Tuesday, November 11th, 6:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: SIU Arena (9,409) -- Carbondale, Illinois. Television: None. Home Record Ark-Monticello 0-0, UMass 0-0. Away Record Ark- Monticello 0-0, UMass 0-0. Neutral Record Ark-Monticello 0-0, UMass 0-0. Conference Record Ark-Monticello 0-0, UMass 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The Massachusetts Minutemen will open up their 100th season of basketball this evening in Carbondale, as they take on the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils in opening round action of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. The winner of this game will move into the second round against either California (Pa) or Southern Illinois on Wednesday.

The Minutemen are coming off a season in which the team won 25 games, en route to an NIT berth. Now it will be up to new coach and former UMass guard Derek Kellogg to maintain the winning ways in Amherst. Kellogg is the first UMass alum to serve as head coach since Tom McLaughlin (1981-83).

Mike Newell's Boll Weevils finished fourth in Division II's Gulf South Conference a year ago and earned an opening round conference tournament victory before bowing out in second round action. Still, Arkansas-Monticello posted a solid 17-12 overall record, including an 8-6 mark in league action.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between UMass and Arkansas-Monticello on the hardwood.

Coach Newell has a solid base this season and the Boll Weevils should once again be competitive in the Gulf South Conference. The undeniable leader of the team is center Raymond Wright. An All-Conference performer, Wright was dominant in the paint last year, averaging a near double-double with team- highs of 16.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Deron Brown (12.2 ppg), De"Angelo Dean (11.8 ppg) and Duke Sturdivant (10.1 ppg) are also back in the mix, providing balance from the perimeter. Junior Carlos West is another player that Newell will count on this season. When he gets hot, West can fill up the basket, as was the case in the team's exhibition win over Shorter College, when West drilled six three-pointers, en route to 22 points.

Kellogg inherits a team that went 25-11 last season, including 10-6 in the Atlantic 10. The Minutemen reached the title game of the NIT, and while star Gary Forbes is gone, Ricky Harris is back. The standout guard racked up 18.2 ppg last season thanks to a tremendous shooting stroke. Chris Lowe is back to run the point after generating 11.8 ppg and 6.3 apg as a junior, but will be pressed for minutes by freshman sensation David Gibbs. Luke Bonner is a 7-1 center who has done little up to this point, but he has one year left to make an impact. While Lowe and Harris are sure things, the frontcourt is unproven. That will likely be the major focus for Kellogg, who hopes that freshmen Tyrell Lynch (6-9, 230) and Travon Wilcher (6-7, 210) can make an immediate impact up front.

The Boll Weevils have several scorers, but the Minutemen have the better overall depth. Harris and Lowe have the ability to take over games and the pair should be able to lead UMass to a big win in Kellogg's debut on the bench.

Predicted Outcome

Massachusetts 74, Arkansas-Monticello 57