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[Fudd]

Per WH of the A10 board:

http://www.basketballforum.com/atlan...achusetts.html

MASSACHUSETTS

The key to the Minutemen's success is to get better point guard play (13th in the A-10 in assists); take higher percentage shots and make more of them (40.2% FG, 13th in the A-10; 30.1% 3PG, 11th); make better decisions at every spot on the floor (12th in turnover margin); play better defense, especially on the perimeter (37% 3pg defense was the worst in the league); and find another go-to scorer to replace Ricky Harris.

Quite a list, all right, but not surprising for a struggling second-year coach who was managing a team filled mostly with freshmen and transfers. Some of the problems can be fixed simply through experience. Older players tend to shoot a higher percentage and take better care of the ball, particularly when they've been together for a few years. Defense is about will and effort, however, and there will be no excuses this season if Kellogg can't coax his players to supply more of each.

The jury is still out on Kellogg as a head coach. He has shown an excellent ability to recruit high-level players and this is the year we should start to see some marked progress. Umass has a heralded sophomore class and several potential stars with Terrell Vinson inside and Freddie Riley outside. Javorn Farrell is a classic glue player with toughness and defensive lockdown ability. THe Minutemen has lots of size and athleticism and were one of the best rebounding teams in the league by season's end. A coach like Majerus or Dunphy could squeeze nine or ten wins out of this talent, but Kellogg has yet to show that he's a legit Division 1 coach - big wins over Kansas and Memphis nothwitstanding.

Kellogg is certainly primed to get off to a good start with a "training wheels" schedule. UMass does not leave New England a single time during the nonconference slate.

NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE

W - RIDER
W - SACRED HEART
L - NEW MEXICO STATE (Springfield Tip-off Classic)
W - TCU (Springfield Tip-off Classic)
W - AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL
L - BC (Boston Garden)
w - HOLY CROSS
L - At Quinipiac
W - MAINE
L - SETON HALL
W - CENTRAL FLORIDA
W - BOSTON UNIVERSITY
W - At Central Conn. State

NONCONFERENCE RECORD: 9-4.


The Minutemen should get a decent test to start the season from a less talented but experienced Rider team capable of pulling an upset. Sacred Heart is the next sacrificial lamb.

UMass head to nearby Springfield for a pair of winnable games, but I call for a split. New Mexico State lost a terrific backcourt to graduation, but the team had a summer trip to Canada and there's plenty of talent here. TCU is still in rebuiding mode. Hard for me to see two teams from the West winning both games vs. their New England host.

After dusting off American International, UMass heads to Boston for a clash with BC. The Minutemen clearly have more talent, but BC has the better coach. Should be a win, but I play it safe. Next is a rebuilding Holy Cross, which fired its first-year coach after a losing season. Should be a relatively easy win.

Quinnipiac, which won 20-plus games last season, has one of the best post players no one has heard of in Justin Rutty. UMass is definitely more talented, and fans would hate to lose to coach Tom Moore (a onetime candidate for the UMass job), but it's a road game and the Q faithful will be all fired up.

Umass returns home for four straight games. Maine returns most starters from a 19-win team and cannot be taken lightly. Seton Hall has one of its better teams in recent years, but UMass really needs this game. I just can't imagine this team going through its noncon slate with fewer than three losses, however. It reflects my lack of faith in Kellogg.

Central Florida returns all five starters and hired away's Marshall's fine young coach. This could be an upset, especially if UMass beats Hall the game before, but home cooking prevails. Ditto in a win over a solid BU team. Unfortunately the Terriers will be breaking in new guards, making them susceptible to an athletic UMass attack. The Minutemen head an hour or so south to play a CCSU team that has given UMass trouble every now and then. That shouldnt happen this time. UMass has the advantage at every position on the court.


BONUS A-10 PREDICTION: 6-10 (15-14 overall)

The Minutemen pair up with Rhode Island, LaSalle and St. Joseph's. Last year the team went 3-3 vs. these teams. I see the same record this year. UMass also goes on the road at Xavier, Charlotte, St Bonaventure, St. Louis and Fordham. There might be only one win in that bunch.

At first I pegged UMass for an 8-8 record, but ultimately I lowballed my alma mater because of doubts about Kellogg. He still has a lot to prove - and I hope he proves me wrong.

	Xavier XAVIER MUSKETEERS Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

	St Bonaventure SAINT BONAVENTURE Founded in 1858, St. Bonaventure University is a liberal arts college located on 500 acres in southwestern New York state. SBU offers 43 undergraduate majors, the most popular of which are elementary education, journalism, psychology, accounting, marketing, finance, and management. Total undergraduate enrollment is 2,000. Virtually all freshmen and most undergraduates live on campus. A founding member of the A10 Conference. Famous athletes include Bob Lanier. Historical nickname was the Brown Indians, but later changed to the Bonnies. Their mascot is a wolf.

	Rhode Island RHODE ISLAND The University of Rhode Island was chartered as the state's agricultural school in 1888. The school became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892. Located in southern Rhode Island, URI is a quintessential New England campus - rural in feeling yet close to the city of Providence, the state's capital. Linked to the city, the beaches, and nearly every corner of the state by both rail and public transit, the campus is easily accessible from Boston and New York URI currently offers 100 majors in seven degree-granting colleges. There are more than 12,000 students on the Kingston campus, about 3,000 in Providence, and a complement of about 700 faculty. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams.

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

	Fordham FORDHAM Fordham University is an independent Jesuit university established in 1841 as St. John's College on old Rose Hill Manor in the village of Fordham, then part of Westchester County in the Bronx, NY. The name Fordham is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "ford" and "ham," meaning a wading place or ford by a settlement. Rose Hill is the name given to the site in 1787 by Robert Watts, a wealthy New York merchant, in honor of his family's ancestral home of the same name in Scotland. The College was originally staffed by diocesan clergy. The name was officially changed to Fordham University in 1907. Fordham's 10 schools enroll 14,448 students. There are 7,652 undergraduates, of whom 3,842 live in University-managed housing either on-campus or in the local community. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams. Athletic claim to fame is consistent mediocrity in nearly all sports and few A10 title winning programs.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Charlotte CHARLOTTE UNC Charlotte is one of a generation of universities founded in metropolitan areas of the United States immediately after World War II in response to rising education demands generated by the war and its technology. Now a research intensive university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest of the 16 institutions within the University of North Carolina system and the largest institution in the Charlotte region. The university comprises seven professional colleges and currently offers 18 doctoral programs, 62 master’s degree programs and 90 bachelor’s degrees. More than 900 full-time faculty comprise the university’s academic departments and the 2007 fall enrollment exceeded 22,300 students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the 49ers.