Men's Basketball | Hawks looking for road success against UMass

This Sunday, the Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team will travel up the East Coast to take on their conference foe, the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. This will be the second time that these two teams have met this season.

In the first game in late January, the Minutemen were able to steal a home win away from the Hawks, winning 87-80 in the Hagan Arena. The Minutemen’s top scorer, Ricky Harris, wreaked havoc on the Hawks defense, scoring 23 points. Harris was able to get to the bucket frequently that game, allowing him to score by both driving to the basket and shooting from the free throw line.

The Hawks had a solid offensive effort that game, getting double-digit scoring efforts from four players, but when it came down to it the defense could not make any big stops.

St. Joe’s hopes for a different outcome this time around. A good sign for the Hawks is that UMass has struggled at home this year, especially in conference play. Against Atlantic 10 opponents, the Minutemen are just 1-4 this season, and have recently had a three game losing streak with two of those losses at home. UMass’s last win, however, came to them in their game against the Hawks this season.

UMass, like St. Joe’s, has been struggling this season. Currently, the Minutemen are 8- 15 (2-7 A-10), very similar to the record the Hawks are sporting (9-14, 3-6 A-10). Both teams need this win. As teams hit the turning point in the conference schedule, it seems as if the conference standings are beginning to take shape. As it stands now both the Hawks and the Minutemen are in the bottom four in the conference. Neither team wants to look any further down, since the last two teams in the conference do not make the trip to Atlantic City to play in the A-10 Tournament.

This game will be the first in nearly two weeks that will take the Hawks outside the friendly confines of Hagan Arena, as St. Joe’s has had three straight home games since the beginning of February. The Hawks will also be dealing with one of their longer layoffs of the season with five days separating the St. Louis game and UMass, the second longest break the Hawks have had this year.

This layoff could be either good or bad, as five days allows players to rest up and get healthy or lose any rhythm they may have developed. If recent history sets any precedents, however, this could be positive for the Hawks, as their last five-day layoff led to a win.

Regardless of the break, what we do know by now is how the Hawks operate: they have a balanced offense that has been consistent with scoring but streaky with defense. We also know that the Minutemen rely heavily on guard Harris to be their main scorer, and his partner in the back court, Anthony Gurley, to pour in some points.

After a more in-depth look, a trend arises in many of the Minutemen’s losses. Coaches and players in the A-10 understand that Harris will do his fair share of scoring, but shutting down their other players is the key to getting a win against UMass. Outside of Harris, only one other player, Gurley, averages over 10 points a game.

The Hawks need to realize that Harris will get his share of points, but must not allow the other UMass players to get in on the scoring. Harris, who is blessed with a beautiful stroke, is able to get his teammates opportunities by attracting much of the defense. If the Hawks can rely on guarding Harris one-on-one, they should be able to shut down the other Minutemen and earn a victory on Sunday.