Commonwealth Classic

Commonwealth Classic
	UMass Minutemen
Sport	Men's basketball
Teams	Boston College Eagles ; UMass Minutemen ;
First meeting	1905
Latest meeting	2014
Statistics
Meetings total	47
All-time series	Boston College 26-21

Last updated October 29, 2024

50km
30miles

UMass

Boston College

Locations of Boston College and UMass

The Commonwealth Classic, also known as Commonwealth Cup^[1] or Governor's Cup (for the trophy awarded to the victor of the game),^[2] is the title of a basketball rivalry between Boston College and the University of Massachusetts. The name refers to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the New England state in which both universities are located. The game has been played a total of 47 times, with BC leading the series 26-21.

History

The first game between the two schools occurred December 8, 1905. Since then, UMass and BC have played each other irregularly over the course of their in-state rivalry. In 1995, the basketball rivalry was officially designated as the "Commonwealth Classic" by then-Massachusetts Governor William Weld and members of the Massachusetts General Court who were among the nearly 20,000 spectators to watch the game at the new FleetCenter (now the TD Garden). It was the first college basketball game played in the new arena. The first game holds the record for college basketball attendance in New England. The series had been held annually since 1995, until Boston College suspended the series in 2012.^[3]

UMass dominance in the 1990s

The 1990s were the best decade of UMass Minutemen Basketball as the Minutemen went to the 1996 Final Four and went 6–0 in the decade against Boston College. Their longest winning streak ever against their cross-state rivals.

BC dominance in the 2000s

After going 0–6 against UMass in the 90's, BC has bounced back and won the first seven games in the 2000s, going 7–0. This streak was snapped on December 12, 2007 when UMass edged BC 83–80.

2010s

The 2010 game, won by Boston College, was played at the TD Garden at a part of the Boston Tip-Off Classic. After UMass routed Boston College 82–46 in 2011 in Chestnut Hill,[4] BC ended the annual series in 2012.^[5] After a year hiatus, the rivalry was renewed in 2013 as a part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Boston Tip-Off. UMass won the 2013 game by a score 86–73^[6] and the 2014 game by a score of 71–62.^[7]

Results

Boston College victories	UMass victories

Date	Location	Winner	Score		Notes
Date	Location	Winner	BC	UM	Notes
December 8, 1905	Amherst, MA	UMass	15	20
February 26, 1951	Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, MA	Boston College	59	43
December 10, 1951	Boston Garden Boston, MA	Boston College	76	52
December 19, 1955	Boston Garden Boston, MA	UMass	73	91
January 30, 1957	Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, MA	Boston College	68	66
January 28, 1958	Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA	Boston College	71	67
February 19, 1959	Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, MA	UMass	65	68
January 28, 1960	Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA	Boston College	74	51
December 12, 1963	Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA	UMass	74	93
February 2, 1965	Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, MA	Boston College	109	97
February 8, 1966	Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA	Boston College	101	80
December 3, 1966	Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, MA	Boston College	86	63
December 21, 1966	Boston Garden Boston, MA	Boston College	75	67	Boston Garden Christmas Basketball Tournament
February 6, 1968	Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA	Boston College	94	70
February 5, 1969	Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, MA	Boston College	78	67
February 3, 1970	Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA	Boston College	83	76
February 9, 1971	Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, MA	UMass	77	85
February 9, 1972	Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA	Boston College	75	74
February 7, 1973	Springfield Civic Center Springfield, MA	UMass	52	76
February 6, 1974	Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA	Boston College	78	74	Overtime
February 5, 1975	Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, MA	UMass	71	80
February 4, 1976	Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA	UMass	70	77
December 12, 1976	Boston Garden Boston, MA	UMass	71	94	Colonial Classic Tournament
February 2, 1977	Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, MA	UMass	69	85
January 27, 1978	Boston Garden Boston, MA	UMass	64	88	Colonial Classic Tournament
January 26, 1979	Boston Garden Boston, MA	Boston College	82	70	Colonial Classic Tournament
December 29, 1990	Springfield Civic Center Springfield, MA	UMass	81	83	Abdow's Classic
December 9, 1995	FleetCenter Boston, MA	#3 UMass	57	65
January 18, 1997	FleetCenter Boston, MA	UMass	78	90
December 14, 1997	FleetCenter Boston, MA	UMass	57	65
December 12, 1998	Centrum Centre Worcester, MA	UMass	45	75
December 4, 1999	Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA	UMass	67	74
December 23, 1999	Bayamon, PR	Boston College	83	59	Puerto Rico Holiday Classic
December 17, 2000	Mullins Center Amherst, MA	Boston College	74	65
December 8, 2001	Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA	#13 Boston College	80	78
December 7, 2002	Mullins Center Amherst, MA	Boston College	80	62
December 6, 2003	Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA	Boston College	76	75
January 2, 2005	Mullins Center Amherst, MA	Boston College	67	48
January 3, 2006	Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA	#11 Boston College	91	62
December 2, 2006	Mullins Center Amherst, MA	Boston College	84	73
December 12, 2007	Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA	UMass	80	83
December 6, 2008	Mullins Center Amherst, MA	Boston College	85	81
December 23, 2009	Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA	Boston College	79	67
December 4, 2010	TD Garden Boston, MA	Boston College	76	71
November 21, 2011	Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA	UMass	46	82
November 10, 2013	TD Garden Boston, MA	UMass	73	86	Coaches vs. Cancer Tripleheader
November 16, 2014	TD Garden Boston, MA	UMass	62	71	Coaches vs. Cancer Tripleheader

