This week, as most of the school gets ready to head out on Thanksgiving break, head coach Frank Martin and the Massachusetts men’s basketball team will be jetting down to St. Thomas in the Caribbean. Though substituting the New England cold for tropical beaches is certainly a bonus, the trip’s purpose is not leisure — UMass (3-1) is looking to win its first appearance in the Paradise Jam tournament.
The Minutemen are coming off a three-game winning streak at home after their opening night loss to Marshall, a stretch that has both showcased the team’s talent and, at times, its lack of coordination and focus. The most recent game, against Central Connecticut State, encapsulated this mercurial dynamic. The first half saw an offensive explosion, with the team raining in 3-pointers and scoring at will at the rim. A nightmare of a second half ensued, with silly turnovers, missed free throws and lackluster defense leaving UMass limping to the final whistle.
The Minutemen will enter the Paradise Jam to trim the fat from their game and get main rotation players Marcus Banks Jr., Leonardo Bettiol and Daniel Hankins-Sanford — all of whom have had inconsistent starts to the year — in a winning rhythm. They’ll also want to prove that they can beat teams ranked in the upper half of Division I, with the first test being Chris Mack’s College of Charleston Cougars.
The Cougars (2-3) head into the Paradise Jam as a team in flux, having lost three of their first four against Division I opponents, their only win coming against the No. 339 ranked South Carolina State. They’ve struggled mightily to shoot the ball, hitting just over 25% from downtown so far. They’ve also struggled to defend the 3-pointer, with opponents shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc. Banks and K’Jei Parker, in particular, will likely look to get going early against the No. 335 ranked perimeter defense in the country.
Charleston’s roster inconsistencies can explain some of these troubles, with projected top scorer Colby Duggan out until at least December with a broken foot and sophomore guard Mister Dean having just returned from injury earlier this week. Cincinnati transfer Connor Hickman spent the first five games sidelined because of a protracted court battle regarding his remaining college eligibility, and after an injunction Tuesday, the guard is set to make his debut against UMass.
Despite the stumbles to start the season, the Cougars are a very real threat to the Minutemen in what should be a close battle. Mack’s offense is high-octane yet in control, ranking No. 67 in turnover rate. They have big, athletic guards who like to get downhill, with senior Jlynn Counter picking up a lot of the offensive slack from Duggan’s absence. Additionally, they have a pair of 7-footers roaming the paint, which may be the biggest threat to UMass.
Senior Christian Reeves and high-flying sophomore Chol Machot combined for six blocks against South Carolina State. Together, they’ve given Charleston the No. 67 ranked rim protection in Division I. A relatively undersized Minutemen frontcourt could run into trouble under the basket Friday.
“[Machot’s] 7 feet tall,” Martin said. “And he can jump from here to kingdom come … We haven’t played against that this year.”
If UMass gets past the Cougars, it will face stiff competition all the way to the championship of the eight-team field. Next up after Charleston is the winner of the Green Bay versus Yale , a game in which the Bulldogs (3-1) are heavily favored. James Jones’ Yale is the best the Ivy League has to offer, coming into the 2025–26 season with clear expectations of a tournament berth at the end of the season.
So far, they’re poised to deliver on those expectations. The offense has been revelatory through four games: 46.9% from 3-point range, 84% from the free-throw line and an eFG% of 60.1, good for No. 4, No. 9 and No. 15 in the country, respectively. They run their offense largely through senior forward Nick Townsend, a 6-foot-7, 250-pound powerhouse currently leading the team in points, rebounds and assists. Townsend contributes 18 points, eight rebounds and 4.5 assists a night on 67.3 TS%, while sharpshooting guard Riley Fox adds 15.5 points a game on 69.3 TS%.
Despite an excellent start, Yale is far from invincible. The Bulldogs fell to Rhode Island on Nov. 18. The Rams limited Yale’s shooting to only 6-of-18 from three and attacked the smaller Bulldogs’ defense at the rim. With gaudy shooting numbers perhaps inflated by games against poor teams, the win by Rhode Island could serve as a blueprint for the Minutemen and show that a second-round upset is not impossible if they make it that far.
On the other side of the field, championship hopefuls include Oregon State and UMass’ MAC rival, Akron. The Beavers (3-1), coached by Wayne Tinkle, move the ball well on the perimeter and get up lots of threes, ranking No. 69 in assist rate and No. 26 in 3-point rate. Point guard Josiah Lake excels at getting downhill and either creating his own shot or dumping the ball down to athletic bigs Johan Munch and Yaak Yaak. Oregon State held its own against Oregon earlier this month, proving it doesn’t shy away from a powerhouse program.
The Zips (3-1) are the highest-ranked team in the Paradise Jam. Like Yale, they were the runaway preseason favorite to win their conference tournament. A championship game against them would mean a high-stakes test early in the season of the Minutemen’s ability to compete against the best of the MAC.
The Zips are arguably the MAC’s best — John Groce runs an egalitarian, lightning-quick offense that can send the ball anywhere at any time, and point guard Tavari Johnson is a capable showrunner, averaging 15 points and 4.3 assists so far. For Martin and UMass, Akron would be an incredible test early in the season, but first, it has to get through the rest of the Paradise Jam field.
Tipoff against Charleston is at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, with subsequent games throughout the rest of the weekend depending on the Minutemen’s performance. Games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Coleman Smith-Rakoff can be reached at [email protected].
