Game Notes: Charlotte @ UMass

49ers on a roll:

The Charlotte 49ers (15-5, 5-1), winners of four straight against A-10 opponents head up north to take on the Minutemen of Massachusetts (8-12, 2-4) in a 6:00 p.m. match-up Saturday evening. Charlotte picked up two key road wins last week at Richmond and La Salle and is coming off an impressive 74-64 win over #15/#15 Temple on Wednesday night at Halton Arena. After a miserable 2008-09 season, the 49ers have made a complete turn around and already have the same amount of conference wins (5) as they had last year and have two Top 20 wins (at #20/#18 Louisville; vs. #15/#15 Temple). The five A-10 wins the 49ers have are against teams they lost to in 2008-09.

Résumé:

As of Jan. 27, Charlotte is 42nd in RPI according to realtimerpi.com. The Niners are 3-5 against Top 50 RPI teams and are winning by an average of 13.8 points per game. Charlotte’s Top 50 RPI wins came against vs. Temple (#16); at Richmond (#40) and at Louisville (#44). All five of the Niners’ losses have come against Top 40 RPI teams (at Duke (#3); at Xavier (#15); at Tennessee (#24); vs. Georgia Tech (#29); at Old Dominion (#39)).

The all-time series:

The 49ers are 4-3 all-time against Massachusetts including 2-2 in A-10 regular-season games, 1-1 in Amherst. Charlotte recorded a 69-65 A-10 Tournament win over the Minutemen in 2008 and stole a 69-64 OT win last year at Halton Arena. UMass won the last meeting in Amherst, 86-79 in 2008.

Players to watch: UMass

Ricky Harris: A preseason A-10 first-team selection, Harris is averaging 17.5 points per game and is averaging a team-high 29.3 minutes per game. He has scored in double-figures 29 games in a row and in 82 of 116 career games at UMass. Standing at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Harris is extremely athletic and was named the most entertaining player in the A-10.

Anthony Gurley: A red-shirt junior, Gurley is a transfer from Wake Forest and is averaging 14.9 points and 16.6 minutes per game. Gurley is athletic, tough and has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the country. He gives the Minutemen some much-needed toughness on the wing and if he can be effective on the glass, can give UMass a good chance to pick up a victory.

Players to watch: Charlotte

Chris Braswell: An A-10 Rookie of the Year candidate, Braswell is a rebounding machine and provides the 49ers with the inside presence they lacked in 2008-09. Braswell scored 15 points, 14 in the second half and pulled down seven boards in Charlotte’s win over #15/#15 Temple on Wednesday night and is the perfect compliment to junior transfer Shamari Spears. Braswell is 34-of-37 from the charity stripe since conference play began against St. Bonaventure.

Derrio Green: Green has been a monster lately, scoring in double-figures in nine straight games, including a 31-point effort against Georgia Tech and 26 points Wednesday night against Temple. Green has averaged 15.7 points per game since conference play began and has dished out 17 assists over the last three games.