AMHERST — After 12 non-conference games that included a lengthy trip to Hawaii, the new year brings Atlantic 10 Conference play back to the Mullins Center for the UMass men’s basketball team.

The Minutemen finished 9-3 in those contests, and on Wednesday night they will face a Duquesne team with the same record to kick off their conference slate. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Before any games were played, UMass was picked to finish 13th out of 15 in the A-10 preseason poll, ahead of only Rhode Island and La Salle. While the Minutemen still have yet to play a league game, it looks as if that judgment was harsh based on how they’ve looked through the first third of their schedule. Either way, UMass head coach Frank Martin isn’t putting any stock into what the voters think of his team’s Atlantic 10 chances.

“If you’re worried about all that stuff, then you’re not worried about what really matters, which is your team,” Martin said about the preseason ranking. “You’re in the moment. You should be worried about your next practice, your next game… I’m a big believer of paying attention to the inside noise. I can’t tell my players that the inside noise is what drives me, then try to motivate them by [using] outside noise. I’ve never had those conversations with them. Some people do find their edge through that. I don’t, never have.”

To no surprise, the Dukes are led by star guard Dae Dae Grant. The senior, who was selected to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team, is averaging over 19 points per game – and dropped 32 points on Dec. 23 against Santa Clara.

The A-10 has notoriously been a guard-dominated conference in recent years. Teams across the conference typically have at least one game-changer in the backcourt, and UMass will get its first glimpse of that in Grant, Jimmy Clark III (16.5 ppg), and Duquesne.

“Seeing their roster, they might be the oldest team in the league with age and number of years in college,” Martin said. “They’re old. And you can argue that we’ve got the youngest roster in the A-10… They play the game the right way. Dae Dae, Jimmy Clark, those guys are two really, really good, established A-10 scorers. We’ve got our hands full. But if we’re gonna start league play, let’s go ahead and start against the good teams.”

The Dukes come in having won five of their last six games, with the lone loss coming at home to Santa Clara (81-73). Duquesne’s other two losses came against Princeton (70-67) and Nebraska (89-79), but it does have a four-point Quadrant 2 victory over UC Irvine standing as its best win to date.

The UMass offense that averages 84.1 points per game (good for 29th in Division 1) is led by senior forward tandem Josh Cohen and Matt Cross – two of four Minutemen players who average in double figures. It feels like it’s been awhile since UMass has had a true, dominant back-to-the-basket big man, and it has that this year in Cohen. The difference for the team’s offense he has made is plainly evident.

Cohen averages 18 points and 6.7 rebounds for game for the Minutemen, and with the previously noted premier backcourt players typically headlining the conference, he should only get more opportunities in the paint – there aren’t as many standout bigs in the A-10. Throw in Cross’ 16.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and his relentless work ethic, the two together should have no problem making noise and turning heads as UMass maneuvers through its January schedule.

“Josh and Matt have been as productive of a frontcourt as there has been in the A-10 this year,” Martin said. “You can sit and argue that the A-10 has some great guards, which they do, and some incredible production from guard play, which they do, but find me an A-10 team that’s got two frontcourt guys that have been as productive offensively and defensively.”

The other two players averaging 10 or more points are guards Rahsool Diggins (11.5) and Keon Thompson (10.6). Martin wasn’t shy when talking before the season about what UMass needed from Cohen, Cross, and his starting backcourt to be successful. Those are Martin’s four most experienced players on the roster in terms of college basketball games played, and they’ve stepped up and met the longtime head coach’s lofty expectations.

“They don’t create distractions off the court socially or academically, so that gives them the capacity [to grow as players],” Martin said of his big four. “I’m a true believer, if you’re gonna improve as a basketball player, you better be willing to improve as a human being first. Those guys have all grown, they’re all better. Matt Cross, from a leadership standpoint, the fact that he’s grown from where he was to where he’s at now, that commands respect from people – coaches and players alike.”

UMass is in an all too familiar position with its first Atlantic 10 game upcoming. Last year, the Minutemen had the exact same record going into their conference opener against St. Bonaventure. Following their promising non-conference results, they finished a disappointing 15-16 while going just 6-12 in the A-10.

But despite that matching record, this year doesn’t seem to be even close to identical, according to Cross and his feel for the players’ mindsets in the locker room.

“Even though we had the same record at this point last year, it’s just a different feel, and I think anybody who has been watching us can tell,” Cross said after UMass’ win over Siena last Saturday. “This team just enjoys and embraces the moment, and practice, and the little things. You can tell this team enjoys physicality and enjoys being competitive.”

UMass is riding a three-game winning streak into Wednesday – its longest of the season. The Minutemen are slight favorites, and have a chance to be a 10-win team when they head to Dayton this weekend.