AMHERST
UMass was supposed to be bad.
In the preseason publications and online predictions, most synopses of the Minutemen were more about the offseason turmoil from Pat Kelsey accepting and then pulling out of the vacant coaching job, and the emigration of transfers that eventually followed. They were picked 12th in the Atlantic 10.
New coach Matt McCall appeared to have a low expectation season in front of him as he installed his culture and determined which returning players fit into his system. The low expectations largely stemmed not from the players’ lack of talent, but the sheer lack of players, especially when transfer Jaylen Brantley, who was being counted on heavily, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy ending his playing career.
It was supposed to be a bridge year. A transition year until the transfers sitting out became eligible.
But five games into conference play the Minutemen have reset the bar for what they’re capable of this year.
The offseason chaos and low expectations seem to have not only enhanced the chemistry of the players, but steeled their resolve.
“This team has been through a lot. Since March 28 and before that,” said McCall, referencing the date he was officially hired. “They’ve been through a lot. They’ve lost guys to season-ending/career-ending injury. They’ve been through a lot of adversity. They lost some close games. They’ve been calloused and they’re growing. But they’ve come back every single day ready to work.
“Has there been days I’ve had to jump them in practice?” McCall continued. “I think they’re having fun playing with each other. They’re getting joy out of that. When you have that you have an opportunity to do something special. There’s obviously a long way to go.”
The guards’ ability to overachieve has helped the team do the same.
Luwane Pipkins has become a star. If the season ended today, he’d almost certainly be a first-team all-league player and a candidate to be player of the year. He’s leading the league in scoring at 20.2 points per game after scoring 71 points over two games last week.
UMass still struggles when he’s not scoring, but his off nights have become rarer.
“This is Luwane’s second year of college basketball,” McCall said. “He’s still learning. He’s still growing.”
Freshman Carl Pierre is emerging into a reliable scorer. He has room to grow defensively, but he’s one of the best shooters the Minutemen have had in recent memory and he’s starting to master how to take advantage when teams overplay against his outside shooting.
The Minutemen need more offense from other places. C.J. Anderson breaking his shooting slump Sunday was encouraging and getting suspended big man Rashaan Holloway back would help, although he’ll likely have to rediscover his timing and rhythm.
The Atlantic 10 is down. The intersection of coaching changes and the graduation of key players have left traditional powers down and nobody quite ready to take their place. Other than Rhode Island, which is deep, experienced and knocking on the door of the top 25, the ceilings and floors of most of the other teams’ potential is all over the map.
UMass is part of a sizable group of teams that can be very good on its best night, but hasn’t found consistency yet.
Beating this year’s versions of La Salle and Saint Joseph’s at home isn’t impressive on its own. Coming back from 21 and 16 points, respectively, in the second half to do it says good and bad things about UMass. The positive clearly outweighs the negative. Rallying to win those games speaks to the Minutemen’s character, toughness, poise and confidence. But the lackluster starts that dug those holes remains cause for some concern.
In the 13 remaining conference games, will UMass be more like the version of itself that won at Dayton or the one that lost to George Mason at home? There’s a wide gap between them. Pipkins thinks the Minutemen have ample room to continue improving.
“I feel like we’re just starting to jell right now. We have to keep working,” Pipkins said. “We haven’t even played some of the toughest teams in the conference yet. We just have to keep working. We have to hit the lab (the players’ nickname for the gym) hard, stay focused. Keep doing what we’ve been doing and stay together.”
MY TOP 10 — 1. Villanova, 2. Virginia, 3. Oklahoma, 4. Texas Tech, 5. West Virginia, 6. Purdue, 7. Duke, 8. Wichita State, 9. Kansas, 10. Michigan State.
GAMES OF THE WEEK: Clemson at North Carolina, Tuesday, 7 p.m. ACC Network — The Tigers have been coming on strong and Carolina has been inconsistent. This should significantly affect the ACC final standings.
St. Mary’s at No. 13 Gonzaga, Thursday, 9 p.m. ESPN — The Gaels have a 17-2 record and not a single signature win. Beating Gonzaga at least once could be critical for St. Mary’s NCAA at-large chances.
ATLANTIC 10 GAMES OF THE WEEK:
Rhode Island at Dayton, Saturday, 1 p.m., CBS Sports Network — The Rams look like the runaway favorite in the conference, but UD Arena is a still a tough place for visitors. The Flyers will try to keep Rhody in sight of the rest of the pack.
Saint Louis at UMass, Saturday, 2 p.m., Stadium Sports (airs on Facebook live) — In his second season leading the Billikens, former Minutemen coach Travis Ford will return to the Mullins Center for the first time since leaving Amherst.
BUZZER BEATER — It’s hard to feel bad for Minnesota. The Gophers once looked like a Final Four dark horse, but not only has Richard Pitino’s team sputtered, but it was revealed that Reggie Lynch, their shot-blocking machine, had been playing despite repeated allegations of sexual assault against him. He’s suspended now and facing expulsion.
Minnesota (13-6, 2-4 Big Ten) is likely on the bubble based only on its wins and losses. But the good wins — Providence and Alabama — came with Lynch in uniform and the Gophers have dropped three straight without him.
Given the nature of his absence combined with the near certainty that he won’t return, the tournament committee would have precedent to ignore any results with Lynch in uniform. Minnesota likely needs a very strong finish to even be in consideration for an at-large berth.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage