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.

… Continue Reading

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.

… Continue Reading

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.

… Continue Reading

Northeastern-BU reminds us what we miss and will miss more

BOSTON – The gym was packed. Not only that, but it was a lively crowd, rocking from start to finish and on seemingly every play. It helped that the game went to overtime, although that didn’t always look like it would be the case as the visitors led by double digits for a stretch in the second half. It wasn’t just the home team whose fans made the atmosphere what it was, because the visiting team had its share of fans as well. In short, it was a great setting.

And sadly, it’s relevant to things to come in the larger picture of college basketball.

… Continue Reading

BU’s Reluctant Star Gets Chance in the NCAA Tournament

Most Division I basketball players never get a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. It’s what most players dream of when they choose a school at this level. Among those who don’t make it are some of the best players in the country; three of the nation’s top five scorers this season won’t be playing in it, and only one of the top five rebounders will be in it.

John Holland is one player who will be in the NCAA Tournament that college basketball fans can be happy about getting the experience.

… Continue Reading

Never a Doubt Boston University Would Win

BOSTON – You could tease Boston University players and coaches that they had this one all the way, and in a sense, they really believed they did. There was never a doubt in their minds that they would come out on top in Saturday’s America East championship game, even if their 56-54 win seemed in doubt for most of the game.

“Even though they were up 15, we knew we were going to try to get stops, we knew eventually we were going to make some shots, and we got ourselves to the foul line,” said head coach Pat Chambers. “To only take the lead with two seconds to go is not how I drew it up, but we’ll take it.”

… Continue Reading

Boston University Gets Back on Track

BOSTON – Boston University’s 85-79 win over Saint Joseph’s is a result the Terriers had been seeking for a while. The last time they won a game was nearly a month earlier, when they knocked off Cornell during Thanksgiving weekend. And while head coach Pat Chambers has felt this team being close to where he wants them to be, they had not broken through in a while and there’s one area that he, like many coaches, emphasizes for improvement.

“I’ll start off by saying, obviously, we need to play better defense,” said the second-year head coach. “And we’ll get there. These guys are committed to playing defense.” … Continue Reading

America East Post Season Awards

The America East regular season wrapped up on Sunday; the seedings are set, the teams are ready, and Binghamton managed to once again cause another “international incident” (the Bearcats withdrew from the America East tournament). Certain circumstances have kept me from contributing as regularly as I had desired this season, but make no mistake; I’m still as involved in ever – still have my finger on the America East pulse so to speak – and the upcoming America East tournament will once again bring me past the 80-games-attended mark for the season.

Without further ado, here are my America East Awards; they are based on who I feel merits each award, and not predictions of how the coaches will actually vote.

Coach of the Year:
·    Candidates: Steve Pikiell, Stony Brook; Ted Woodward, Maine.

There was much talk earlier this year about Binghamton interim coach Mark Macon for COY – absolutely not! Once the going got tough for Binghamton, Macon sat on the bench like a statue, and appeared as if he could have cared less about coaching – and leading – a team. Woodward deserves considerable consideration (did I just type that as a sentence?). Woodward has made Maine – a school that has been a perennial play-in game team, and never once seriously competed for a conference title – a contender. Woodward has gotten the Black Bears to win on the defensive end – something they haven’t done before – and perhaps even more impressive has gotten the Black Bears to the top of the conference with only one “All-Conference” player. Pikiell was shafted out of the COY award last year, and has continued to shine on Long Island: Pikiell completed the Seawolves transformation from worst to first, and has the Seawolves playing as a team, hard, for 40 minutes. He has fielded and coached the closest thing the league has to a complete team, and has gotten the job done recruiting, game-planning, and in the community.

·    Winner: Steve Pikiell, Stony Brook.

In a very close call, Pikiell should get the nod – no slight or disrespect to Woodward, but the job that Pikiell has done at Stony Brook is second to none; down the stretch the Seawolves never buckled, and showed up every time their backs were against the wall.

Player of the Year:
·   Candidates: Marqus Blakely, Forward, Vermont; John Holland, Guard/Forward, Boston Univeristy.

There are only two possible candidates in Blakely and Holland. Binghamton’s Greer Wright looked at one point like he might deserve some consideration, but he floundered down the stretch, and quite simply looked like he didn’t give a… when the going got tough – which removed him from any consideration. Muhammad El-Amin for Stony Brook put points up in bunches for the Seawolves; helping to propel Stony Brook to a regular season title – including a game winning shot against Albany. But El-Amin simply does not get the job done on the defensive end, does not play with the basketball IQ or the sense of urgency needed from a POY, and is surrounded by more overall talent that anyone else in the league. And it’s hard to make a case for El-Amin when many people on the Stony Brook’s staff don’t view him as the team’s best player. Holland was the league’s best offensive player – there is simply no argument. In years past, Holland has struggled mightily with consistency – and often disappeared when the Terriers needed him most – but this season he was a monster, leading the league in scoring (19.9 ppg overall, 19.5 ppg in conference games) while pouring it on down the stretch (including 43 points in the Terriers “Bracket Buster” game). Holland even made am impact on the defensive end – he still makes mistakes, but he gambled much less down the stretch and has become a solid defender. Blakely is simply the league’s best all-around player: he makes an impact every single night in one way or another – offense, defense, rebounding: He not only led the Catamounts in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, steals, and assists; he ranked among the America East leaders in those categories as well.

·    Winner: Marqus Blakely, Vermont.

It’s really not close – and that isn’t in any way disrespectful to Holland, who will most likely win a POY before graduating. Blakely simply impacts the game more than any other player in the league. Some fans still don’t give Blakely the respect he deserves – he’s never turned into the Taylor Coppenrath/Kenny Adeleke/T.J. Sorrentine/JJ Barea offensive juggernaut – and he can be stopped (or at least greatly slowed down) on the offensive end because, frankly, he can’t score from more than 4-feet away from the hoop. But he is a monster on the defensive end – he led the conference in steals and blocks (2.6 spg, 1.9 bpg) and disrupts the game both at the top of the 1-3-1 zone or defending in the paint. And on offense, Blakely is the catalyst for the league’s highest scoring team: far beyond his 17.4 points per game (16.5 ppg in conference games – good for 4th), Blakely draws constant double and triple-teams leaving his teammates WIDE OPEN. No one in the league gets to the line more, draws more fouls from opponents, or is more of a focus of opponent’s game-plans. Blakely will never be Coppenrath – but neither will anyone else in the league. Blakely is, quite simply, the best – overall, all-around – player in the league.

Defensive Player of the Year:
·   Candidates: Marqus Blakely, Forward, Vermont; Tommy Brenton, Forward, Stony Brook; Russell Graham, Guard, New Hampshire.

The two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Blakely is a one-man tornado: He disrupts the game at both the top and the bottom of the 1-3-1 zone. He can take over a game defensively on the perimeter, or on the low-post. He was the overall leader in both steals and blocks. There isn’t much more that needs to be said – perhaps the only knock on Blakely is that he gambles a lot, and occasionally hurts his team because of it, and isn’t the best man-to-man defender in the league. The fact that Brenton and Graham even merit consideration speaks volumes about their quality as defenders: Brenton is almost a lesser version of Blakely – he blocks shots, picks pockets, and defends both in the post and on the perimeter – and is actually a better man-to-man defender. He murdered the defensive glass (leading the league in defensive rebounding both overall and in conference games). Graham, a fire-hydrant bull-dog guard, is the best man-to-man perimeter defender in the league.

·    Winner: Marqus Blakely, Forward, Vermont.

Blakely is the league’s best overall defender; not much argument necessary.

