UMass vs. Saint Louis preview:

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Minutemen look to snap losing streak against streaky Billikens

--MassLive.com



If the University of Massachusetts basketball team was waiting for an opportunity to snap its four-game losing streak, getting Saint Louis at home Saturday might be the perfect invitation.

The Billikens were one of the worst teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference last season and have won just three of their last 14 games this year. But is there something about those recent victories that should worry the Minutemen about Saturday?

Tipoff for is set for 12 p.m. The game won't be televised, but will be streamed online via the Atlantic 10 Digital Network.


Three things to know
Hard to get a read on: Some pessimistic UMass fans may disagree, but there isn't a team in the Atlantic 10 that can waffle between awful and awesome quite like Saint Louis. On any given night, coach Jim Crews' squad might struggle to make even a single shot in a half (against VCU) or it might topple a potential NCAA Tournament team (against George Washington and Davidson).

"I'll tell you what, they played well," coach Derek Kellogg said of the way the Billikens held off the very same Davidson team that beat UMass by double digits earlier in the week. "It looks like they're really pushing tempo and playing a little bit different than they have earlier on in the year. I think it's going to be more of a high-scoring game with two teams trying to get up and down the floor."

That retooling ? some intentional, some injury-related as with Malik Yarbrough (9.0 PPG), who's dealing with a concussion ? makes Saint Louis a tough nut to crack.

"There's a lot of different guys who have contributed. They have a whole different starting lineup and, really, a whole different style," Kellogg said. "It's kind of difficult to get tendencies on a guy when he plays 35 minutes one game after maybe 8 or 10 the month before."



SLU's guards: Asked which of Saint Louis' players has presented the toughest matchup problems lately, Kellogg pointed to senior guard Ash Yacoubou, who made three 3s against Davidson and seems to have benefited the most from the team's recent changes.

"Yacoubou really played well against Davidson. He had 27 and he's done some great things," he said. "The other guards are playing confident, (Jermaine) Bishop and (Aaron) Hines. They're two guys that have played up an down minutes, but both looked real confident. The three of them had somewhere around 60 points between them against Davidson, which is something that's tough to prepare for."

Still confident: Despite the losing streak and despite coughing up another late-game loss to the Wildcats, Kellogg believes his team to still be a confident bunch. A lot of that has to do with some rest and extra practice time this week, as well as a better offensive showing last time out.

"Actually, for where we are, I think our team is confident," he said. "Maybe because we're practicing harder and better or maybe because there's more guys in practice to work with. They seem like a confident bunch. I think they're preparing to go into every game now saying that we've got a chance to win. I think that's a good sign. Now we have to go out and do it and play 40 minuets of good basketball."

Added senior guard Trey Davis, who set a new personal best and tied the program record for made 3-pointers with eight against Davidson: "It's good for us to see the ball go in the rim. Hopefully that will carryover. We're practicing well and still making shots."

Opponent spotlight
G Mike Crawford: The junior was the Billikens' leading scorer before Yacoubou got hot and he's still averaging 15.0 points over the past five games. He's the team's top 3-point threat and one of it's best free-throw shooters, too. He scored a SLU-high 15 points off the bench against UMass last season.

2015-16 averages: 11.2 PPG | 32. RPG | 37.1 3PT% | 80.0 FT%

Other leaders: G Miles Reynolds (9.7 PPG, 3.1 APG, 1.2 SPG), F Malik Yarbrough (9.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG), G Jermaine Bishop (6.4 PPG), G Aaron Hines (3.8 PPG), F Reggie Agbeko (5.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG)



They said it
Kellogg on how he'll know the team has taken to heart what's been drilled in practice this week: "Energy. Play hard, because you're pressuring the ball on defense and running as hard as you can. Those two things, I think, will be a tell-tale sign of where we are."

UMass wins if...
... Davis stays hot from deep and gets enough help from his backcourt mates, Donte Clark and Jabarie Hinds. Those two flashed, but were still inconsistent last time out. Better numbers from Seth Berger and Antwan Space in the paint would help a ton, too.

UMass loses if...
... Saint Louis plays like it did to beat Davidson, plain and simple. I don't think UMass is ready to come out and score 100 to beat this team.

 

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Turbulent times at St. Louis University have led to significant changes, which might be viewed as a sign of desperation in some quarters.

Many core players, who coach Jim Crews had vowed would get the Billikens through the tough times, saw minutes dramatically reduced or eliminated. Little-used Jermaine Bishop and Aaron Hines were given major roles. A suspension and injuries compounded the changes.

Suddenly, a team that looked confused and often unable to score has found some life. But it remains to be seen if five halves of productive offense will lead to the type of transformation needed for dramatic improvement as SLU plays at Massachusetts on Saturday morning at 11.

?We?re kind of running a different offense, which personally I like,? forward Reggie Agbeko said. ?Everyone is aggressive every time, going to the basket more rather than just shooting 3s. That?s a huge part of our success right now.?

Agbeko has been part of the change. He has been used largely as the team?s center while Crews has employed four guards on the floor almost exclusively. Ash Yacoubou and Mike Crawford have maintained their playing time. Bishop and Hines have moved into the starting lineup while Miles Reynolds and Davell Roby have been given reserve roles.

Another difference is that Crews is sticking with combinations on the floor for longer stretches than he has during the last two seasons. Five Billikens played more than 30 minutes in the last game, an approach that Crews has often eschewed.

Since the lineup was altered for the second half at Duquesne, SLU?s offensive numbers have improved dramatically.

The Billikens have shot 48.7 percent and made 42.1 percent of their 3-pointers. They have had better free-throw shooters on the floor, resulting in a 76.6 percent success rate. They also have had stronger ball-handlers, who have committed 12 turnovers in the last five halves.

Most significant, they have averaged 46.6 points per half and scored a Chaifetz Arena record 96 points in a win over Davidson.

?I feel like we?re playing with more of a freedom now,? Yacoubou said. ?We?re communicating and executing.?

The upswing came after the Billikens failed to make a field goal in the first 13? minutes against Virginia Commonwealth and went four for 36 in the first half of their loss at Duquesne.

How the moves will impact the future is unknown, but it appears that Bishop and Hines will keep their minutes. Bishop has averaged 19.7 points in the last three games. Hines has averaged 11.3 and has looked immensely more comfortable since the first half against George Mason.


?If you keep working and preparing and paying attention in film sessions, even if you don?t think you?re going to play, the slower the game becomes,? Crews said. ?Both of those guys have done a good job of staying the course.?

Freshman center Matt Neufeld also has started the last two games, but he has given way to Agbeko early in both, in part because he?s a defensive liability.

Meanwhile, four players who seemed to be the core for the long run are adjusting to supporting roles. Reynolds played nine minutes and Roby seven against Davidson. Milik Yarbrough didn?t leave the bench the previous game.

Center Austin Gillmann, who suffered a broken left foot in practice, is out indefinitely. Brett Jolly was suspended for one game but returned in the last game to play a couple of minutes.

Then there?s Yarbrough, who has looked like the team?s best player at times over the last two seasons. He has not played the last five halves. Crews sat the sophomore the second half at Duquesne and against George Mason. Yarbrough then missed the Davidson game with concussion-like symptoms and did not make the trip to Massachusetts.

The next challenge is to display those improvements in a road game in the Atlantic 10. The Billikens have an 11-game road losing streak in the conference.