The University of Maine men’s basketball team hasn’t had the season it’s wanted to so far. The injuries have piled up, and the wins have been hard to come by.
But even with some early-season struggles, the 5-18 UMaine team is just one game out of fourth place in the America East Conference. The Black Bears 3-5 record in the conference was bolstered by two recent wins against Albany and Binghamton, and now they’ll get another chance against America East’s No. 2 ranked Vermont.
The Black Bears squandered a second half lead against the Catamounts on Jan. 15, giving up a 20-1 run to stumble late in that previous matchup. But UMaine’s performance since then, especially in the Albany and Binghamton wins, has head coach Chris Markwood feeling like his team is trending in the right direction as they host Vermont on Thursday.
And if the Black Bears are going to take control of their destiny, now is the time.
“I tell them all the time, February is winning season,” Markwood said on Wednesday. “You’re always trying to win, but now is the time where teams either start to really dig in and climb or their minds start wandering in other areas and they fall.”
UMaine has had plenty of reasons to fall this year. They’ve lost several players to injury, including a recent lower body injury to senior forward Keelan Steele.
“We’re trying to overcome some of these adversities, Keelan being the last one, where it’s just kind of constant moving pieces,” Markwood said.
The team is hoping to get Steele and junior forward Yanis Bamba back in the lineup at some point, and already has benefited from the return of senior guard Mekhi Gray. But the Black Bears squad will continue to find itself as players like freshman Ace Flagg take on a bigger role.
“I think you’re starting to see a little bit of the strength of what this group could be,” Markwood said. “You’ve got multiple offensive threats on the floor together that are starting to learn how to play together, sharing the ball well.”
Flagg was named America East Rookie of the Week on Jan. 26, and junior guard Logan Carey has come alive offensively in recent weeks. That included a career-high 28 points last Saturday against UMass-Lowell.
“I think we all know what we need to do going forward,” Flagg said on Wednesday. “Just keep working, especially when things don’t go your way throughout the season. You just have to keep your head down, keep playing hard, and keep pushing.”
Markwood said Carey is settling into his role on this year’s team, and other offensive pieces are starting to fall into place for the Black Bears. Forward TJ Biel has led the team in scoring by averaging nearly 12 points per game, and as he draws defenders’ attention, his teammates are starting to be more productive.
Carey said the team has been learning a lot this year.
“There’s been some ups and downs. We’ve faced some adversity,” Carey said. “But we’re getting through it, and we’re really just trying to stay together.”
UMaine has eight games left, and will be focused on doing whatever it needs to get wins down the stretch, Carey added.
“Now that you’re adding Mekhi back into the fold, he’s played really good basketball, especially on the offensive side,” said Markwood, who added that the combination of Biel and Flagg gives the team versatility both down low and on the outside.
“I just think you’re seeing those pieces kind of come together,” Markwood said. “I think they fit well together and hopefully we can get some continuity and then get these other guys back.”
And now, they’ll test those pieces against one of the top teams in the conference. Vermont heads into Thursday’s matchup with a 6-2 record in America East play.
“I just think things are settling in a little bit. It’s game by game,” Markwood added Wednesday. “We have a tough test in front of us tomorrow.”