abstract
| - The University of Massachusetts Amherst (otherwise known as UMass Amherst or UMass) is a research and land-grant university in Amherst, USA. The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers over 90 undergraduate and 65 graduate areas of study. It was known as the University of Massachusetts from 1947 until the creation of the UMass system. The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst in NCAA Division I sports competition. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure. Strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only; women's teams and athletes are known as Minutewomen. The Minutemen and Minutewomen primarily compete in the Atlantic Ten Conference. The Minutemen ice hockey team competes in Hockey East, while the Minutemen football team will in 2007 be a charter member of the football conference established by the Colonial Athletic Association. First played in 1905 and held annually since 1995, UMass' basketball rivalry with Boston College is called the "Commonwealth Classic." The UMass basketball team also competed annually with the University of Connecticut in a game that was formerly known as the "U-Game", until UConn Coach Jim Calhoun chose not to continue it after new Coach Travis Ford's arrival. This series included a stunning UMass upset of the then-defending national champion Huskies on December 9, 2004 at the Mullins Center. Over the 10 games of the revived series, from 1996 to 2006, UMass went 1-9. During the 1990's the men's basketball team was known as one of the finest in the nation, holding the number one ranking in national polls for extended periods. Under the leadership of then-head coach John Calipari and players such as 1996 National Player of the Year Marcus Camby, Harper Williams and Lou Roe, the Minutemen participated in the NCAA Tournament each year between 1992 and 1998, and reached the Final Four in 1996. However, a subsequent NCAA investigation found that Camby illegally accepted a total of $28,000 from sports agents, and the school was forced to vacate its Final Four appearance. Camby eventually repaid the school the $151,000 in lost Final Four revenue that came as a result of the NCAA's ruling. While a Final Four banner still hangs from the rafters of the Mullins Center in defiance of the NCAA's ruling, the appearance is marked with an asterisk in official record books. Notable UMass basketball alumni include Julius Erving, Marcus Camby, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, and Boston College head coach Al Skinner. The current coach of the Minutemen is Derek Kellogg.
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