With wins in each of its last two Mid-American Conference (MAC) matchups, the UMass men’s basketball team is looking maintain success in its upcoming matchup against Northern Illinois on Saturday.
After starting conference play 0-4 in their first year in the MAC, the Minutemen have now found the recipe needed to win. A big reason for the recent turnaround has been the team’s ability to keep the opposing team’s offense to a minimum.
Through the first four MAC matchups, UMass allowed an average of 84 points per game, with the two recent victories averaging out to 76.5 points per game.
“[Defense is] definitely, I’m not [going to] say a problem, but it’s got my attention,” Minutemen head coach Frank Martin said. “We have to figure out a way to find more consistency defensively. I think we were better defensively [in] our last two games than we were at any time [in] the previous four games.”
The Huskies have also struggled in conference play to begin the year, currently maintaining a 1-4 record in the MAC. After winning their first matchup against Central Michigan, the team has gone cold, rattling off four losses in a row.
With an aggressive defense, Northern Illinois has had success in limiting scoring, allowing 76.6 points against per game in conference play. Halfcourt defense has been the unit’s strong suit, consistently keeping opposing ball handlers uncomfortable.
“We can’t let [the Huskies’] ball pressure impact our offense, and then we’ve got to keep them off the foul line,” Martin said. “Because if you foul them, now their defense sets. Now you’re dealing with that relentless ball pressure that we talked about.”
The Minutemen are hoping for a resurgent performance out of Daniel Hankins-Sanford on Saturday, with the senior struggling in his last two games. In the team’s most recent contest, the struggles were on full display.
Against Western Michigan, Hankins-Sanford scored just three points in 27 minutes, good for his lowest point total of the year so far. He struggled to get in a groove offensively, shooting just 1-of-7 (14.3%) from the field.
“[Hankins-Sanford] hasn’t played well the last two games; we need [him] to play better,” Martin said. “In his defense, he’s been battling a little bit of a low back issue… He felt a lot better with our day off [Wednesday], and he was [really] bouncy and aggressive in practice [Thursday]. His attitude has been great; he just hasn’t played great.”
Luckily for UMass, the rest of the team’s main scoring options have picked up the slack. Marcus Banks Jr. has been in double figures in each of his last five games, capped off by a 22-point performance against the Broncos on Tuesday.
Leonardo Bettiol has 20 or more points in his last two games, with a 32-point night earlier this month. K’Jei Parker has been a valuable spark off the bench, averaging 15.5 points in his last four games.
The Minutemen and the Huskies’ first matchup since the 2013-2014 season comes with each team in the bottom half of the conference looking to get on the right track. With just over six weeks of conference games left on the docket, Saturday’s matchup is valuable for both teams.
UMass travels to the NIU Convocation Center on Saturday, Jan. 17, for a 3 p.m. tipoff. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
“You cannot overreact to yesterday’s game; You cannot overreact to today’s record,” Martin said. “You’re worried about the next day and getting better and the next opportunity. You signed up for all 18 [games].
“They don’t give you a parade when you’re 10-0, and they don’t tell you that you’re out of it when you’re 0-10; You get to 18 [games],” Martin continued. “Now, when you get to 18, to quote Bill Parcells, you are who your record says you are. We’ve just got to stay the course and worry about getting to the finish line.”