Update, 9:31 p.m….Umass prevails, 67-63. A solid effort for the Colonials in a game that meant basically nothing for them. Hollis led the team with 22 while Wilmore finished with 10. Check gwhatchet.com later this evening for a full recap.

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Update, 9:15 p.m….UMass up 62-61. Both teams struggling to score more than a few points the past couple minutes. Unless something really drastic happens, this came will likely come down to the final seconds.

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Update, 8:56 p.m….Just spoke with Pops. He’s currently playing in Italy for Benetton Treviso, which he said is 15 minutes outside Venice. He said he likes it overseas but the style of basketball is a little bit different and it has been an adjustment for him. But he also added that he thinks it has helped his game and he hopes to be back in the U.S. and the NBA at some point soon, maybe even by the summer.

As far as GW goes, he said he has tried to keep up with the team as much as possible while in Italy by talking to the coaches and some of the players. He said that it’s been a little bit disheartening for him to see the squad’s struggles this season, especially after what was accomplished while he was on the team and shortly after (two straight NCAA tournament appearances with him, one the year after he left). But he also said that the program wasn’t great when he started (12-17 his freshman year) and that it takes time to rebuild a program after so many players leave. He said he thinks this team has a lot of talent and will eventually be very good again.

When I asked him what he thought the biggest problem was for this year’s squad, he mentioned a lack of leadership, especially with a vocal leader off the floor. He said he thinks these guys are all still somewhat young, at least to the program if not in years playing, and have had a hard time meshing. I asked him about Rice, who at the beginning of the season was expected to be the team’s leader, and he said he didn’t know much about Maureece’s situation and that he hasn’t had a chance to talk to him since arriving back in the States this afternoon. He said it is an unfortunate situation and that it “hurts his heart” to see what happened to Rice. Mensah-Bonsu and Reece played together for two seasons.

In other news, GW up by 1, 50-49, with 9:30 to play.

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Update, 8:14 p.m….Halftime here and UMass leads 33-31. GW really struggled out of the gate but managed to get back into it and keep it close. The student section filled in and is almost entirely full, but the upper level has been seated for most of the game.

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Update, 8:07 p.m….Wilmore looks like a man on a mission. He just tipped in a shot among a mass of people and then blocked a UMass three-point shot on the next play. The ball flew out of bounds off Wilmore, but it was an impressive play nonetheless. Colonials trail 31-26.

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Update, 8:03 p.m….GW is on a 12-3 run behind three threes (two by junior Noel Wilmore, one by sophomore Xavier Alexander) and a layup by sophomore Damian Hollis. Colonials now lead 20-18.

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Update, 7:43 p.m….Former GW standout Pops Mensah-Bonsu is here, sitting on the sidelines at center court. He was a huge figure on campus two years ago, both literally and figuratively. His announcement on senior day was so loud, I don’t think I could even hear my own clapping (that was back when I was still just a fan and allowed to cheer). I’m going to try and talk to him at some point, although he has radio appointments at halftime. Score: 11-4 UMass.

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Update, 7:26 p.m…Senior honors are currently being given out. Team managers Kim Nathan and Alyssa Greco were the first announced. Next came Gonsalves. He is not dressed tonight because of a knee injury. Greene was the final honoree. The cheers from the crowd (which is extremely thin compared to the final home game of the last few seasons) were not loud. The past couple of seasons, the place had so much energy when the seniors’ names were announced that the guy on the loudspeaker couldn’t be heard.

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The Colonials (9-16, 5-10 Atlantic 10) finish their season against the Minutemen (20-9, 9-6 A-10). GW was officially eliminated from the A-10 tournament this afternoon, when Fordham beat St. Bonaventure 69-62. The Colonials finish the season in 13th place of 14 teams. It is the first time since the 1973-1974 season that they have not qualified for a post-season tournament. It will be interesting to see what kind of energy GW brings tonight, considering it has nothing to play for except maybe pride.

UMass, on the other hand, has a lot on the line. They are still in the hunt for one of the four first round byes in the tournament. The Minutemen are also a “bubble team” for the NCAA tourney, meaning they’re on the brink of receiving an at-large bid to the big dance if they don’t win the A-10 Championship. A loss to GW would hurt their RPI.

It’s senior day at Smith Center, but the awards ceremony before the game is probably going to lack very much excitement. Maureece Rice, the only senior on the team who was a scholarship player for four years, was dismissed from the squad Thursday for breaking team rules. He is no longer on the roster and will not be honored tonight. Dom Greene and Keri Gonsalves, the other two seniors on the squad, both walked on and have seen limited minutes in their tenure on the squad.