Related Research Articles

National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference. This means that FBS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition like conference schools do.

The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located mostly on the East Coast and Midwest of the United States: Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The Crosstown Shootout is an annual men's college basketball game played between the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier University Musketeers. The two schools are separated by 3 miles (4.8 km) in Cincinnati, making the archrivalry one of the closest major rivalries in the country. The game was first played in 1927, and has been played every year since 1946. In recent years, the game has been sponsored by Skyline Chili.

The Sunflower Showdown is the series of athletic contests between Kansas State University and the University of Kansas athletic programs, most notably football and men's basketball. The name is derived from a nickname for the state of Kansas as well as the state flower, the Sunflower State.

The Boston College Eagles football team represents Boston College in the sport of American football. The Eagles compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Eagles home games are played at Alumni Stadium on the university's campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Boston, Massachusetts, is home to several major professional sports franchises. They include the Red Sox (baseball), the Celtics, and the Bruins. The New England Patriots and the New England Revolution play at Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxborough, Massachusetts. Boston is one of eleven U.S. cities to have teams from the five major American professional team sports.

The Boston College Eagles are a Division I college basketball program that represents Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. The team has competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since 2005, having previously played in the Big East. The Eagles have appeared in 18 NCAA Tournaments in their history, most recently in 2009. Home games have been played at the Conte Forum since 1988. The Eagles are currently coached by Earl Grant.

The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst; strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only — women's teams and athletes are known as Minutewomen. The Minutemen and Minutewomen compete in NCAA Division I sports competition primarily as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. UMass is one of only 16 universities in the nation that plays Division I FBS football and Division I men's ice hockey. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure.

Yann Ulrich Stéphane Lasme is a Gabonese former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts (UMass), with the UMass Minutemen, and he was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the second round, 46th overall, in the 2007 NBA draft. In 2016 Stephane won the EuroCup Championship and earned the Finals MVP award, as well as, an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2014 and won the EuroLeague Best Defender award in 2013, among others.

The UMass Minutemen basketball team represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. They play their home games in the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. The Minutemen currently compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Beginning in the 2025–26 season, the team will play as a member of the Mid-American Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey</span> College hockey team in Boston MA

The Boston College Eagles are an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The team has competed in Hockey East since 1984, having previously played in the ECAC. The Eagles have won five national championships, the most recent coming in 2012. Home games have been played at Kelley Rink at Conte Forum, named in honor of long-time BC hockey coach John "Snooks" Kelley, since 1986, having previously played at McHugh Forum. The Eagles are coached by former Eagles and NHL defenseman Greg Brown, who recently took over the reins after the retirement of Jerry York.

