AMHERST — The saying all season long for the UMass men’s basketball team is a simple one: Don’t let the highs be too high, and don’t let the lows be too low.
After a disappointing loss to then last-place La Salle over the weekend, the Minutemen are following that motto more than ever as they prepare for a colossal clash with VCU on Tuesday night.
Despite the letdown, they indeed aren’t letting a bad loss knock them down – and they’ve responded with two terrific practice sessions, according to head coach Frank Martin.
“They’ve been great the last two days,” Martin said. “They were good [Sunday] and they were off the charts [Monday].”
In the game against the Explorers on Saturday, UMass trailed 51-41 at halftime and fought back from down as many as 18 points in the second half.
The Minutemen had several chances down the stretch to tie or take the lead, but too many empty trips on the offensive end and the big deficit was too much to overcome.
But just as Martin said, Rahsool Diggins echoed that UMass is ready for the Rams on Tuesday night, as it returns home for the first time in nine days.
“It was tough losing at La Salle, but I think we’ve come in with a better approach; getting our identity back,” Diggins said.
“We came out the La Salle game a little bit sluggish, not ready to compete. But I think we’ve had a good two days of competing at practice, and we’re ready to go for [Tuesday].”
VCU (17-8) comes into the game having won four consecutive games and nine of its last 10, including a huge two-point win over No. 18 Dayton last week.
Martin said he believes there is no Atlantic 10 team playing as well as the Rams are right now. At 9-3 in the league, VCU sits just one game out of third place in the league
For UMass (16-9, 7-6 A-10), a win would put it just a game and a half behind the Rams for fourth place.
And not to look too far ahead, but a win on Saturday at St. Bonaventure would help the Minutemen’s chances of locking up a top five seed.
