Mason-UMBC men's basketball preview

The University of Maryland-Baltimore County faces the Patriots tonight at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center (Photo courtesy of umbc.edu.)

The University of Maryland-Baltimore Retrievers have had a tough go in their first seven games of the season, starting at 2-5. With one of the worst RPI in all of Division-I men’s basketball, UMBC will be overmatched by George Mason, the second-highest ranked RPI team they will face this year. The Retrievers take on the Patriots at the Patriot Center tonight at 7 p.m. However, here are some of the players to pay attention to from the Retrievers.

Key Returners

Ryan Cook – Guard – Senior

The leading scorer returning for UMBC, Cook has been handed the scoring load while averaging 17.3 points per game. He has averaged double figures in scoring in his two years at UMBC, after transferring from Chestnut Hill College, and has increased his average so far this season. Cook also leads the Retrievers in rebounding at 7.4 points per game and will attempt to penetrate against the Mason guards to spread the court for open shots.

Chase Plummer – Forward – Junior

Plummer has seen a drop in his production this season, averaging 12.0 points per game for the Retrievers compared to his 15.4 per game last season. The former high school teammate of Mason forward Paris Bennett at St. Patrick’s in New Jersey, Plummer has experience playing against highly-touted basketball talent and is a defensive presence, leading the team in steals with 12. At 6’6”, he is more of a combo forward, similar to Ryan Pearson in that regard, and was the only player in the America East Conference to lead the conference in both scoring and rebounding. He will look for jump shot opportunities and should have trouble in the paint against Mason’s frontcourt with Erik Copes (6’8”) and Johnny Williams (6’8”).

New Addition

Aaron Morgan – Guard – Freshman

Morgan has started all seven of the Retrievers’ games as a freshman and has since been a nice piece to add to the lineup. Averaging 5.4 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game, Morgan has contributed early and will only get better with more in-game experience. With 29 assists, he leads the team and facilitates things for the Retrievers on offense in the role of a pure point guard. The Patriot Center should be a challenging environment for the freshman to work in and could be forced into making mistakes with the crowd noise.