Rhode Island, UMass meet in conference play

Published Jan. 12, 2021 6:30 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Rhode Island (6-6, 3-2) vs. UMass (3-3, 2-1)

William D. Mullins Center, Amherst, Massachusetts; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: A10 foes meet as Rhode Island faces UMass. Rhode Island won 83-68 at VCU in its last outing. UMass is coming off an 83-67 win at home against La Salle in its most recent game.

SUPER SENIORS: Rhode Island has relied heavily on its seniors. Fatts Russell, Jeremy Sheppard, Antwan Walker and Makhel Mitchell have combined to account for 56 percent of the team's scoring this year and 67 percent of all Rams points over the team's last five games.

CLAMPING DOWN: The Minutemen have allowed only 75.3 points per game to A10 opponents thus far, an improvement from the 83.3 per game they allowed in non-conference play.FATTS IS A FORCE: Russell has connected on 20 percent of the 55 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 2 of 12 over his last three games. He's also made 85.7 percent of his foul shots this season.

ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Minutemen have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Rams. UMass has an assist on 55 of 78 field goals (70.5 percent) across its past three outings while Rhode Island has assists on 35 of 87 field goals (40.2 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Both Rhode Island and UMass are ranked at the top of college basketball when it comes to getting to the foul line. The Rams are ranked ninth in Division I and have averaged 25 free throws while the Minutemen are ranked first and have attempted 29.3 per game, including 35 per game over their last three games.

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