Motivated Boston University is on a roll in the final weeks

BOSTON – Likely in part because they are departing the conference after this season and thus not eligible for the America East tournament, Boston University has been flying under the radar. But make no mistake: the Terriers are a factor in the conference race, and look very much like a team motivated to win on their way out as they have won seven of eight after Sunday’s 68-56 win over New Hampshire.

“Every game from here on out, since conference play started, has been personal for us,” said freshman guard Maurice Watson, Jr. “We just feel like we’re getting the short end of the stick because we’re making a change. We want to leave them with a sour taste in their mouth when they play against the Terriers.”

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Boston University needs to grow by finishing games better

BOSTON – As the season has gone along, Boston University’s young team has grown.  They have grown past the disappointment of losing several games in the final seconds early on and past the season-opening five-game losing streak.  Now, as the Terriers go two games above .500 in conference play after a 79-72 win over Maine on Tuesday night, it is clear that the tougher part of their growth is what lies ahead.

The Terriers have plenty of talent, and that was one reason to believe this team would start winning games at some point.  It was just a question of when that would happen.  The Terriers bounced back from the tough start to the season to win six non-conference games, and before losing at Hartford on Saturday they had won five of six and made it a game above .500 overall on the season.  They also got themselves on the other side of some tough games, as they were able to win games late or with the odds very much against them.

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Boston University isn’t the defensive team they have been for years

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For years, you could bank on one thing about Boston University: they would be a defensive-oriented team. That was the identity of this team from Dennis Wolff’s days, continuing on with Pat Chambers and last year as Joe Jones took over. This season, that doesn’t appear to be the case at first glance, although for a while on Tuesday the Terriers looked like they were ready to turn a corner before the second half of their 65-64 loss at Harvard. In the end, though, a familiar item came back to haunt them: an inability to get a stop when they need it most.

“We’ve lost three games now at the buzzer,” said Jones after a short jumper by Harvard’s Siyani Chambers with four seconds left gave Harvard the victory. “We just haven’t been able to get the last stop of the game. It’s been unfortunate.”

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Confident Boston University tries to take tough opening loss in stride

BOSTON – They almost had it. For much of the game, they looked like they would do it. Then seemingly out of nowhere, a three-pointer just before the buzzer buried it all, and Boston University was headed back across town with an 0-1 mark to start the season. And now comes the challenge: moving on to the next one.

Youth was served on Friday night at Matthews Arena, at least if you look at the final score and nothing else. The Terriers started two freshmen and brought a freshman and sophomore off the bench for the most minutes, and lost to a team that normally starts two senior guards (one is out with an injury). The Terriers are a young group, but it’s one Joe Jones feels like he can work with and get good results out of with a little work and a balancing act.

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How much will BU’s departure hurt America East?

Boston University’s departure from America East to the Patriot League is at the very least a glancing blow to the future of America East. The move came out of nowhere, at a time where it seemed that conference maneuvers for this year’s cycle were complete. But few moves may have the affect this one has.

America East survived a round of conference maneuvers over a decade ago, when three of its premier programs were among four who bolted to the Colonial Athletic Association. After that, Vermont became a powerhouse after steadily rising for several years, Boston University went on a big run and Northeastern became relevant again and then a postseason team before they, too, bolted for the CAA in 2005. But this one might be tougher to overcome.

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Boston University enters conference tournament with good defense

BOSTON – Boston University will enter the America East Tournament as something of a dark horse. For a couple of weeks, it’s been a given that the Terriers will be locked into the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament as Vermont and Stony Brook battled for the top seed. One thing that will be good for the Terriers is that they will enter the tournament with their defense in a good place, as evidenced by their 64-55 win over Hartford on Saturday afternoon.

The Terriers have made their mark on defense for years, and this team has been no different. On Saturday, they needed it at times, as they turned the ball over 20 times in part from committing a number of charging fouls. Hartford cashed in the turnovers for 24 points, and that helped keep them in the game. Offense comes and goes for most teams, but with this team it appears to do so a little more than with others, which just adds to the importance of their play at the defensive end.

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Quick Hitters – January 27, 2012

Quick hitters as we get ready for the weekend:

• Boston University was not rebounding well in the early portion of their seven-game winning streak. But in the last two games, the Terriers have dominated the glass, and keeping that up will only help. Granted, it came against two of the worst teams in the conference, but one of them (UMBC) is normally a decent team on the glass. Part of that has come from an emphasis on rebounding of late, but not just at the defensive end. … Continue Reading

Quick Hitters – January 21, 2012

Quick hitters as we head into a busy Saturday:

• If there was any doubt as to the value of a point guard, look no further than Boston University and floor leader D.J. Irving. There are a few reasons the Terriers have now won five games in a row and is tied with Stony Brook (who they beat last Saturday) atop the America East Conference, but Irving’s return to health following a concussion last month is chief among them. That was readily apparent to one opposing coach, who thinks he’s the Terriers’ best player.

  “I think they’re at their best when the ball is in his hands and getting guys shots,” said Albany head coach Will Brown.

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Boston University hopes to regain confidence with losing streak over

BOSTON – It was just a little over a month ago that Boston University looked like they were about to get untracked. The Terriers started the season with four straight losses, including a couple that were tough to take, but then won two of three in Rhode Island and knocked off local rival Boston College less than a week after that. Then they hit a wall in the form of a six-game losing streak that they snapped on Sunday, and now they are hopeful they can get back to where they were after the Boston College victory.

Not only did the Terriers start winning games over a month ago, but they looked ready to win more. They seemed to have adjusted to new head coach Joe Jones more by that time, for starters. It also looked like they had found a post scorer to complement the perimeter duo of D.J. Irving and Darryl Partin, something they desperately needed.

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Terriers continue to bounce back en route to two wins

SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. – Boston University is establishing an identity as a resilient team in the early going. Adversity has been present early and often, in the form of deficits in games and tough losses. But new head coach Joe Jones and his team knew it wouldn’t last, and although they had to overcome adversity again this weekend, they did just that in finishing with a 2-1 record in the Legends Classic subregional.

The Terriers didn’t exactly start out the weekend on a good note. They lost a heart-breaker to Cleveland State on Friday afternoon, a game that was more than just there for the taking. But they bounced back to take out the host team on Saturday and then pull out a 68-61 decision over Hofstra, and that’s the biggest thing they will take out of this weekend.

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