Rookie of the Year:
·    Candidates: Dylan Talley, Guard, Binghamton; Mike Black, Guard, Albany; Ferg Myrick, Forward, New Hampshire.
* This was by far the weakest overall freshman class that I have seen in the 9 years I have followed the America East.

Talley, a 6’5” strong-guard type, lead all league rookies in scoring, both in conference games and overall (13.5 ppg in AE games, 11.8 overall), despite playing out of position at the point guard spot.  Talley also did a decent job on the glass. The knock on Talley is that he wasn’t much of a defender, and was not a team player (his offensive strategy at the point guard position was to put his head down and basically try to go 1 on 5 every time down the court). Black looks like Albany’s point guard of the future (although, we’ve said that about two different freshmen during the previous 2 years). After a slow start to the season, he blossomed; playing the most demanding position on the floor, averaging 10.4 points per game and 3.4 assists (7th in the league in conference games), while shooting .467 from behind the arc in league games (third best in the league). Myrick is, hands down, the league’s most talented rookie – as far as physical gifts it’s not even close – he averaged 10 points per game in conference game despite playing limited minutes.

·    Winner: Mike Black, Guard, Albany.

Talley’s numbers are certainly impressive – but it’s not that hard to put up numbers if you have some talent and are simply “trying to get yours” every night. Myrick’s talent trumps anyone’s, but he didn’t get the consistent playing time needed to put up numbers equivalent of his talent. Black had a very nice season, and did it all; ran a team, scored, shot from behind the arc, and even defended well on the ball.

1st Team All-Conference:
·    Candidates: Marqus Blakely, Forward, Vermont; John Holland, Guard/Forward, Boston University; Greer Wright, Forward, Binghamton; Muhammad El-Amin, Guard, Stony Brook; Joe Zeglinski, Guard, Hartford; Gerald McLemore, Guard, Maine; Tommy Brenton, Forward, Stony Brook.

Blakely and Holland need no explanation: Best player in the league, and best offensive player in the league, respectively. A 6’7” wing who can put the ball on the floor and take opponents of the dribble, Wright sputtered a bit down the stretch, but he finished the season fifth in overall scoring (15 ppg) and fourth in scoring in conference games (16.8ppg)., In conference games, Wright also finished fourth in assists (3.9 apg), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio, and tenth in steals. El-Amin, McLemore, and Zeglinski are all pure-scorers. El-Amin – a 6’5” guard who is perhaps more adept at taking opponents off of the dribble than any other AE wing in recent history –  hit big shot after big shot for the 1st place Seawolves down the stretch, and was second in scoring in conference games (19.1 ppg), and third in overall scoring (16.8 ppg). McLemore ranked sixth in overall scoring, eight in conference scoring – and was the Black Bears offense. McLemore was a monster shooter from behind the three-point line, finished out the season on an unbelievable shooting streak from behind the arc, and his numbers become more impressive when considering that he was the focus of every opponent’s defensive scheme. Zeglinski bounced back from an ankle injury that derailed his previous season to rank fourth in overall scoring (16.7 ppg), and third in scoring in conference games (17.3). Zeglinski hit several big shots this season – including a buzzer beating game-winner at UNH – and made an impact on the glass as well. Brenton has been completely overlooked by most fans, because he has not become a scorer – yet. Brenton only averaged 7.7 points per game (7.9 in conference games), but he was the most important player for the Seawolves, and according to coach Pikiell, was the Seawolves best overall player. Brenton led the league in rebounding (both overall at 9.6 rpg, and in AE games at 9.8 rpg), and led Stony Brook in steals, assists, and field goal percentage. A 6’5” ball of super-athletic energy, Brenton was the heart and soul of Stony Brook, and the league’s toughest player. It was no coincidence that the Seawolves took off and ran the AE gauntlet precicesly when Pikiell turned Brenton into a “point-forward” and had him run the Seawolves offense as soon as Stony Brook crossed half court. Brenton is arguably the best defender in the league not named “Marqus Blakely” and was often put in man-to-man coverage with the opponent’s best offensive player – regardless of whether they were on the perimeter or in the paint.

·    Winners:
§    Marqus Blakely, Senior, Forward, Vermont: 17.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.6 spg, 1.9 bpg.

§    John Holland, Junior, Guard/Forward, Boston University: 19.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.6 spg.

§    Greer Wright, Junior, Forward, Binghamton: 15.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg.

§    Muhammad El-Amin, Senior, Guard, Stony Brook: 16.8 ppg, 19.1 ppg in conference games.

§    Tommy Brenton, Sophomore, Forward, Stony Brook: 7.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.8 spg.

Blakely and Holland need no explanation – they were the two best players in the league. Despite sputtering down the stretch, Wright was phenomenal in his first season. El-Amin, McLemore, and Zeglinski were all scorers who really didn’t defend at all, and El-Amin gets the edge in the “pure scoring department” as he averaged more points, hit more big shots, and played for the best team. Brenton is probably a shock and head scratcher to most fans, but he was a better overall player than any of the trio of scorers up for consideration – by the Marqus Blakely and Jay Greene factor of overall impact, Brenton made a bigger difference on the floor when considering the impact he had defending, rebounding, and distributing the ball.

2nd Team All-Conference:
§    Joe Zeglinski, R-Junior, Guard, Hartford: 16.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg.

§    Gerald McLemore, Sophomore, Guard, Maine: 14.9 ppg, .402 3pt-fg

§    Alvin Abreu, Junior, Guard, New Hampshire: 14.6 ppg.

§    Jake O’Brien, Sophomore, Forward, Boston University: 13.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg.

§    Maurice Joseph, Senior, Forward, Vermont: 14.3 ppg.

Zeglinski and McLemore were the last two kept off of the first team; both were big-time scorers and carried their respective clubs on offense. Zeglinski, a pint-sized fire-hydrant of a guard managed to dominate some games on the offensive glass, and was the heart and soul of the Hawks. McLemore still isn’t a “stopper,” but he made huge strides on the defensive end and was the Black Bears offense. Abreu was streaky, but was instrumental in the Wildcats 20 point win over 2nd place Vermont and 22 point win over 1st place Stony Brook. When on, Abreu is as good a scoring guard as there is, and also made a big impact on the defensive end. O’Brien was the 2nd best player on the Terriers, and took an absolute beating during the season as the Terriers only option in the low-post. He stretched the floor from behind the arc, gave the Terriers a scorer near the hoop, defended, and blocked some shots. Joseph is a one-dimensional player, but good-god can he shoot it when he gets into a groove, and down the stretch he was huge for the Catamounts.

3rd Team All-Conference:
§    Evan Fjeld, Sophomore, Forward, Vermont: 10.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg.

§    Corey Lowe, Senior, Guard, Boston University: 14.1 ppg, 4.3apg.

§    Carlos Strong, Senior, Guard, Boston University: 10.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.6 spg.

§    Chris De La Rosa, R-Sophomore, Guard, UMBC: 11.8 ppg, 5.1 apg, 1.1 spg.

§    Brian Dougher, Sophomore, Guard, Stony Brook: 13.6 ppg, .423 3pt-fg.

Fjeld’s conference numbers were far greater than his overall numbers, as he became a real weapon during the conference slate. He also developed as a rebounder, and even shot blocker. What keeps Fjeld from the second team is that a great many of his buckets were completely uncontested, as he certainly benefitted from the double and triple-teams opponents employed on Blakely. Lowe’s numbers are considered a disappointment by many fans, but it wasn’t for lack of effort: Lowe completely bought into first-year head coach Pat Chambers’ scheme, and wore his heart on his sleeve during the season. For perhaps the first time in his career, Lowe truly sacrificed himself on both ends of the floor, played every game like it was his last, and put his team far above himself. Unfortunately, injuries took a heavy toll on Lowe down the stretch and prevented him from a 1st or 2nd team selection. Strong played the best basketball of his career down the stretch, and was instrumental in the Terriers late season surge. It is truly remarkable that De La Rosa lead the league in assists and assist to turnover ratio considering the team he was surrounded by. With any kind of supporting cast he might have been a 1st-teamer. Dougher was the best scorer and shooter on the league’s best team for a stretch, but cooled down the stretch. He was, however, still a terrific scorer.

All-Rookie Team:
·    Candidates: Dylan Talley, Guard, Binghamton; Mike Black, Guard, Albany, Ferg Myrick, Forward, New Hampshire; Murphy Burnatowski, Forward, Maine; Marcus Rouse, Guard, Stony Brook; Charles White, Guard, Hartford; Shawn Grant, Forward, UMBC; Adrian Satchell, Forward, UMBC; Logan Aronhalt, Guard, Albany.

·    Winners:
§   Dylan Talley, Guard, Binghamton
§    Mike Black, Guard, Albany
§   Ferg Myrick, Forward, New Hampshire
§    Murphy Burnatowski, Forward, Maine
§    Charles White, Guard, Hartford

Talley, Black, and Myrick are no-brainers. The other two spots were very much up in the air, but I give the edge to Burnatowski and White. Burnatowski was the best defender on a Black Bears squad that relied on defense. An incredibly tough, physical forward with athleticism and a mean-streak – the kind of good, Jason Grochowalski-Tommy Brenton mean-streak – Burnatowski made a huge impact on the defensive end, and showed some offensive flashes down the stretch while playing a crucial role in the Black Bears third-place finish. Charles White is a phenomenal perimeter defender – the best rookie defender in the league – and has done a remarkable job on some of the league’s best scorers (the job he did at home on Muhammad El-Amin was one of the more impressive performances by a freshman this season).

All-Defensive Team:
·    Candidates: Marqus Blakely, Forward, Vermont; Tommy Brenton, Forward, Stony Brook; Russell Graham, Guard, New Hampshire; Chretien Lukusa, Guard, Binghamton; Mahamoud Jabbi, Forward, Binghamton; Dane DiLiegro, Center, New Hampshire; Murphy Burnatowski, Forward, Maine; Garvey Young, Guard, Vermont; Dallis Joyner, Center, Stony Brook. Charles White, Guard, Hartford.

Blakely – who will, and should, win his third straight defensive player of the year – is a no brainer. Brenton is a defensive tornado who can lock down on both low-post and perimeter players and shut them down, and controls the defensive glass (he led the league in defensive rebounding – overall, and in conference games – by a considerable margin). Graham is the best perimeter defender in the league, with Lukusa and White battling for second. Jabbi – an incredibly bouncy forward – led the league in blocked shots in conference games. DiLiegro draws more charges than anyone in the conference, gets phenomenal low-post positioning, and is a monster on the defensive glass. Burnatowski is a physical forward who defends both the low-post and the perimeter, and was the best defender on a Black Bears squad that won games on the defensive end. Young is another very strong and physical perimeter defender.  Joyner came on late as a terrific low-post defender (the job he did on Blakely in the Seawolves regular-season championship clinching win over Vermont may well have been the best single defensive performance the league has seen this year).

·    Winners:
§    Marqus Blakely, Senior, Forward, Vermont
§    Tommy Brenton, Sophomore, Forward, Stony Brook
§    Russell Graham, Sophomore, Guard, New Hampshire
§    Mahamoud Jabbi, R-Junior, Forward, Binghamton
§    Charles White, Freshman, Guard, Hartford.

Blakely, Brenton, and Graham were locks. Jabbi’s shot blocking coupled with his rebounding, and White’s perimeter defense give them the slight edge over the rest of the competition.

All-Floor Burn/Blue Collar (The League’s five toughest guys):
§    Tommy Brenton, Sophomore, Forward, Stony Brook
§    Dane DiLiegro, Junior, Center, New Hampshire
§    Radar Ongeutou, Senior, Forward, New Hampshire
§    Joe Zeglinski, R-Junior, Guard, Hartford
§    Tyrone Conley, Junior, Guard, New Hampshire

All-Rim-Wreckers and Backboard-Shakers (Top in-game dunkers)
§    Marqus Blakely, Senior, Forward, Vermont
§    Tyrone Conley, Junior, Guard, New Hampshire
§    Tommy Brenton, Sophomore, Forward, Stony Brook
§    Dane DiLiegro, Junior, Center, New Hampshire
§    Dallis Joyner, Sophomore, Center, Stony Brook

Blakely may be the best all-around in-game dunker the conference has seen. Conley has the highest vertical leap in the conference and is an insane high-flying acrobat – much closer to 6’1” than his listed 6’3” – he has been finishing off alley-oops and dunking on people in a way the conference hasn’t seen (from a small-guard) since Matt Turner. Brenton is another top-end athlete, but unlike Blakely and Conley, his dunks aren’t about acrobatics: he just tries to dunk on people as hard as he physically can. Brenton has become the America East’s version of Charles Barkley when it comes to finishing off fast breaks like a runaway freight train. DiLiegro and Joyner are all about raw-power: they both try to rip the rim off every time.  Notables not making the list: John Holland, Chauncey Gilliam, and Carlos Strong – who are all terrific dunkers but just didn’t quite bring it enough this year.

All-Bust (The Biggest Disappointments)
§    Will Harris, Forward, Albany: Harris’s entire career as a Great Dane can be summed up in a line from Jay-Z: “You know the type, loud as a motorbike, but wouldn’t bust a grape in a fruit fight.” No one in the league talks more trash, makes more noise, or pounds their chest more prior to tip-off than Harris. And no one is quieter in big-game situations and big moments in their career. Harris is easily one of the three most physically talented players in the league, yet he couldn’t even rank in the top 20 in either scoring or rebounding during the conference slate. Harris simply doesn’t care, or doesn’t get it, or both. At the end of the day, he will have began his career starting at Virginia, and finished it sitting on the bench at Albany.

§   Tim Ambrose, Guard, Albany: Like Harris, Ambrose has incredible physical gifts, but has never come close to getting much out of the gifts he was blessed with on the court. He still doesn’t defend ANYONE, and doesn’t seem to have much energy or passion for the game.

§    Joel Barkers, Forward, Hartford: Barkers came out of the gate on fire in his first season at Hartford, and looked like the physical presence they desperately needed on the low-blocks. Alas, it wouldn’t last, as Barkers has looked uninspired and disinterested during most of the season.

§    Robbie Jackson, Center, UMBC: A transfer from Marshall, Jackson was billed as a 7-footer who would change the game in the America East. Jackson took the floor out of shape, overweight, and without much passion or fire. At 7 feet (more like 6’10”) he plays the game like he’s 6’1”.

§    Athletic Director Joel Thirer/Head Coach Kevin Broadus/Tiki Mayben/D.J. Rivera/Malik Alvin et all: What more needs to be said about this collective group of clowns that has imploded the Binghamton basketball program? They single handedly turned Vestal, NY, into the setting of a Road Warrior movie. Cocaine and Marijuana Dealing, condom stealing, credit card fraud, paying players, pressuring admissions to let in unqualified students, pressuring teachers to change grades, and in general allowing student athletes at a low-major school to live completely above the law; that sort of thing isn’t acceptable at UConn, let alone Binghamton. To quote Adam Sandler’s Billy Madison, “I award them no points, and may god have mercy on their souls.”

Catching Up on America East – January 26, 2010

(Author’s note: I would like to take a second to apologize to my readers, as well as the loyal fans of the America East conference, for my prolonged absence. I had several things that I was juggling on my plate that prevented me from writing more during the past few months, however I have still been able to keep my finger on the pulse of the America East conference – by my current count I have still managed to attend far too many America East games thus far. I hope that my readership will return to Hoopville, as I dive back into the action of covering the America East for the stretch run).

There’s no way to sugar coat it: The America East just isn’t good this year. After spending last season ranked in the mid-teens, the America East looks destined to end the season ranked in the mid-twenties. And to be blunt, in the nine years that I have followed the conference, this is the weakest it has ever been.

The silver lining, however, is that the “down year” could produce a tremendous conference tournament. Last season parity reigned supreme in the America East, and while there was no real “power” like Vermont and Boston University during the first part of the decade, Albany of a few years ago, or even UMBC from two years ago, what resulted was the most competitive conference tournament in recent memory, as every single game seemed to go down to the buzzer. With even more parity this season, the 2010 “AE” Tournament could prove to the most hard-fought, dramatic, and compelling in conference history. The common phrase thrown around every season is “on any night, any team can beat any other,” but nowhere has this phrase ever been more true than the upcoming tournament, as on a neutral court in Hartford, literally any of the nine America East squads has a real chance of beating any of the other eight.

For the conference as a whole, there is light at the end of the tunnel, as the league will be better next season (it couldn’t get any worse, right?)  The vast majority of the America East’s talent lies within it’s junior (John Holland, Joe Zeglinski, Dane DiLiegro, Greer Wright, Sean McNally, Tyrone Conley, Alvin Abreu, Tim Ambrose), and sophomore (Tommy Brenton, Gerald McLemore, Jake O’Brien, Brian Dougher, Dallis Joyner) classes.

Having seen all nine teams play live at least three times, here are some quick thoughts on the year:

• While parity reigns supreme, the foursome of Stony Brook, Vermont, Boston University, and Maine have separated themselves from the rest of the league (yes, that’s right, Maine!)  Amazingly, Binghamton (yes, the same Binghamton that lost its top 3 talents, head coach, Athletic Director and 3 other players, and struggled against division II schools early on) has already knocked off two of the top four teams in the standings, and looks to be straddling the middle ground between the top-four and bottom-four in the league.
• As always, winning on the road is going to play a large roll in determining the final standings, which is why I like Stony Brook as my top-team right now. Granted the Seawolves have had close calls at home against lesser conference foes (six-point wins over New Hampshire and Albany), and have lost to both Binghamton and Maine (perhaps the least “talented” of the top 5 teams in the conference). But Stony Brook has played the toughest conference schedule to start the league slate, playing all of the top teams in the league (Vermont, BU, Maine, Binghamton) on the road. The Seawolves went into Boston and punched BU in the mouth, thoroughly beating the Terriers in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score (84-75), and trekked up to Vermont and out-toughed the Catamounts for a five-point win in a gritty, physical game. The Seawolves have depth (they use a ten-man rotation), play super-physical (toughest team in the league), and crash the boards and defend the heck out of the ball as a team, no matter who is on the floor. They also have the league’s most diverse offense, with Brian Dougher (and to a lesser degree Marcus Rouse) providing big-time shooting from downtown, Muhammad El-Amin, Chris Martin, and Tommy Brenton attacking the basket on drives, and Brenton and Dallis Joyner giving the Seawolves a threat in the low post. With that said, Stony Brook is still very short on experience, and has a tendency to rely on three-point shooting too much while ignoring their low-post scorers, and while I see the Seawolves as the favorites as of now, it is by the slimmest of margins.
• The two surprises of the conference have been Maine and Binghamton, and both deserve a tremendous amount of credit.
• Coming off of a season in which they won eight games, played completely uninspired ball, and “phoned it in” during their play-in game loss in the conference tournament, no one (myself included) expected much out of Maine, a team that seemingly hasn’t found a way to string two wins together since head coach Ted Woodward took over five years ago. The Black Bears shocked Boston College on the road for the America East’s “biggest” non-conference win (the Black Bears should expect that BC head coach Al Skinner will be removing them from his schedule from here on out), and currently sit atop the league standings at 5-1.  That includes a home win over Stony Brook and a win on the road at Binghamton.  Sophomore Gerald McLemore continues to impress, ranking 7^th in the conference in scoring (14.8 ppg), and junior center Sean McNally continues to play the role of school yard bully in the paint (11 ppg, 7.6 rpg). But the difference for the Black Bears has been their play on the defensive end, and the emergence of several very solid role players. Maine has controlled the tempo of the game – playing physical, clogging passing lanes, contesting shots, and generally slowing it down to a snail’s pace – and is holding America East opponents to a league-best 58.5 points per game.  For all his scoring, McLemore, who is a prolific three-point shooter who also gets tough buckets on drives to the basket, has made an equally big impact on the defensive end.Newcomers Murphy Burnatowski and Mike Allison, as well as the return of junior Malachi Peay and emergence of Troy Barnies, has given Maine a legitimate cast of complementary players to McNally and McLemore. Burnatowski, a freshman from Canada, is the Black Bears’ best athlete, and while still rough and without a position offensively, the 6’7″, 230-pound (more like 6’5″, 245) has a mean streak and toughness on the court that Maine has been missing for years, and makes things tough on the defensive end. Fellow Canadian Allison has given the Black Bears a nice touch and an offensive boost off of the bench, and at 6’9″ he should only get better when he puts some weight on his skinny frame. Peay returned after missing the first half to concentrate on academics, and is a defensive tornado who seems to always have his hands in the passing lane, and also gives the Black Bears a new dimension on the offensive end as he has a knack for getting to the hoop. Barnies may never develop into the player that Black Bears fans had hoped, but since being moved to the bench halfway through the non-conference season, he seems to finally be understanding that he’s 6’7″ and a decent athlete playing in a conference of 6’5″ post players, and is finally beginning to defend and rebound.
• As surprising as Maine has been, the biggest jaw-dropper of the season has been the play of the Binghamton Bearcats, who witnessed the implosion of last season’s conference championship squad, yet have found a way to not only be competitive, but frankly, be a very solid team. To be fair, the Bearcats do benefit from playing in front of the conference’s largest fan base, and the Events Center in Binghamton is the one true home court advantage in the America East.  The Bearcats are also a much more pedestrian team on the road than they are at home. But still, this is a team suiting up seven scholarship players.  This is a team which didn’t return one of its top four scorers from last season, and one which has ridden through more controversy and bad press than any team in the history of the America East. What is going on at Binghamton is a credit to the collective hearts of their remaining players. Binghamton has also benefitted greatly from the play of Greer Wright, a JuCo transfer who has played himself onto the 1^st team All-Conference. A springly 6’7″, Wright can score from all over and is proving to be a huge match-up problem in the America East. In Binghamton’s home victory over Vermont, Wright outplayed two-time Player of the Year Marcus Blakely, and poured in 30 points on 10-15 shooting. The Bearcats have also benefitted from the play of freshman Dylan Talley, who looks like the conference Rookie of the Year, and is also a tough match-up as a very strong 6’5″ guard. Binghamton doesn’t have enough bullets to win any shoot-outs, but they defend the hell out of the ball, play with tremendous heart for 40 minutes, and at home in front of their vocal fan base are going to be a very tough out for anyone.
• For all the talk of parity, the America East champion is going to be one of three teams: Boston University, Vermont, or Stony Brook. Binghamton just doesn’t have it to win on the road, and as excited as I am to see Maine competing, I still don’t have a ton of faith in Woodward, and they just don’t have the athletes or experience. Vermont is a “one trick pony” with Marqus Blakely carrying their team on both ends, but the America East might just be bad enough for that one trick to win. Boston University has absolutely no depth, but when John Holland, Corey Lowe, and Jake O’Brien are all playing to their potential  and they finally have been clicking at the same time as of late – they are going to be very tough to beat. Stony Brook is the most balanced team, as they are tough and athletic, they defend, and have a mean streak.

