After a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, finishing 7-19 and a one-and-done showing in the Little East Conference Tournament, Beacons men’s basketball looks ahead to rebound in the new season. This tournament was first played back in 2021, after head coach Jason Harris and UMass Boston organized the event.
It officially opens Nov. 15, when UMass Boston hosts the Black Collegiate Coaches Classic against Colby-Sawyer College. The Beacons lost their last battle with the Chargers 70-68, giving up 35 bench points on the road.
Before their regular season starts rolling, UMass Boston will travel to Durham, New Hampshire, and Newport, Rhode Island, for preseason matches against the University of New Hampshire and Salve Regina. The UNH Wildcats are the perfect test for the Beacons — an NCAA Division I opponent with March Madness aspirations.
It serves as a helpful tune-up to prepare for their Dec. 14 date with Division I UMass Amherst. Salve Regina is a team UMass Boston ousted early in the season last year by a score of 66-62.
A surprise on the schedule for UMass Boston: their game against the Minutemen will be the Beacons’ first matchup against their western relative. UMass Amherst is a team with a storied history, accruing nine NCAA March Madness Tournament appearances and one Elite Eight appearance. Two-time ABA champion and one-time NBA champion Julius Irving played with UMass Amherst from 1969-71.
This will be a tough hill to climb for the Beacons in a hostile environment against one of the best basketball programs in New England. It’s also a great chance to make a statement not just to their conference, but to the NCAA.
Some more notable games include a back-to-back homestand against two Little East rivals Dec. 4, and Dec. 7, against the Rhode Island College Anchormen and the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors. They beat the Warriors twice in two close games, 66-60 and 72-71, first falling to the Anchormen 87-72 as part of a dismal seven game losing streak. Later on in the season, UMass Boston would get their revenge against the Anchormen, 64-50.
Later in the same month, UMass Boston travels to Daytona Beach, Florida, for the Florida Sunshine Shootout. The Beacons will play twice on the weekend, first against the Penn College Wildcats Dec. 28 and the Husson University Eagles Dec. 29. It’s UMass Boston’s first time in the Florida Sunshine Shootout, and they’ll look to make a good first impression.
The Beacons begin the rest of their LEC schedule in Gorham, Maine, Jan. 8 against the Southern Maine Huskies. The Huskies owned UMass Boston last year, besting them in both meetings, 68-60 and 72-65. UMass Boston went 3-9 last year against their next six LEC opponents.
The Beacons look to vastly improve upon last year’s effort in a competitive Little East. The conference had five winning teams last year, including Keene State, who finished 26-4 last season, and Western Connecticut, who finished 22-5. It’s a long road ahead to compete at the top.