The transition from nonconference play to the start of Atlantic 10 action this week figures to be a significant challenge for the UMass men’s basketball team.
While most A-10 teams have a week off before starting conference play Friday, UMass will play at Georgia State Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Atlanta before returning home to face St. Bonaventure at 4 p.m. Friday.
When the Minutemen scheduled the game at GSU, UMass coach Derek Kellogg said he hoped the Panthers would provide a good road test for his team to prepare it for league play.
“It’ll be a good test for a young team, parachuting right into a different type of environment to face a team that plays an interesting style,” Kellogg said. “VCU is a good comparison for how they play defensively. This is kind of like a conference road game. This will be a test for us. Honestly I think it’s a positive for us.”
Kellogg said knowing the two games were so close together wouldn’t affect his game play for Wednesday.
“We prepare for every game like it’s the most important one. Try to win as many as you can throughout the season,” he said.
The afternoon tip allows the Minutemen to fly back after the game.
After scattering for Christmas, the Minutemen reunited at the Atlanta airport Monday evening. They’re staying at the same hotel as the top-ranked Alabama football team, which will play Washington in a College Football Playoff semifinal in the Georgia capital on Saturday.
Georgia State is 7-4 with two wins over non-Division I teams. Three of the Panthers’ four losses came against Power Five teams — Auburn, Purdue and Mississippi State — with the fourth coming against Old Dominion. They won at Middle Tennessee on Dec. 21.
Senior forward Jeremy Hollowell leads the Panthers with 14.2 points per game. Fellow senior forward Willie Clayton, who played against UMass as a rookie at Charlotte before the 49ers left the Atlantic 10, averages 8.5 rebounds to go with his 7.6 points.
Georgia State leads the Sun Belt shooting 39.2 percent from 3-point range (82-for-209). Justin Seymour (14-for-28) and Isaiah Williams (13-for-26) are each shooting 50 percent.
GSU steals the ball a lot (8.7 per game), but turns it over a lot too (15.5 turnovers per game).
After going 9-3 before Christmas, Kellogg was eager to get his team back on the floor.
“They seem energized and in good spirits. I think it was a good time for a break. Now we have to get back in it,” he said. “I think they’re good enough players to adapt to whatever comes at them from this game forward. I think we have a pretty good squad. It’s going to be a grind. How we respond in the next 8-10 games will determine what kind of year we have.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage