Déjà Vu

Men's basketball
Mike Connors

It appears that for the second consecutive season UMass will be participating in the NIT rather than the NCAA Tournament.

After Charlotte made a rapid second half comeback to assume a 50-47 lead with just over ten minutes remaining, the Minutemen went on a 15-3 run to take control of the game, 63-52.

However, UMass scored just three points in the final 4:54 of the game. Chris Lowe was sent to the free throw line with 48 seconds remaining and his team trailing by one (66-65), but he missed the front end of a one-and-one and Leemire Goldwire made his third three-pointer in the final 3:20 of the game to preserve the Charlotte win, 69-65.

The Minutemen finished the game 7-of-17 from the free throw line and this was a glaring weakness throughout the season. Had the Minutemen been more successful at the line, they may have been looking at an NCAA at-large bid rather than the likely NIT Tournament game they'll be hosting.