Game Preview: N.J.I.T. at UMass (Nov. 17)

Freddie Riley/examiner.comBy Paul Seaver (TheArenaPulse)
At 7-foot-1, UMass center Andrew McCarthy is rarely used.

As UMass prepares to take on N.J.I.T. on Thursday night, fans might get to see McCarthy, given the fact that the Minutemen enter the game as a clear favorite.

But that's not it. Andrew's brother, Sean, is a member of the team at N.J.I.T., so expect to see, not just one, but two McCarthy's on Thursday night.

After wins over both Elon and Northeastern, UMass enters the contest at 2-0 overall. Sophomore point guard and Hofstra transfer Chaz Williams has been quite the addition for this UMass squad.

Williams finished with 20 points and ten assists in UMass' win over Northeastern on Monday night, upping his season averages to 19 points and nine assists through the first two games of his Minuteman career.

N.J.I.T. enters the game at 1-1 overall on the season. They were defeated handily at the hands of Manhattan, yet responded with a win over non-Division I opponent Penn State-Abington on Monday.

Tonight's match-up is the final game of a three-game home stand to begin the year for UMass, as they will hit the road to Chestnut Hill on Monday for a date with Boston College. Following Monday's action, UMass will then travel south to the Bahamas, as action in the Battle 4 Atlantis begins. UMass squares off with Florida State in the tournament's opening round (11/24).

N.J.I.T. is currently part of the newly formed Great West Conference. While the program and school have recently made the transition to the Division I ranks, the Highlanders are currently preparing for the league's inaugural season. The Great West Conference is not eligible for an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, given the NCAA transition rule.


Quick Facts:

• N.J.I.T.'s only win this season is against a non-Division I institution.
• UMass will be looking for consecutive 3-0 starts to the season.
• Chaz Williams leads UMass in both points (19) and assists (9).
• N.J.I.T. is part of the newly-formed Great West Conference.
• Thursday's match-up is the final game of UMass' three-game home stand.
• Thursday's meeting is the first match-up between UMass and N.J.I.T.
• N.J.I.T. is currently ranked 14th in the country in rebounds per game (48.0 rpg).

Players to Watch:

• Chaz Williams (UMass): The speedy sophomore has been red-hot to start his UMass career. Williams is averaging 19 points and nine assists through the first two games of the year.
• Freddie Riley (UMass): Riley is only averaging 5.5 points per game to start the season. Look for the junior to get things going against N.J.I.T. tonight.
• Cady Lalanne (UMass): The 6-foot-9 freshman has served as a formidable back-up to starting center Sean Carter so far. See if Lalanne gets some added minutes in tonight's contest.
• Isaiah Wilkerson (N.J.I.T.): The Staten Island-native leads the Highlanders in scoring this season. Wilkerson is averaging 16.5 points per game, to go along with five boards.

UMass (2-0) and N.J.I.T. (1-1) will tip-off from the Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts at 7:00pm EST.


*Photo: Freddie Riley *Credit: examiner.com

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