The UMass Minutemen football team represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The Minutemen compete as an FBS independent. Since 1965, their home games have been played at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium on the university's campus in Hadley, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial Clash</span> American college football rivalry

The Colonial Clash was an annual college football rivalry game played between the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) and the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The two teams first played each other in 1897, and met annually from 1952 through 2011. The rivalry was branded as the Colonial Clash beginning in 2010. However, the new branding didn't last for long. In 2012, UMass transitioned to the Football Bowl subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I, discontinuing the rivalry. In 74 playings, UMass has won 43 games, UNH has won 28 games, and there have been three ties. Beginning with the 1986 playing, the MVP of the game was awarded the Bill Knight Trophy.

The UConn–UMass rivalry is a sports rivalry between the UConn Huskies of the University of Connecticut and the UMass Minutemen of the University of Massachusetts.

The Boston College–UMass football rivalry is a college football rivalry between the Eagles of Boston College and Minutemen of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The 2013–14 Massachusetts Minutemen basketball team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Minutemen, led by sixth year head coach Derek Kellogg, played their home games at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center and were members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The 1995–96 UMass Minutemen basketball team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst during the 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Minutemen, led by eighth year head coach John Calipari, played their home games at William D. Mullins Memorial Center and were members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 35–2, 15–1 in A-10 play to finish in first place. The Minutemen won the A-10 Conference tournament by beating Temple in the finals. They were awarded a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Minutemen advanced to the Final Four, losing to eventual National Champion Kentucky.

Ryan Bamford is the current athletic director of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Bamford previously served at Georgia Institute of Technology as associate athletic director and Yale University as senior associate director of athletics for varsity sports administration.

The UMass Minutemen women's ice hockey team represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) in Women's Division 1 of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and in the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League (ECWHL). The Minutemen are one of the ACHA's premier programs, having qualified for 16 of the 20 ACHA National Tournaments held for women's teams, a number second to Michigan State for the all-time lead. Additionally, UMass has won four ECWHL playoff titles and has been the home of two Zoë M. Harris Award winners, one of five ACHA D1 programs to produce multiple recipients of the honor.

The 2020–21 UMass Minutemen ice hockey season was the 89th season of play for the program, the 31st season competing at the Division I level, and the 27th season in the Hockey East conference. The Minutemen represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst and were coached by Greg Carvel, in his 5th season. UMass won the first national championship in program history.

References

↑ University of Massachusetts Media Guide (PDF)
↑ Boston Globe coverage of the 2006 Commonwealth Cup
↑ "Boston College Basketball Drops UMass from 2012–13 Schedule". 18 April 2012.
↑ "UMass 82, Boston College 46". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
↑ ESPNBoston.com (17 April 2012). "BC bows out of hoop game with UMass". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
↑ "Chaz Williams' big 2nd half leads UMass past Boston College". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
↑ Ken Powtak. "UMass runs away from BC in 2nd half, 71–62". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2014-11-16.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] University of Massachusetts Media Guide (PDF)

[2] Boston Globe coverage of the 2006 Commonwealth Cup

[3] "Boston College Basketball Drops UMass from 2012–13 Schedule". 18 April 2012.

[4] "UMass 82, Boston College 46". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-26.

[5] ESPNBoston.com (17 April 2012). "BC bows out of hoop game with UMass". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2013-11-26.

[6] "Chaz Williams' big 2nd half leads UMass past Boston College". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2013-11-26.

