jajang against Fairfield in an early season matchup. UMass won 79-64 over UMass Lowell in its last outing. Fairfield lost 68-64 to Bucknell in its most recent game.

UMass head coach Matt McCall shouts instructions during his team’s loss to Howard in 2018 at the Mullins Center. STAFF FILE PHOTO/JERREY ROBERTS » Buy this Ima

AMHERST — UMass is headed to Connecticut to play a basketball game Saturday. It’s just 90 minutes south of where most Minutemen fans would prefer their favorite team be headed.

The Minutemen are headed to Fairfield to face the Stags for a 1 p.m. tipoff, the second game in a span of three regional opponents to start the 2019-20 season. UMass was responsible for scheduling nine non-conference games outside of their exemption tournament and six of those opponents hail from New England. Even the exemption tournament is in New England with the Minutemen participating in the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun.

But most of the UMass fans are disappointed by who the Minutemen aren’t playing this year – and haven’t for numerous years. UMass hasn’t faced Boston College since 2014 and it’s been even longer since the Minutemen tangled with UConn. Those two schools are the big fish in the pond of New England basketball, and both remain absent from the UMass schedule.