Massachusetts and Boston College will renew their in-state rivalry Wednesday when they meet in the Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass.The game will be their first matchup since November of 2014 when UMass earned a 71-62 victory.”I get the fact that Boston’s a pro town,” UMass coach Frank Martin said. “I grew up in Miami, a pro town. I get it. But when (UMass and BC) play each other, there’s a reason to speak about it. So I hope we have a great showing on both sides on Wednesday night.”The Minutemen (6-3) are coming off Saturday’s 80-60 victory over UMass-Lowell and enter Wednesday’s matchup on a three-game winning streak. The Minutemen shot 4 of 18 from 3-point territory (22.2%) in the victory, but scored 48 points in the paint.”We changed defenses a little bit, which is something I’ve got to do to help our team,” Martin said. “The physicality of the game was never too big for us, and that’s something that I continue to respect about our team. We were as physical as the game determines you’ve got to be.”UMass has two of the top scorers in the MAC in guard Marcus Banks (17.2 points) and forward Leonardo Bettiol (16.4), both of whom are new transfers into the program.