But what do I know? After all, here’s how I ranked the team in the pre-season:

1. BU
2. Stony Brook
3. Vermont
4. New Hampshire
5. Albany
6. Hartford
7. UMBC
8. Maine
9. Binghamton

And with half of the season in the books, here’s how the league standings look as of now:

1. Maine 5-1: (13-6 overall)
2. Stony Brook 6-2: (14-7)
3. Boston University: 6-2 (11-9)
4. Vermont: 5-2 (14-7)
5. Binghamton: 3-3 (8-13)
6. Hartford: 3-4 (5-15)
7. New Hampshire: 2-4 (7-10)
8. Albany: 1-6 (6-16)
9. UMBC: 0-7 (1-19)

I’ve got two right, that’s gotta’ count for something… right?

Make sure to check back in to Hoopville for upcoming bi-weekly conference notebooks, game stories, and player features, as well as a multi-part trip down memory lane.

It’s good to be back.

Quick Hitters – January 13, 2010

Quick hitters as we reach the middle of the week:

• Not surprisingly, Dartmouth wasn’t saying much regarding the sudden resignation of Terry Dunn a day before they opened Ivy League play at Harvard.  About all that was offered up was senior guard Robbie Pride saying, asked about a report of a player revolt, “That part is completely untrue.”  The Big Green traveled down the day of the game, so the resignation didn’t come just before they were slated to head on the road.  Mark Graupe was the most active of the three remaining coaches, so at first glance he appears the likely interim head coach when the school makes an announcement later in the week.The simple truth is that this team is not good – talent and experience are both lacking.  There isn’t a scorer now that Alex Barnett is gone, and none of the shooters has been able to consistently hit shots on the season.  We won’t even get to the frontcourt.

• If anyone wondered if Providence players got the message that they needed to rebound better, Saturday night’s game answered that.  Head coach Keno Davis hinted after the Louisville game that the lineup may change, but the starting lineup was no different.”We had two of our best practices of the year,” Davis said.  “After the Louisville game, I told them I would not start the same group, that the rotations would change, and whoever practiced up to that level would be our starters and would deserve the minutes.  The starters that we had, had their best efforts for those two days.  Even though I had threatened that, I had to reward the hard work that we had.”

• In the win over Rutgers, Jamine Peterson had 29 points and 20 rebounds, nearly becoming just the fourth player in school history to score at least 30 points and grab at least 20 rebounds.  That came after he didn’t get a single rebound in the second half against Louisville on Wednesday night.”I just think Greedy understands what can make him a great player,” said Davis.  “Although knocking down the three-point shots and some of the moves he has are great highlight material, the rebounding can affect the game.  When he’s rebounding at his best, he can play anywhere.”

• In UMass’ 80-74 loss to La Salle in Springfield, Freddie Riley was the biggest bright spot.  The freshman shooter, who missed time with knee surgery during non-conference play, came alive to lead a second-half comeback and finished with 22 points on 6-14 shooting from long range.”Freddy did tonight what I envisioned him doing while he’s a UMass Minuteman,” head coach Derek Kellogg said.

• Boston University continues to ride their big three of Corey Lowe, John Holland and Jake O’Brien.  They also seem to have the M.O. of starting slowly, but then being solid the remainder of the game, as Tuesday night’s win over UMBC was not an isolated case.  The Retrievers scored the first seven points of the game and still had the lead a few minutes later, but in the second half they never got within a possession of the Terriers.In particular, Lowe’s improvement to become a more well-rounded player is notable.  He’s no longer a gunner like he was earlier in his career; instead, he’s leading the team and also playing off the other two stars, and he’s become a tough, clutch player.  It’s been a steady development that hasn’t happened all at once.”You know what Corey’s done a good job of?  Letting me get after him, and not backing down,” said head coach Pat Chambers.  “I wanted him to be a pit bull.  He’s not relying on his three as much – now he’s getting in the paint, now he’s pulling up.”

America East Notebook – Separation at the Top

Here’s how I would break down the conference as of right now:

1. Vermont
2. Boston University
3. Albany/UMBC
4. UMBC/Albany
5. Stony Brook
6. Binghamton
7. Maine/UNH
8. UNH/Maine
9. Hartford

There is significant separation between the top two teams (Vermont, BU) and the rest of the America East, and there is also some separation between teams 3-6 and the bottom of the conference. However, as a whole, the only team in the conference that should really be classified as playing flat-out bad has been Hartford, as the rest of the conference has played up to, or exceeded, preseason expectations.

Vermont’s inside-outside combination of Mike Trimboli and Marqus Blakely has been the best duo in the conference, as both are playing like All-Conference first teamers, but it’s been the Catamounts’ supporting cast that has made them hands down the team to beat in the America East. The Catamounts lead the conference in scoring, field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage.

Stony Brook Notes

• Speaking of pre-game acrobatics, no team in the America East is as fun to watch go through their lay-up lines as Stony Brook. I would recommend fans show up before Seawolves games as early as possible, as they put on one heck of a pre-game dunk-a-thon. Last year Demetrius Young and Jermol Paul were the Seawolves’ resident high-flyers, but this year they have some stiff competition in freshmen Danny Carter, Tommy Brenton, Dallis Joyner, junior college transfer Muhammad El-Amin, and even walk-on Michal Zylinski.
• El-Amin is in his own world in some of the tomahawk, windmill, and reverse jams he throws down, as his hang time is up there with anyone in the conference.
• And for sheer back-board shaking power, the conference hasn’t seen someone like Desmond Adedeji in a long time.
• While Dougher came to Stony Brook with a lot of hype, and Brenton exploded out of the gates, Carter may be the Stony Brook freshman with the highest ceiling. At 6’9″ he has been hyped as a pure shooter, and he certainly looks it, but what has been overlooked is his athleticism. Brian Benson of UNH may be the most athletic player 6’9″ or taller that the conference has seen in some time, but Carter isn’t far behind. The only thing holding Carter back right now is his weight, as he will need to bulk-up to become an impact player, but with a good strength training program, the sky is the limit.
• Putting on weight isn’t a problem for Adedeji, who is a monster at 6’10″ and reportedly upwards of 325 pounds. Adedeji has the skills to do serious damage in the America East, with an incredibly soft shooting touch to go with his brute strength, and can even hit the college 3. While Adedeji will need to get down to around 300 to be a true impact player, he is hardly fat, with a build that looks strikingly similar to actor Michael Clarke Duncan of The Green Mile fame – if Duncan were a half a foot taller. Big players in the America East have been hamstrung by referees in the past, but Adedeji may not fall into that trap, as he is already an incredibly smart player who knows how to use his size. He also knows how to lower the boom, as evident when he leveled UConn’s Stanley Robinson with a pick, which left Robinson on the ground dazed, and later forced him from the game.

Reports of BU’s Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

BOSTON – They say that death and taxes are the only certainties in life.  There are other things that are so virtually certain they could almost be added to that list, like college football being a joke as long as the BCS is around or a pleasant driving experience in Boston being elusive.  Another possibility in that category is that Boston University will win at home against New Hampshire, and the latest exhibit for it came at just the right time for the Terriers.

