State Cardinals, the Massachusetts men’s basketball team has now lost five straight. With four minutes remaining, UMass (15-14, 6-10 MAC) big man Leonardo Bettiol was called for his fifth foul, depriving the Minutemen of their top scorer and rebounder when they needed him most. It was the third straight game the Italy native fouled out, the crescendo of a crisis building all season.
Bettiol picked up just one foul in the first half as UMass built a double-digit lead over the Cardinals (9-19, 4-11 MAC). With 10 minutes left and the game seemingly in hand for the visitors, a familiar problem returned.
Bettiol picked up a pair of shooting fouls within a minute of one another, forcing head coach Frank Martin to sit him down. As Ball State mounted a comeback, the graduate student checked back in and sank a few signature jump hooks, giving the Minutemen some breathing room.
With four minutes left, Bettiol shoulder checked Davion Hill while helping on a drive, earning him his fourth foul. On the next play, a frustrated Bettiol drove hard to the rim, bowling over the Cardinal’s Armoni Zeigler. The shot fell, the whistle was blown, and the Italian turned to the referee, expecting an and-1. Instead, the official signaled a charge, and Bettiol’s night ended prematurely for the third straight game.
Towards the end of games, the pace often slows down and teams go to their primary offensive engines to grind out points. For the Minutemen, that player is Bettiol. The Roncade native thrives offensively in crunch time, delivering huge points in wins against Toledo, Buffalo and nearly closing out Miami (OH) singlehandedly.
The problem with his late-game heroics is that he’s often not around to do them. Bettiol averages about 3.6 fouls a night, the 10th most in the country, and is second in total fouls with 104. Late in games, Martin must choose between keeping his best player on the floor and risking the fifth foul or sitting him and losing momentum.
There is no easy answer. In the Feb. 17 matchup with the RedHawks, Martin sat Bettiol after his third foul and Miami (OH) made a run with him out. Against the Bulls next game, Martin kept him in, only for the center to foul out.
“I left [Bettiol] in [Saturday], and he goes and picks up his fourth foul reaching in near the half-court line,” Martin said. “You’re trapping the ball, not trying to steal the ball, to get the ball out of the point guard’s hands so he can’t drive. And [Bettiol] went out there, and he just slapped the guy in the face.
With a minute and a half left in overtime, UMass desperately needed a bucket to halt a Ball State run. One of the Minutemen’s most reliable actions this season has been the high pick and roll, with Bettiol screening for point guard Danny Carbuccia. The combination of Carbuccia’s extraordinary timing on downhill passes and Bettiol’s touch around the rim has gelled together to render many competent defenses helpless.
Without the Abilene Christian transfer in the game, the team nonetheless went back to its bread and butter, with Dimitri Clerc stepping into the screener role. While Carbuccia timed his pass perfectly, his target was unprepared, fumbling the ball into the waiting hands of Hill.
Center depth has been a major weakness for UMass all season. The team’s identity has been heavily tied to rebounding, making it advantageous to play Daniel Hankins-Sanford at the four next to a more traditional big. When Bettiol is off the floor, however, the Minutemen’s backup options can’t replicate his impact to a degree that sustains momentum.
Luka Damjanac has been the typical option to back up Bettiol off the bench. The 6-foot-10 sophomore has exhibited some progress over the season, but is not a scoring threat and is prone to defensive lapses.
Clerc, who earned the start in Hankins-Sanford’s place on Tuesday, showed promise late in non-conference play. Since then, he has played only sparingly during UMass’ MAC slate and has lacked the confidence displayed during his impactful games in Dec.
The Minutemen hope to have Bettiol for the whole game on Saturday, Feb. 28 against Bowling Green. That game will tip off in Ohio at 2:00 pm and be available to stream live on ESPN+.
Coleman Smith-Rakoff can be reached at [email protected]
