AMHERST — The UMass men’s basketball team has a simple motto that guides them through the entire season: don’t let the highs go too high or the lows get too low.

As they get ready for a titanic matchup with VCU on Tuesday night, the Minutemen are living up to that ethos more than ever after a heartbreaking defeat to then-last-place La Salle over the weekend. Head coach Frank Martin claims that despite the disappointment, they aren’t letting a disappointing loss break them, as they have responded with two excellent practice sessions.

Martin remarked, “They’ve been fantastic the past two days.” “On Sunday, they were excellent, and on Monday, they were phenomenal.”

In the game against the Explorers on Saturday, UMass trailed 51-41 at halftime and fought back from down as many as 18 points in the second half. The Minutemen had several chances down the stretch to tie or take the lead, but too many empty trips on the offensive end and the big deficit was too much to overcome.

But just as Martin said, Rahsool Diggins echoed that UMass is ready for the Rams on Tuesday night, as it returns home for the first time in nine days.

“It was tough losing at La Salle, but I think we’ve come in with a better approach; getting our identity back,” Diggins said. “We came out the La Salle game a little bit sluggish, not ready to compete. But I think we’ve had a good two days of competing at practice, and we’re ready to go for [Tuesday].”

VCU (17-8) comes into the game having won four consecutive games and nine of its last 10, including a huge two-point win over No. 18 Dayton last week. Martin said he believes there is no Atlantic 10 team playing as well as the Rams are right now. At 9-3 in the league, VCU sits just one game out of third place in the league

For UMass (16-9, 7-6 A-10), a win would put it just a game and a half behind the Rams for fourth place. And not to look too far ahead, but a win on Saturday at St. Bonaventure would help the Minutemen’s chances of locking up a top five seed.