Sunday’s 68-37 thumping of the Wildcats was the 15th straight win in Boston for the Terriers against their rivals just to the north.  The last time New Hampshire beat the Terriers on Commonwealth Ave was a little less than 15 years ago, and the two head coaches prior to Bill Herrion, who was then the head coach at conference rival Drexel, never did it.  Sunday was not the first ugly score during that time, either.  Two years ago almost to the day, the score was 53-29; nearly 10 years ago, it was 84-49.

But this homecourt dominance of the Wildcats takes a major backseat in terms of significance on this day.  The Terriers had seemingly hit a couple of lows in recent weeks, with one poor performance after another during a five-game losing streak.  In consecutive games, they lost by 30 at Cornell and by 19 at home to a banged-up Holy Cross team before dropping a close one at Albany in their America East opener.  In the Albany game, they showed signs of coming around, but couldn’t pull out the win.

So it’s safe to say that there was a little more urgency to Sunday’s game for the home team, and a real happy feeling when they came away with the win.  It seemed like a relief for the team.

“It feels good to finally get off this losing streak,” said sophomore John Holland.

“Obviously we needed a win,” said head coach Dennis Wolff.  “I thought that we, for two straight games now, have looked way more cohesive than we had maybe even in the first semester when we were playing better.  To me, the credit goes to the kids.  No one’s liked the situation we have found ourselves in.  We played two bad games, we didn’t act right, we had two guys have terrible, terrible injuries, and we’re still playing.  So I think the kids deserve a lot of credit.”

The injuries Wolff alluded to are season-ending ones to guards Tyler Morris and Carlos Strong, two-thirds of the trio of guards that everyone expected over a year ago would help the Terriers rule the conference for three years.  But Morris has never been the same since an injury he suffered in the preseason last year, while Strong hasn’t improved since his freshman season when he showed a lot of promise.  Even so, losing two regulars for the season never helps.  With the other starting guard, Corey Lowe, out due to being ejected from the prior game, the Terriers played seven players at Albany, three of whom played all 40 minutes.

In fact, because the Terriers are basically down to seven or eight players, Wolff went with a zone defense against New Hampshire.  He would rather not do it, as he’s built his reputation on tough man-to-man defense, but needing to stay out of foul trouble was the major reason, and he’s also aware that most teams don’t really know how to attack a zone defense, even drawing on his team’s own issues in attacking opposing zone defenses.

Lowe didn’t have his best game, although he made a few key plays early on, so the support is what won this game.  Holland set a tone early and scored 16 of his 25 points in the first half, and is starting to look more like the player he was in the latter part of last season.  It was the second straight game in which he scored 25 points.

“I’ve been John’s biggest critic,” said Wolff, who then added, “John’s been fabulous the last two games.  That’s about the only way you could characterize his play.  He’s concentrating, he’s playing off two feet, he hasn’t been going in the lane out of control.  He probably has played two of the best games he’s played at BU the last two games.”

The other player who came up big in this game was Scott Brittain.  Largely a defensive presence for his two-plus seasons on Commonwealth Ave, the junior forward is perhaps the best candidate to give the team some much-needed post scoring.  Wolff has said all season long that he was concerned about the lack of it, no matter how good his perimeter players are, and with two key players there lost for the season, that gets magnified.

Brittain moved into the starting lineup at Albany, and Sunday was his second straight double-digit scoring game.  He scored 15 points on 5-7 shooting and was seemingly automatic when the ball got to him inside.  The 15 points surpassed his point total for the entire season prior to the Albany game; in the last two games, he has tripled his season point total.

“We need Scott to play the way he’s played in the last two games,” said Wolff.

The Terriers look more like a team on a mission.  Wolff feels that people are writing them off, especially after the injuries, but also that doing so is a bit hasty.  His comments are indicative of a team that is more focused and listening to what the staff is telling them, and they look like they might be more balanced offensively.  Even if the balance comes out of necessity, it’s a plus because the alternative is that the Terriers could simply not develop it in the first place.  It all comes at a good time since the team doesn’t have much margin for error.

“We’ve had two games where we’ve kind of stayed with what we thought we would like to accomplish beforehand, and we hadn’t done that in the two prior games,” Wolff said.

So the Terriers continue to dominate New Hampshire at home, making that matchup look more and more like a sure bet.  This time around, the timing couldn’t have been better for the home team, and the best thing that came out of it wasn’t the win itself.

Blue Hens Battle Elements, Terriers Successfully

BOSTON – There are several things Delaware can take away from Sunday’s 70-68 win at Boston University. It was full of positives both in the immediate and going forward.

Let’s start with the easy one. The Blue Hens were affected by the snowstorm that hit the northeast, arriving in town late Saturday after their plane sat on the runway for three hours. They took a bus back down after the game, taking no chances dealing with possible flight difficulties.

“I was really proud of our guys, the way they stepped up,” said head coach Monte Ross. “They kept fighting, they kept digging.”

That was hardly all. Delaware won on the road against a team that should contend in its conference, despite their best player struggling in part because of foul trouble. They also got a big lift from a player who started slowly, and won despite blowing an eight-point lead late in the game.

During the early part of the season, the Blue Hens have basically developed a big three of Marc Egerson, Alphonso Dawson and Jawan Carter. Egerson was not himself on Sunday, and when he picked up his fourth foul with the Blue Hens down by two early in the second half, that didn’t look like the best sign.

But Dawson, Carter and others stepped up, and the Blue Hens quickly tied the game and then took the lead. Dawson stole the ball and Carter got a layup, then a three-pointer by Dawson gave them a lead they would not relinquish until the Terriers capped an 11-2 run with 13 seconds left. On two occasions, the lead reached eight before Egerson came back in the game.

“Marc’s a big piece for us,” said Dawson, who scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half to keep Delaware in the game. “To have guys come off the bench like D.J. Boney and contribute like he did, and just to have everybody step up as a team and come together makes a big win.”

Boney’s play was noteworthy not just in his being the hero by hitting the game-winning three-pointer with five seconds left. Boney missed the first four free throws he took, but bounced back to score a career-high 14 points. He also hit several key shots at times when the lead was either one or two points, allowing them to keep the lead a little longer. It would have been easy to basically take himself out of the game after that kind of start, but he didn’t do it.

“It speaks volumes about his character,” said Ross. “It’s hard to go to the foul line and miss four straight, and I was really dumbfounded. In the second half, when we went to him, he just blocked that right out of his mind and kept playing.”

Boney isn’t known for his scoring. Ross has always liked his intangibles, and that’s the biggest reason he gets the minutes he does. This team has plenty of talented guards, so it can be easy for Boney to get lost in the shuffle a bit. His minutes are down from last season, and entering the game he was 4-23 from long range on the season. He went 3-5 from there on Sunday in 19 minutes.

Carter, the newest of the big three, has scored in double figures in every game since the second game of the season. He assisted on the winning basket, capping off a day where he had 16 points and nine assists with just three turnovers. Not only was Egerson not himself, but Brian Johnson had an off day as well with no assists and three turnovers, and as such Carter’s efforts to create for others was huge.

At this point, one can see that the Blue Hens have several good pieces to the puzzle. They aren’t very deep, especially in the frontcourt, but if Jim Ledsome and Adam Pegg can be serviceable, they can manage with Egerson essentially playing the power forward spot and taking a post player out on the perimeter at the offensive end. Johnson is arguably the best point guard not named Eric Maynor in the CAA, while Carter, Dawson and Egerson give them plenty of offense and rebounding.

“We try not to miss a beat if one of the parts is taken out of the puzzle,” Ross said about their effort with Egerson sitting due to foul trouble. “We just want to place another piece into the puzzle and keep going. I thought we did that this afternoon.”

