2006–07 UMass Minutemen basketball team

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2006–07 UMass Minutemen basketball team

Season overview
The UMass Minutemen represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst during the 2006–07 NCAA men’s basketball season. Led by second-year head coach Travis Ford, they played home games at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center and competed in the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished with a 24–9 overall record and went 13–3 in conference play, finishing in a two-way tie for first place with Xavier. The team were the Atlantic 10 regular-season co-champions and earned a postseason bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), where they reached the second round.

Roster
- 1 Rashaun Freeman – Center/Forward, 6–9, 255, Senior, Schenectady, New York
- 2 Brandon Thomas – Guard/Forward, 6–6, 200, Senior, San Antonio, Texas
- 3 Gary Forbes – Forward/Guard, 6–7, 220, RS Junior, Brooklyn, New York
- 4 Mike Sinn – Guard, 5–10, 165, Freshman, Jericho, New York
- 5 Ricky Harris – Guard, 6–2, 175, Freshman, Baltimore, Maryland
- 10 Tiki Mayben – Guard, 6–2, 180, Freshman, Troy, New York
- 12 Matt Pennie – Forward, 6–7, 210, Senior, Hanson, Massachusetts
- 13 Stéphane Lasme – Forward, 6–8, 215, Senior, Libreville, Gabon
- 14 Chris Lowe – Guard, 6–0, 160, Sophomore, Mount Vernon, New York
- 20 Dante Milligan – Forward, 6–9, 215, RS Junior, New York City
- 22 Etienne Brower – Forward, 6–7, 215, RS Junior, West Hempstead, New York
- 24 Tony Gaffney – Forward, 6–8, 195, Junior, Berkley, Massachusetts
- 31 Luke Bonner – Center, 7–1, 245, RS Sophomore, Concord, New Hampshire
- 34 James Life – Guard, 6–6, 190, Senior, Fort Myers, Florida
- 40 Nana Ampim – Guard, 6–1, 195, Junior, London

Schedule at a glance
- Exhibition (Bahamas): The team played five exhibitions in Nassau in August 2006, winning all games by wide margins.
- Regular season: UMass posted a solid non-conference showing and strong Atlantic 10 play, finishing 13–3 in the conference. Highlights included wins over Dartmouth (98–61), Louisville (72–68) and Rhode Island (77–55); notable losses included Kentucky (68–82) and Temple (89–98).
- Atlantic 10 tournament: The Minutemen were upset in the first round, losing to St. Louis 71–74 in overtime.
- National Invitation Tournament (NIT): They beat Alabama 89–87 in overtime in the first round, then fell to West Virginia 77–90 in the second round.

Postseason and standings
- Atlantic 10 regular-season: Co-champions with Xavier, both at 13–3 in conference play.
- postseason: NIT, reached the second round after advancing past Alabama in the first round.

Season summary
The 2006–07 UMass Minutemen had a strong season, finishing as co-champions of the Atlantic 10 regular season and earning an NIT berth. Under Travis Ford, the team displayed consistent play and multiple standout wins, finishing 24–9 overall.