[7] Ken Powtak. "UMass runs away from BC in 2nd half, 71–62". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2014-11-16.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e Boston College Eagles men's basketball
Venues	Roberts Center (1958–1988) Conte Forum (1988–present)
Rivalries	Boston University UMass
Culture & lore	Baldwin the Eagle "For Boston" 1978–79 point-shaving scandal
People	Head coaches NBA draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–10 1910–11 1911–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e UMass Minutemen basketball
Venues	Drill Hall (1899–1931) Curry Hicks Cage (1931–1993) William D. Mullins Memorial Center (1993–present)
Rivalries	Boston College UConn
Culture & lore	Sam the Minuteman "Fight Mass"
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e Atlantic Coast Conference rivalries
Conference	O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy (Boston College–Clemson) Boston College–Virginia Tech Big Game (California–Stanford) Clemson–Florida State Clemson–Georgia Tech Textile Bowl (Clemson–NC State) Tobacco Road (Duke–North Carolina–NC State–Wake Forest) Duke–North Carolina basketball/overall (lacrosse) Victory Bell (Duke–North Carolina football) Duke–NC State Duke–Wake Forest Florida State–Miami Jefferson-Eppes Trophy (Florida State–Virginia) Georgia Tech–Virginia Tech Louisville–Miami Miami–Virginia Tech North Carolina–NC State overall (football) South's Oldest Rivalry (North Carolina–Virginia) North Carolina–Wake Forest NC State–Wake Forest Pittsburgh–Syracuse Syracuse–Virginia (lacrosse) Virginia–Virginia Tech (overall, football, and men's basketball)
Non-conference	Alabama–Clemson Alabama–Georgia Tech Auburn–Clemson Auburn–Georgia Tech Green Line Rivalry (Boston College–Boston U) Boston College–Holy Cross Sacred Cod Trophy (Boston College–Boston University–Holy Cross) Boston College–UMass (football) Commonwealth Classic (Boston College–UMass basketball) California–UCLA Cincinnati–Louisville (overall) The Keg of Nails (Cincinnati–Louisville football) Clemson–Georgia Clemson–Ohio State Clemson–South Carolina Colgate–Syracuse Cornell–Syracuse (lacrosse) Duke–Maryland (men's basketball) City Game (Duquesne–Pittsburgh) East Carolina–NC State Florida–Florida State (football) Florida–Florida State (men's basketball) Florida–Florida State (baseball) Florida–Miami (football) Florida–Miami (baseball) Florida Cup (Florida–Florida State–Miami) Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate (Georgia–Georgia Tech) Georgia Tech–Tennessee Georgia Tech–Vanderbilt Hobart–Syracuse (lacrosse) Houston–SMU Indiana–Notre Dame (men's soccer) Johns Hopkins–Syracuse (lacrosse) Johns Hopkins–Virginia (lacrosse) Kentucky–Louisville overall Governor's Cup (Kentucky–Louisville football) Kentucky–North Carolina (men's basketball) Louisville–Memphis Maryland–Virginia (football) Maryland–Virginia (lacrosse) Maryland–Virginia (men's soccer) Miami–Nebraska Gansz Trophy (Navy–SMU football) North Carolina–South Carolina Safeway Bowl (North Texas–SMU) Notre Dame–UCLA (men's basketball) Notre Dame–UConn (women's basketball) Penn State–Pittsburgh Penn State–Syracuse Old Ironsides (Penn State–Pittsburgh–West Virginia) Backyard Brawl (Pittsburgh–West Virginia) Mayor's Cup (Rice–SMU) Bill Walsh Legacy Game (San Jose State–Stanford) SMU–TCU Stanford–Tennessee (women's basketball) Stanford–UConn (women's basketball) Stanford–USC Syracuse–UConn (overall) Syracuse–West Virginia VMI–Virginia Tech Virginia Tech–West Virginia
Notre Dame football rivalries	Boston College–Notre Dame Florida State–Notre Dame Georgia Tech–Notre Dame North Carolina–Notre Dame Miami–Notre Dame Notre Dame–Pittsburgh Notre Dame–Stanford