Delaware overcame adversity before the game and during it. They also saw players persevere, and Ross is starting to get a good handle on this team. He knows that part of why his bench hasn’t played as well as he would like is on him, noting that he hasn’t given many of the reserves enough good stretches of playing time. He is ready to change that, and Sunday’s game could certainly be a step in that direction, especially since he was rewarded for sticking with Boney after his four early free throw misses.

The win also comes at a good time for Delaware. Two more home dates remain in the non-conference schedule, then CAA play begins in earnest with two more at home. They will enter in an 0-1 hole after losing at Old Dominion earlier in the month, but this win can give them a real boost, as could two more wins to close out the slate. That would put them above .500 overall.

“Going into conference, we’ve got the confidence,” said Dawson. “Guys are starting to gain even more trust in each other. Coach let us know that it’s not easy to come up here and get a win.”

If the Blue Hens continue what they showed on Sunday, they will have come away with more than a win on the bottom line.

BU to Harvard: “How Do You Like Them Apples?”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass – I’m an eternal pessimist, a glass half-empty kind of guy, so this is unfamiliar territory for me. The weaknesses of the Boston University Terriers are as clear as day: They don’t rebound, don’t have a reliable low post scorer, and rely almost entirely on the three-pointer to generate offense.

But I can’t help it. I like this Terriers team.

I know, BU lost a very winnable game last Saturday against Mount Saint Mary’s, and almost blew a big league against a completely overmatched Saint Peter’s squad a few weeks ago. But this year BU has shown the toughness and heart that has been absent from the program for several years.

In previous years BU would have completed the collapse against Saint Peters, instead of hanging on. In previous years BU would never have made a statement like the one they did in their victory of Northeastern, and in previous years the Terriers would never have grabbed the momentum in the second half and put a team away like they did against the Crimson of Harvard in their 75-59 victory Wednesday night. BU is playing with a purpose in a way they haven’t in several years, and their talent on the perimeter is scary good.

One of the greatest weaknesses of Dennis Wolff’s squads of the past several years has been their exasperating tendency to play down to the level of their opponents. They have had a tendency to let lesser teams stick around late in games, and maddening inability to put teams away.

In the first half, it appeared that this game had all the makings of another debacle for BU, as they played at Harvard’s slow, methodical pace, and failed to utilize their big advantage in speed and athleticism.

John Holland, the Terriers’ super-athletic super sophomore, got BU going with a steal that led to a monster one-handed tomahawk jam. But BU let the momentum fizzle, and let Harvard back in the game.

The Terriers seemed to shoot themselves in the foot at every opportunity. Leading 18-16, BU held Harvard without a field goal for over eight minutes, but failed to capitalize, only pushing their lead to 5 points (29-24) thanks to six turnovers during that stretch.

BU committed 11 turnovers in the first half, and allowed what should have been an overmatched Harvard squad to go into the half trailing by only seven points.

It was a game that BU could have easily blown, and in past years would have. The Terriers let a pesky Crimson squad stick around, and build their confidence. BU went into halftime flat, and playing on their home floor in front of their fans, Harvard was in a prime position to grab the momentum, and the game, after the intermission.

In short, it was a game that BU could easily have let slip away, and in previous years would have. But this Terriers team is different.

Halfway into the second half, BU turned on the jets, and put the game away. Defense has always been Wolff’s staple, and after playing lock-down defense all game, the Terriers ratcheted it up another notch. BU turned their defense into offense, and the basketball game into a track meet, and Harvard was left in the dust. Holland and Corey Lowe blew past Crimson defenders, scoring on an array of acrobatic lay-ups, and long bombs from deep, and in the blink of an eye BU had gone on a 22-6 run and put the game away.

“I think that sometimes we say we want to run, but when we get out there we don’t, tonight we were able to do that,” said Wolff.

“Our defense definitely initiated that run, we were able to step up on defense which gave us a lot of momentum on offense,” said freshman Jake O’Brien.

O’Brien continued to sparkle, scoring 18 points on 7-13 shooting, nailing three long treys, while showing off a pretty mid-range game. More impressive, however, may have been the job that O’Brien, along with senior Matt Wolff, did on Crimson freshman center/house Keith Wright. The 6’8″, 260-pound Wright entered the game a one-man wrecking crew, but was held to less than half his season average, scoring only six points while being frustrated into 7 turnovers.

“I thought that throughout the game our defensive intensity, and doubling in the post, really enabled us to really limit Wright’s chances. There were a lot of bodies around him and he had a hard time making moves, so I thought that was the key to the game,” said Dennis Wolff.

“O’Brien has been a good player since the first day he set foot on campus, he plays with poise, and he’s a very good player.”

For a player labeled as soft coming out of high school, O’Brien made a statement by fighting with Wright, one of the most physical players in the northeast, despite being outweighed by 50 pounds.

“He was a strong kid, he definitely got positioning really well,” commented O’Brien.

O’Brien put a body on Wright every time down the court, and had two big rejections. He also added the icing on the cake, shaking the backboard with an emphatic two-handed slam, the first of his college career, in the game’s final minutes.

“It definitely felt good (the dunk), it was kind of a relief, I’ve been looking forward to getting my first one under my belt, so I’m glad I got that one out of the way,” chuckled O’Brien.

Lowe was the story of the game, as he has played some of the best basketball of his career during the Terriers’ three game road trip, beginning with a 27-point outing in the win at Northeastern. Lowe scored a game-high 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting, going 4-6 from behind the arc while committing only one turnover. Lowe showed tremendous discipline and unselfishness, and only took 2 shoots from more than 23 feet out, one a 26 footer that he nailed with the shot clock expiring.

“I thought that Corey Lowe played about as good a floor game tonight as (he) could play,” said Wolff. “Corey Lowe really sets the whole groundwork for everyone, and he is a very unselfish kid. He picked his spots, got good shots.”

The game was billed as a matchup of two of the best guards in the northeast, but it was a one-sided affair. Lowe was matched up against Harvard junior Jeremy Lin, who entered the game averaging 20 points per contest while shooting an eye-popping 58.8 percent from three, but it wasn’t close. Lowe was unstoppable on offense while shutting down Lin on the defensive end, forcing one of the best guards in the Ivy League into 5 turnovers, and holding him scoreless from behind the arc.

“When you’re playing half court defense you usually have rules, with (Lin) we had no rules, Corey’s job was to just stay with him, and Corey did a very good job doing that,” said Wolff.

Lin’s final stat line looked nice on paper, as he finished with 17 points on 8-13 shooting, but he scored most of his points at the end of the game, when the outcome was already decided and Lowe was sitting on the bench.

Holland was also firing on all cylinders, scoring 17 points, shooting 7-12 from the floor and 3-5 from 3, while pulling down 7 rebounds. Holland wreaked havoc at the top of the 1-3-1 zone, coming up with 3 steals and disrupting passing lanes all game.

“John Holland tries off-the-charts hard in games,” said Wolff. “His effort a lot of times gets the whole team going, so like in the first half he’s making great plays, and then he’s running all over the place looking like he’s about to die,” said Wolff.

“For me, going off of the steals, and maybe getting a dunk or two, sometimes that get’s everybody hyped,” added Holland.

Matt Wolff brought hard-nosed defense in the second half after spending the first half on the bench in foul trouble, coming up with three steals, and the Terriers even got some productive minutes out of reserve forward Valdas Sirutis, as the junior scored his first points of the season on a crucial first half three to sap some of Harvard’s momentum.

To be sure, BU can’t rely on shooting 46.4 percent from behind the arc like they did against Harvard (13 of 28 from three), and the Terriers are still searching for some one who can score around the hoop. 6’9″ Scott Brittain is still suffering from post-concussion syndrome, and appeared very tentative in limited minutes against Harvard. Even when he was healthy, Brittain wasn’t the kind of player who could take over a game in the paint if the Terriers weren’t lighting it up from three.

