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Massachusetts is ranked No. 2 in the nation in blocked shots, and boasts of one player with more blocks than 10 teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Duquesne (2-10, 0-1) will try to deal with any rejections, when Massachusetts (5-5, 0-0) visits the Palumbo Center today in an A-10 men's basketball game.

"Their whole front line is big and athletic," Duquesne coach Danny Nee said. "They are just very good. They have a lot of quality players who have been in the league for a while. It's not a good match-up at all."

Stephane Lasme, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, leads the ball-swatting front-line, alongside first-team pre-season all-Atlantic 10 center Rashaun Freeman.

Lasme, the reigning Atlantic 10 player of the week, ranks third in the nation at 4.5 blocked shots per game. He has more blocked shots this season (45) than all but three A-10 teams, including Duquesne (43).

First-year coach Travis Ford is remembered as an all-SEC point guard at Kentucky in the early 1990s, but his UMass team is built around the inside. The Minutemen are averaging 8.7 blocked shots per game, trailing just UConn (8.8).

Only one Duquesne player, sophomore DeVario Hudson (17), has more blocked shots this season than Massachusetts' per-game average.

"They have a big front line," said Bryant McAllister, the second-leading scorer in the Atlantic 10 at 18.4 points per game. "We need to play with energy and play hard and take care of the ball and limit second shots. If we do that, we'll be in a lot of ball games."

Freeman, considered one of the top 20 centers in the nation, leads the Minutemen at 15.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Lasme, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, adds 10.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and versatile 6-6 forward Jeff Viggiano averages 9.0 points and 3.9 rebounds, along with 24 assists and 21 blocked shots.

"For us to win the game, we're going to have a little more consistency for 40 minutes and guard their big men inside," Nee said. "There are things we can do to hurt them, but they are a good basketball team."

While the inside remains intact, Massachusetts will be without starting junior point guard Maurice Maxwell (6.5 ppg, 2.8 apg), who was suspended indefinitely for failing to meet academic standards. Chris Lowe, a 6-0 freshman, is expected to start.

Duquesne typically struggles against UMass no matter who's on the floor. The Dukes are 3-18 in their past 21 games against the Minutemen, including a 16-game losing streak that spanned from 1992-2001.

A loss would assure Duquesne the second-worst start in the program's history. Only the 1989-90 Dukes, which began, 1-15, under John Carroll, suffered a slower start.

"We're not a 2-10 team," McAllister said. "We know that. If we stick together, everything will be OK. We have to pick each other up. We can get down on each other. ... A win would be a sigh of relief. We could try to build of that win. We got two games at home. If we can get these two wins, that will get us going. We'll get some confidence and that will help. Every little bit helps."

The Dukes host Richmond on Saturday, before playing at Fordham and at Dayton next week.

"I think the team has a lot of potential," Nee said. "But each game, without winning, it builds and it builds. We're just trying to stay positive and defend our home court and play 30-40 minutes of solid basketball."

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