AMHERST — Rashaan Holloway can relate to Tacko Fall a little.
At 6-foot-11, 310 pounds, Holloway is usually the biggest person in any room he enters. Not so at 1 p.m. Saturday when Central Florida and the 7-foot-6, 290-pound Fall visit Holloway and UMass at the Mullins Center.
Off the court there’s a loose fraternity of big men who understand the challenges of being taller than almost anyone. Holloway said he wouldn’t want to be 7-6.
“I think 7-foot-2 is probably my limit. It’s a gift and a curse,” Holloway said. “It’s good on the court. But it’s bad on the couch, bad in the car, bad at amusement parks, bad just about everywhere else.
“I wonder what kind of car he’s going to drive,” Holloway continued. “Shoes are ridiculous. For me it’s kind of hard so I know it’s hard for him. Size 18 (which Holloway wears) is the last they have in stores. I don’t know what size he wears but I’m sure it’s larger than size 18.”
On the court, Holloway will try to keep Fall and his size 22 Nikes away from the hoop.
Unlike a lot of extremely tall players, Fall can play. He’s averaging 14.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game, and is second in the nation shooting 80 percent from the floor. Free-throw shooting is his biggest weakness as he makes just 27.6 percent from the line.
“I’m just trying to be aggressive to keep him away from the hoop,” Holloway said. “They beat us last year and that was the game where I lost my starting spot. I got something to prove.”
Fall’s part of one of the nation’s best defenses. The Knights’ 53.3 points per game allowed is second in the nation. Opponents are shooting 30.1 percent from the floor and 25.0 percent from 3-point range.
“That alone creates some challenges, because we haven’t been fantastic offensively,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said.
UCF is 5-1 with its only loss coming in a 67-57 setback to No. 2 Villanova, the defending national champion. The Knights’ wins over Nichols State, Mississippi State, Charleston, Seattle and Stetson have all come by at least 16 points.
Fall gets the most attention because of his unique stature, but he’s only UCF’s third leading scorer. B.J. Taylor, a 6-2 sophomore point guard, averages 17.2 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 assists per game. His backcourtmate Matt Williams, a 6-5 senior guard, averages 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
NOTES — Members of UMass’ Student Athlete Advisory Council will be accepting unwrapped toys for Toys For Tots at the game.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage