The UMass basketball team had to make an emergency landing in Albany after its chartered airplane had smoke in the cockpit Tuesday afternoon.

They were flighting from Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Mass., to Olean, N.Y. for Wednesday's game against St. Bonaventure.

"I was sitting in the first row seat and I smelled something strange," said UMass coach Derek Kellogg. "The pilot came on about 10 minutes into the flight and said they were having problems and we had to make an emergency landing in Albany and that there was smoke in the cockpit. There was a strange odor. I tried to make sure the guys were calm and the crew did a good job of keeping everyone calm."

The Minutemen got a new charter plane, the same one that had just taken Villanova to Providence, to fly to Albany and then continue onward to Olean.

Massachusetts has put together a solid season with a record of 11-6 overall and 3-1 in Atlantic-10 play.

Terrell Vinson and Sean Carter are proving that the Minutemen aren't just strong in the backcourt.

Carter has focused on being confident and aggressive.

“I’m just getting in the gym mostly and just focusing, asserting myself more in the game, doing what I know I can do,” Carter said. “I got my confidence back so I’m doing good now. That’s how I feel every game.”

UMass defeated Dayton 55-50 on Sunday in their league opener at the Mullens Center.

Both teams shot under 30% in the game and they combined for just five field goals in the first 15:52 of the second half.

UMass scored 53 percent of its points in the game from the free throw line on 29-of-36 shooting.

“It wasn’t the prettiest contest of all time, but it was the way we had to play to come out with a victory,” coach Derek Kellogg said.