Massachusetts and Boston College will renew their in-state rivalry Wednesday when they meet in the Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass.
The game will be their first matchup since November of 2014 when UMass earned a 71-62 victory.
“I get the fact that Boston’s a pro town,” UMass coach Frank Martin said. “I grew up in Miami, a pro town. I get it. But when (UMass and BC) play each other, there’s a reason to speak about it. So I hope we have a great showing on both sides on Wednesday night.”
The Minutemen (6-3) are coming off Saturday’s 80-60 victory over UMass-Lowell and enter Wednesday’s matchup on a three-game winning streak. The Minutemen shot 4 of 18 from 3-point territory (22.2%) in the victory, but scored 48 points in the paint.
“We changed defenses a little bit, which is something I’ve got to do to help our team,” Martin said. “The physicality of the game was never too big for us, and that’s something that I continue to respect about our team. We were as physical as the game determines you’ve got to be.”
UMass has two of the top scorers in the MAC in guard Marcus Banks (17.2 points) and forward Leonardo Bettiol (16.4), both of whom are new transfers into the program.
Boston College (5-5) trailed by 10 at halftime and needed a 44-point second half to take down New Haven 67-63 on Saturday. Guard Fred Payne matched his career high by scoring 18 points for the Eagles.
Payne, who is averaging 12.8 points per game, also set a career high by making four 3-pointers.
Guard Donald Hand Jr. is Boston College’s leading scorer at 14.8 points per game, but was scoreless in the first half against New Haven. He finished with 13 points.
“We cleaned a few things up on offense, and we were more in our character (in the second half),” Eagles coach Earl Grant said. “We’re operating right now at about 65%. A season can get you to 100% if you reach your potential. We know we got a really good team — real personnel — so we’re gonna keep building.”
