Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 4:00 PM

Marriott Center

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Tuesday afternoon, the UMass Minutemen will face the BYU Cougars.

The UMass Minutemen couldn’t find an answer for the Providence Friars on Saturday afternoon and that led to an 85 -65 loss for the Minutemen.  Providence established control early and they kept UMass off balance for most of the 1st half.  As the half drew to a close, the Friars exploded to take a 14 point lead at the break.  In the 2nd half, the Minutemen couldn’t keep up as the Friars led by 32 at one point.  UMass shot 42% overall and 25% from 3 point distance as they were led by Maxie Esho’s 17 points.  The Minutemen committed 18 turnovers and they won’t have a chance against the Cougars if they can’t keep a handle on the ball.

The BYU Cougars edged the Stanford Cardinal 79 - 77 on Saturday for their 2nd win in a row.  BYU was in control for most of the 1st half but Stanford closed a 10 point gap as the half came to a close.  BYU was up just a point at the half and the 2nd half became a back and forth battle the rest of the way.  Although the Cardinal briefly held the lead, the Cougars regained the advantage and held Stanford off for the close victory.  BYU was paced by Tyler Haws and his 24 point effort as he shook off a sprained ankle suffered a week ago.  Behind Haws, the Cougars shot 42% from the field and 28% from beyond the arc.   Another big effort from Haws could be the key to a win over UMass.       

Massachusetts Minutemen Betting Trends

Massachusetts Minutemen are 7-3-0 Against the Spread

Massachusetts Minutemen are 1-3-0 against the Over/Under

BYU Cougars Betting Trends

BYU Cougars are 5-6-0 Against the Spread

BYU Cougars are 5-1-0 against the Over/Under

Injuries to Watch

Massachusetts Minutemen

11/14/14 F Rashaan Holloway Eligibility out for season

BYU Cougars

12/11/14 F Nate Austin Hamstring out indefinitely
11/13/14 G Jordan Chatman Ankle out for season
11/13/14 F Kyle Davis Eligibility out for season
11/10/14 F Jamal Aytes Ankle out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take BYU

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