On Jan. 27, the Massachusetts men’s basketball team challenged the No. 23 Miami RedHawks on their home floor, ultimately losing 86-84.
Missing a historic upset by one possession certainly left the Minutemen (15-11, 6-7 Mid-American) wanting a second chance. They’ll have that opportunity, hosting Miami (25-0, 12-0 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m.
Though the RedHawks are the final undefeated team in the country, they haven’t looked indestructible at any point this season, totaling five one-possession wins so far this year. If UMass cleans up its mistakes from the previous matchup, a “David vs Goliath” story could come to fruition in Amherst.
The most glaring issue in the Minutemen’s visit to Oxford was their undisciplined fouling. Miami scored its final seven points of the game at the charity stripe and went 28-of-38 at the line overall.
This has been a season-long issue for UMass, currently ranking a deplorable 350th in defensive free-throw rate according to KenPom. If the Minutemen can control this vice, it’ll slow down one of the hottest offenses in the country and significantly help their late-game offense.
Marcus Banks Jr. fouled out with 1:25 left in the first matchup against the RedHawks. This left UMass without its best shooter in a game it dominated from 3-point range early on, going 7-of-11 from deep in the first half. Banks Jr. ended the game with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
Leonardo Bettiol is another crucial piece of the Minutemen offense that needs to stay on the floor. While the Abilene Christian transfer averages 4.8 fouls per 40 minutes of play, he draws an average of seven fouls in the same time frame.
If he can counteract his aggressive offense with smart defensive positioning, he can singlehandedly tip the scales in the free-throw battle. This could also force Miami to go deeper into its bench, potentially disrupting the tight seven-man rotation that RedHawks head coach Travis Steele typically runs.
Even if he isn’t drawing fouls, Bettiol’s low-post shot creation and rebounding are vital to his team’s success. In UMass’ first matchup with Miami, the Italian center led the visitors with a 22-point, 16-rebound double-double.
“Part of our game plan going in was ‘We have to offensive rebound’,” head coach Frank Martin said. “[Bettiol] was a one-man rebounding team.”
It’s safe to assume Martin’s Minutemen will be directed to dominate the glass again, but they’ll need more contributors to this effort on Tuesday. Daniel Hankins-Sanford and Jayden Ndjigue have gotten after offensive boards throughout the season, each grabbing 57 second chances this season, second only to Bettiol. Consistent crashes from those starters, as well as bench bigs like Dimitri Clerc and Luka Damjanac, could give the hosts a meaningful rebounding advantage.
Peter Suder helped the RedHawks rival UMass in second chances during their first matchup, grabbing four offensive rebounds. The senior guard also added nine assists, still acting as a motor of the offense on a night where his shot wasn’t falling.
Since Suder’s 3-of-10 performance against the Minutemen, he’s shot 61.4% from the field in his last four games, a dangerous player to be hot coming to the Mullins Center.
Suder and Brant Byers, Miami’s two leading scorers, shot a combined 5-of-17 on Jan. 27. They still made a significant impact on offense by drawing 21 free throw attempts, meaning UMass will have to be extra careful when either of these players puts the ball on the floor.
Eian Elmer was one player who could say they were hot against UMass, going off for 30 points while shooting 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. Elmer, Byers and Suder are all players to watch out for in self-created and catch-and-shoot threes, all shooting over 40% from outside. While the Minutemen have held teams to 31.9% from deep this year, a premier shooting team like the RedHawks requires defensive intentionality to take good looks away at all times.
UMass’ second faceoff with unbeaten Miami comes on its home floor Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. The game will be available to watch live on ESPN+.
Tym Brown can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @tym_brown1.
