Game 16, 2024-25: Dayton (1/8)

[NilesGold]

I watched none of this one and only listened to the last 10 minutes.

Great win from UMass, but Dayton just lost to GW by about 20, and it seems unlikely UMass will repeat 95% FT shooting, so I'm not getting my hopes up just yet.

Frank's stated reason for benching Curry sounds a bit suspect. I'm not sure it's a coincidence that the game where UMass held an opponent to sub 40% from the field is a game that Curry barely played.

Tip of the hat to Worthy and RIvera, UMass would not have won without both of them putting in what looks like their best games of their UMass careers.

Worthy's turnovers and 3pt shooting are still a problem, but if he focuses on scoring inside the arc (which he does pretty efficiently) and cutting down on the turnovers, he should be stealing more and more of Curry's minutes.

Rivera seems to be settling into that PF role nicely with DHS sliding over to C. I still don't like him taking jump shots and I want him nowhere near the wing, but the FT shooting has definitely improved.

Glad Doumbia got some time, but it was not encouraging to see that when it was crunch time and DHS fouled out Frank still went to Malek. The center position should be DHS and Doumbia (and some of Shahid) going forward, Malek should not be in the rotation.

[eldonabe]

[Floyd]

Replay anywhere?

[Juice Stand]

Regarding Rivera, he has really been coming on in the last few games and it's pretty clear to me that his issues early on were that he, his teammates, and the coaching staff were all learning how he fit in offensively. The guy has been a menace on defense and rebounding all season, but it looks like he is starting to understand what his role is, where he needs to be, when to attack, and when to defer to others. That was not the case earlier when he was forcing things too much.

[Juice Stand]

Frank's stated reason for benching Curry sounds a bit suspect. I'm not sure it's a coincidence that the game where UMass held an opponent to sub 40% from the field is a game that Curry barely played.

Glad Doumbia got some time, but it was not encouraging to see that when it was crunch time and DHS fouled out Frank still went to Malek. The center position should be DHS and Doumbia (and some of Shahid) going forward, Malek should not be in the rotation.

Defense is a team game, not a one-man game. UMass has held multiple opponents to under 40% shooting, many of those in games that Curry played big minutes. Here's the list of games other than Dayton where we held the opponent to sub 40% and Curry's minutes: Richmond (35), Northeastern (29), NJIT (22), Harvard (34), West Virginia (35), UNH (30). I didn't include UMass Boston because it's D3.

I agree on Malek. I just don't understand why he isn't able to produce on the court though. He has the size, a really nice shooting stroke, and he looks very athletic. I also don't understand why Frank continues to start him. Go with DHS, Rivera, Jayden, Curry, and Diggins to start, and rotate in big guys as needed based on matchups. Malek may be a good option at times, but I don't think he should start.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Great effort, great win. Overcame some referee adversity early in the 2nd half... went from down 3 to up 4 and then there were about 6 straight possesses where Dayton got the whistle and went to the line. I assumed that was the beginning of the end, but nope!


Nice to see Rivera continue to improve and play to his strengths. He took one wide open but still ill advised 3, but everything else was mid-range and to or at the bucket. And the most impressive thing was his FT shooting. I don't expect him to go 7-8 from the line every night, but boy did it help today!

Worthy has also taken a lot of shots from the fans, but he seems to be improving nicely. Hopefully he builds off of this. Diggins also seems to be coming back to form.

Tough break for Curry with the early fouls, but credit to Martin for keeping with the lineups that were working rather than forcing Curry about into the lineup throughout the 2nd half.

I think Doumbia has to play more. I know the stat sheet doesn't necessarily scream superstar, but he seemed to make a difference out there last night. Maybe I'm off on that, but at this point it's worth trying.

Awesome win, but we're still 6-10 with no postseason hopes without winning the A10. NEED to build on this Saturday against GM... cannot have a let down.

[Juice Stand]

For those not in the building, along with Lou Roe who got some TV time, it looked like Dana Dingle and Carmelo Travieso were there. Great to see the legends out and to get a win in front of them.

So many great plays in the game. Obviously the Worthy shot clock buzzer beater, the Rivera steal, fight for the ball and slam, all of Jayden's hustle plays, the free throw shooting, Rahsool hitting some clutch shots, Amadou making some plays. All of it. That was a great game with some unexpected heroes. I don't care that Dayton has been struggling. That's a massively talented team with at-large tournament aspirations and we handed them a bubble busting loss. That was a glimpse of what this team can be. Rivera is finding his role, Diggins is regaining his confidence, Marquis is proving to himself that he belongs at this level. Keep at it and keep building on it.

[kd68]

Totally unexpected win. Keep it up.

[Plano Minuteman]

Replay anywhere?

You can still watch it on Peacock. Saw that the replay was available this morning.

If you ever wanted to get into the English Premier League (soccer), Peacock is essential.

[RagingCager]

Great game to see in person…. my wife and I were on the edge of our seats on every play as it became more and more apparent that UMass was able to compete with these guys. I really like the physicality of the group without Curry and Malek on the floor….Worthy was outstanding at the point and Rivera is coming into his own, and Diggins works well off of those guys. It’s only one game, but Frank and his staff, as well as the players deserve credit for this one. Hopefully they can build off of it and continue to find the right rotations to play moving forward. This is the best I’ve felt during and after a big game ( certainly big for Dayton) in a long time, let’s hope they can keep it up!

[Juice Stand]

Article from the Collegian on Marqui's performance: https://dailycollegian.com/2025/01/marq ... for-umass/

[doubledribble]

For those not in the building, along with Lou Roe who got some TV time, it looked like Dana Dingle and Carmelo Travieso were there. Great to see the legends out and to get a win in front of them.

So many great plays in the game. Obviously the Worthy shot clock buzzer beater, the Rivera steal, fight for the ball and slam, all of Jayden's hustle plays, the free throw shooting, Rahsool hitting some clutch shots, Amadou making some plays. All of it. That was a great game with some unexpected heroes. I don't care that Dayton has been struggling. That's a massively talented team with at-large tournament aspirations and we handed them a bubble busting loss. That was a glimpse of what this team can be. Rivera is finding his role, Diggins is regaining his confidence, Marquis is proving to himself that he belongs at this level. Keep at it and keep building on it.

I chatted it up briefly with Lou, Dana & Carmelo.
Nice to see them back at the M !

[MikeUMA]

Updated my game page with content that I've seen from various sources
https://umasshoops.com/wiki/doku.php?id ... 108_dayton

[doubledribble]

Will be at my first game of the year tonight as a STH. Hoping for solid showing

Guess you brought em luck. Keep coming !

[bmc24]

Replay anywhere?

I watched replay on peacock. Yes, unfortunately I subscribed just to watch A10 tourney last year. Such a sucker