February 22, 2006 - Withers go Charlotte

"Curtis Withers is one of the best rebounders in the country, let alone the Atlantic 10," University of Massachusetts basketball coach Travis Ford said as the Minutemen (11-12, 6-6 Atlantic 10) return home to face Charlotte (16-9, 9-3), a first-year A-10 member.

The 49ers are led by the 6-foot-8 Withers, a senior who is averaging 15.4 points per game, and whose 11.3 rebounding average ranks fourth in the nation. Withers is kind of like a Charles Oakley type, or Anthony Mason," Ford said. "He can step out and shoot the 3, but his game is overpowering people.

"If Rashaun wants to be considered one of the best players in the Atlantic 10, Curtis is a good start (for comparison)," Ford said.

Freeman snapped a personal recent slump (2-for-13 shooting, 21 rebounds over his previous three games) with 25 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in a 72-64 victory at St. Bonaventure Sunday. He says he knows the task he faces tonight for UMass, which will play its first home game in two weeks.

"Charlotte is new to the league, so I've only seen Withers play against Fordham," said the 6-9 Freeman, a junior whose 9.4 rebounds per game rank 40th in the nation, and second to Withers in the A-10.

"I'd known he was a good scorer and rebounder, but I didn't know until now he could hit the 15-footer," Freeman said. "Myself and (UMass forward) Stephane Lasme will definitely have to strike first, as far as being aggressive goes."

What Freeman doesn't want, he said, is to make too much of the matchup at the expense of the game.

"I've got to keep (Withers) in my mind, and keep a body on him," he said. "But I've also got to focus on my own game."

One UMass player who has rediscovered his game is 6-6 junior Brandon Thomas, who was restored to the starting lineup on the road trip, and averaged 10.3 points in the three games.

"Starting made me feel as if coach Ford had confidence in me," said Thomas, who started the season's first 13 games, then came off the bench for seven.

In midseason, he filled in at point guard, but struggled mightily.

"Playing the point was a tough transition, but I think it will help me, and our team, in the long run," Thomas said. "Other teams are pressuring us, and we need guys who can handle the ball."

Charlotte sits in second place in the A-10, and its 8-3 overall road record is bettered only by league leader George Washington's 8-1 mark away from home.

UMass is 8-1 at the Mullins Center, where it hasn't played since a 65-44 loss to La Salle Feb. 8.