Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine men's basketball team begins its home slate on Friday when it hosts UMaine Farmington at the Cross Insurance Center at 5 p.m. Tickets for Friday evening's home opener are available at
TicketMaster.com.
Friday's game will be broadcast live at AmericaEast.TV. The game can also be heard worldwide on the
Black Bear Sports Network and locally in Maine on
92.9 The Ticket.
*Per University of Maine system guidance, UMaine Athletics will require all guests attending home hockey and basketball events to provide full proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test, which must be administered within the previous 72 hours. Patrons must have a mask in place covering their nose and mouth prior to entry to the venues. Face coverings remain required indoors for all persons - students, staff, faculty, and visitors, on campus at all UMaine Athletics sporting events, regardless of vaccination status. All guests over the age of two will be required to wear a face covering, except while eating or drinking. The University of Maine reserves the right to request additional screening of patrons prior to entering the building. The additional screening would consist of a symptom check and temperature scan. If guests are unable to provide valid proof of vaccination, a valid negative test, or fail the enhanced screening, guests will be turned away from the event. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets to UMaine Athletics events prior to arriving at the venue and also are encouraged to arrive early to the venue on gameday. Gates to all on campus venues will open 90 minutes prior to the start of the events.
The University of Maine basketball program returns to the home court following an abbreviated 2020-21 campaign that saw just nine games completed before the program decided to cancel the remainder of its season due to complications with the COVID-19 pandemic. With an all-new coaching staff and nine new players, the Black Bears have reloaded in preparation to turn some heads and make some noise in the America East in Coach Richard Barron's fourth season at the helm. The Black Bears fell in the season opener to the Virigina Tech Hokies, 84-47 on Nov. 9. Byron Ireland and Kristians Feierbergs, both appearing in their first career games with the Black Bears, led Maine in scoring at Virginia Tech with nine points each.
A LOOK BACK
The 2020-21 season, although a brief affair, was not without bright spots for the Bears.
Steph Ingo is the player to watch for the Bears, as the 6-9 Ontario-native continued his progression towards becoming one of the best players in the conference. In just nine games, Ingo put up a body of work that saw him lead the conference in both blocks (2.8) and rebounds (8.9) per game within America East play on his way to an All-Academic selection at the end of the year.
The winter also saw the emergence of transfer LeChaun DuHart as one of the conference's top threats from behind the three-point line, ranking third with a 38.5% success rate on attempts from deep alongside a team-high 11.0 points per game.
Maine's defensive effort as a whole was a bright spot and where the team looks to build their identity in 2021-22, as they allowed just 64.6 points per game in 2020-21, the third-lowest mark in the conference.
Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
Farmington |
| 47.0 |
Points Per Game |
80.0 |
| 84.0 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
68.7 |
| -37 |
Scoring Margin |
+11.3 |
| 32.7 |
Field Goal Percentage |
41.7 |
| 18.2 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
21.6 |
| 54.2 |
Free Throw Percentage |
67.2 |
| 37.0 |
Rebounds Per Game |
42.7 |
| +2 |
Rebound Margin |
-2.3 |
| 9.0 |
Assists Per Game |
12.3 |
| 19.0 |
Turnovers Per Game |
10.0 |
| 3.0 |
Blocks Per Game |
5.0 |
| 3.0 |
Steals Per Game |
8.3 |
-UMaine-
