The Massachusetts Minutemen (5-9, 0-1 Atlantic 10) take on the Richmond Spiders (6-8, 1-0 Atlantic 10) for the first game of the 2025 portion of the season on Saturday, January 4th at noon on NESN regionally and on ESPN+ in the Mullins Center in Amherst. This will be the twenty-sixth meeting between these two teams, and the Spiders have a 17-9 lead over the Minutemen.
Both of these teams a season ago were at the top of the conference, and halfway into this season, that is not the same case. Richmond last season earned themselves a share of the regular season title with Loyola Chicago after going 15-3 in conference play, and UMass finished fourth in the conference, which was their first top four finish since the 2007-2008 season. Through the non-conference play, both teams struggled to try and find their footing after having lost key rotation players, and find ways to win with this season’s teams.
Massachusetts Preview:
The start of the season, was not fully what people expected from the Massachusetts Minutemen through the non-conference slate. A lack of scoring threats for UMass has impacted their play style and how teams have guarded the Minutemen.
The Minutemen had not seen Rahsool Diggins play the way he played last season after being named Co-Most Improved Player of the Year. Diggins tied the program record for the most three-pointers in a game with 8 three-pointers in the season opener against New Hampshire but had fallen cold from behind the arc until the last non-conference game for the Minutemen against Arizona State. “Some of his issues were self-inflicted wounds, and since the Harvard game, he has recentered himself on what matters, and now he’s coming in every day with the mindset that made him a really good player for us,” said Coach Frank Martin on Diggins regaining confidence. In the first conference game of the season for UMass against Saint Joseph’s, Diggins came out fast and furious putting up a new career high of 33 points against the Philadelphia school. UMass will need Diggins to be a hot hand for the team to be able to get a few wins in conference play.
The Minutemen have been able to find other players to help in the scoring column besides looking at Diggins. Sophomore point guards Jaylen Curry and Marqui Worthy have been able to step up and score for UMass in key stretches of close games. Sophomore guard Jayden Ndjigue started the season off the bench but has since moved back into a starting…
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