AMHERST, Mass. -- Welcome to the Mullins Center, home of the UMass Minutemen and one of the nicest arenas you will find here in the northeast. Today's game pits the Minutemen against Xavier, picked by most before the season as the team to beat in the Atlantic 10 and having done nothing to change anyone's mind on that thus far.

We apologize for the lateness of our start here, as we got caught up in traffic between Route 116 and the arena. It wouldn't be so bad, except that all the traffic wasn't for fans coming to the game. While the Mullins Center does have a larger-than-usual crowd here, there are still several sections that are almost completely empty. As I walked in, however, I was told that today is move-in day for the students.

This game features the two teams who tied for the regular season title last season, although both teams look a little different than last year. Xavier lost four-year stalwarts Justin Doellman, Justin Cage and Brandon Cole, while the Minutemen lost post studs Stephan Lasme and Rashaun Freeman. For good measure, the Minutemen don't play like they did last season, as they play a much faster pace now.

Of interest: Xavier game notes and UMass game notes.

Today's game is being broadcast on CSTV Regional, with Tom McCarthy on play-by-play and John Griffin providing color commentary.

We'll have more starting with the under-16 media timeout. As we go to print this, Xavier has just tied the game at 4 about two minutes in.