UMass men’s basketball head coach Frank Martin speaks during a press conference at the Martin Jacobson Football Performance Center regarding the University of Massachusetts joining the Mid-American Conference.
STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE
AMHERST — According to a source, the Daily Hampshire Gazette has learned that the Boston College men’s basketball team has backed out of the 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun.
The Eagles now make it two New England teams originally scheduled to play in the late-November tournament that have decided to withdraw – joining Providence, which also backed out earlier this month.
That, of course, means UMass and Boston College will no longer be in line to play each other this upcoming season – which would have been the first meeting since 2014 (a 71-62 Minutemen win). The Eagles and Minutemen have played each other four times since 2010, with UMass holding a 3-1 record including three consecutive wins.
UMass and Temple are still firmly in place to play in the showcase, and another Power 6 school is expected to take Boston College’s spot. The tournament will be a three-team, round-robin format across three days (Nov. 22-24), with each team having one of the days off.