The struggle of point guard Tyler Morris (6 turnovers, 1-5 shooting from 3) is also concerning. Morris still looks worlds away from the kid who set the conference on fire as the Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, as he has struggled to generate his own shot and with running the offense.

But the Terriers have proven that they can find ways to win. They are playing with heart and a sense of urgency and purpose, and most importantly playing as a team. With the Terriers sharing the ball, and when their shots are falling, BU is going to be a handful for anyone in the conference.

“We have so many different weapons, it’s hard for somebody to guard,” said Holland. “On any given night we have a lot of people who can light it up.”

The Biggest Win

BOSTON – It’s been a very, very long four years for the Boston University men’s basketball team. For the BU faithful, and perhaps even head coach Dennis Wolff, it’s seemed like a lifetime. But the Terriers may have finally exorcized some of their demons from the past four years with a huge victory over the Huskies of Northeastern.

Boston University showed grit and toughness that the program has been lacking for the past four years. BU answered every run that Northeastern made, outhustled, out-toughed, and out-coached the Huskies, making a statement about the direction of their program.

During the 2003-04 season, Boston University was the class of the America East conference. The Terriers enjoyed their third straight 20-win season, going 23-6 including a win on the road against Michigan back when such a victory was still impressive, and stormed through the America East, going 17-1 in conference. The Terriers received top 25 votes weekly (something unheard of in the America East conference), and if the Top 25 voting was extrapolated out, would have ranked in the top 30 in the country at one point. ESPN projected BU as a No. 12 seed heading into the NCAA tournament, and other publications started whispering that the Terriers could play the role of Cinderella in March.

Then it all came crashing down.

BU was knocked out on their home floor in the opening round of the America East tournament by 8th-seeded Stony Brook. The following season, after graduating arguably the best senior class in school history, the Terriers again rattled off twenty wins, but once again lost in the first round of their conference tournament. Beyond that, Boston University crumbled down the stretch, as they were embarrassed on their home floor by Northeastern, and simply didn’t show up down the stretch.

Things only got worse the following season, as the Terriers struggled through a season marred by player suspensions and locker room friction, culminated by the departure of four highly-touted players during the offseason. The next year BU once again suffered through a season marred by player defections and another early exit in the conference tournament, and last year after showing signs of life during parts of the conference season, BU ended on another bad note when they were run off the floor by Hartford in the conference semifinals.

The Terriers’ futility has gone far beyond their drop in the conference standings and record. It has been marked by their lack of physical and mental toughness. Whenever the Terriers were hit hard in the opening minutes of a game, they seemed to wilt. Entering this season it could be argued that the Terriers hadn’t won a big game against a quality opponent since beating the University of Vermont in February of 2005.

Nowhere was the futility of BU basketball more evident than in their annual matchups against Northeastern: From the era of Reggie Lewis to Tunji Awojobi, from Billy Collins to Jose Juan Barea, the two schools have waged epic battles, but recently it has become at one sided affair. Since Northeastern’s final season in the America East (they moved to the CAA after the 2004-05 season), Boston University had gone 0-4 against the Huskies.

And the losses have been ugly.

Two years ago Northeastern came out swinging and flat-out embarrassed BU. Last year the Terriers hung around for a half, until a monster slam by Nkem Ojougboh took the wind out of BU’s sails and the Huskies cruised to victory.

This year Northeastern once again came out swinging, punctuated by another Ojougboh jam that brought an eruption from the crowd of roughly 2,000. But this year was different, as the Terriers didn’t flinch. Northeastern punched BU in the mouth several times in the first half, and every time BU stayed on it’s feet and fought back.

Matt Wolff fought with Manny Adako and Eugene Spates under the glass, Cory Lowe and Northeastern stud Matt Janning went toe to toe, and it was BU who emerged victorious.

Where in previous years BU was pushed around by Northeastern, this year it was the Terriers who did the pushing, as they seemed to beat the Huskies to every loose ball and long rebound.

Billy Collins, Jason Grochowalski, and every member of the great Terrier teams from 2002-04, teams renowned for their toughness, would have been proud of BU’s performance. In fact, in the week leading up to the game, Dennis Wolff’s squad spent many hours watching old game film of past BU squads, looking for inspiration.

“(Coach Wolff) showed us some stuff from past teams and how much it means to BU and Northeastern, the rivalry, so we just kind of wanted to put our piece in,” said junior guard Cory Lowe.

Lowe certainly put his piece in, as he was unconscious in the first half, scoring 23 of the Terriers 39 points in the opening frame. Lowe lit it up from everywhere, hitting threes from NBA range, but perhaps even more impressive was his performance in the second half.

Early this season Lowe struggled with his decision making, as he seemed unwilling to defer to teammates, forcing shots often. But against Northeastern, Lowe was the definition of unselfish, scoring only four points in the second half while finding freshman Jake O’Brien early and often.

O’Brien was unreal, scoring 21 points in the second half while shooting 5 of 6 from behind the arc. O’Brien showed just why Wolff has been raving so much about him, as it has been a long time since a Terrier, let alone a BU forward, has had as pretty a release and as true as shot as the 6’8″, 210-pound rookie.

Every one of O’Brien’s threes found nothing but net, and every one of them was a dagger.

More impressive was that the Terriers were able pull out the W despite an off game from star wing John Holland (17 points, but on 5 of 13 shooting) and with center Scott Brittain still suffering from the affects of post concussion syndrome (no points in 10 limited minutes).

But most impressive was the Terriers’ mental toughness, as they withstood every run that Northeastern made all the way until the final buzzer, something that would have seemed impossible in previous seasons.

It’s still too early to label the Terriers as true America East contenders. They are still prone to bouts of sloppy play, and lost a very winnable game on Saturday to Mount Saint Mary’s. But the program has taken a huge step in the right direction this season: they are showing up for their games, they aren’t backing down and their mental and physical toughness is already several steps up from where it has been during the past few years. And a Terriers team with Lowe, Holland, and O’Brien scoring from outside, and the return of Brittain in the low post is going to be tough to beat when they are playing up to their talent.

Some New Life to the Cross-Town Rivalry

BOSTON – Ever since Northeastern left the America East Conference for the Colonial Athletic Association in 2005, the cross-town rivalry between the Huskies and Boston University hasn’t been the same. The teams have only played once per season, save for the 2005-06 season when they did not play at all, and the games have been in November instead of January and February and with the occasional March game mixed in during the conference tournament.

In light of that, the life that the crowd showed in Tuesday night’s game between the arch-rivals was a pleasant sight. Two days before Thanksgiving, with a lot of students undoubtedly already home for the long weekend. The attendance was listed at 2,500, which is probably a little high but doesn’t understate the feel of the game, both from the crowd and the players.

For the first time in a few years, the game really felt like a rivalry game. With both teams thought to be contenders in their respective conferences, it was a good matchup in addition to the rivalry aspect. You could see players go back and forth as they guarded each other, with plenty of contact both ways; one time it was Matt Janning and Corey Lowe, who also at times tried matching each other with jump shots, another time it was Matt Wolff and Eugene Spates.

Indeed, in the first half Janning and Lowe at times looked like they had a game of “Can you top this?” going as each carried their team for stretches. Lowe had the edge in individual numbers with 23 at the half, but the Huskies had the edge that mattered at 40-39.

Although there is the requisite desire to beat the rival, there’s plenty of respect to go around between the programs. When he was the head coach at Northeastern, Ron Everhart noted that his staff paid attention to some of what BU did to be successful. The Terriers were quick to state their respect for the Huskies, picked by most to be a contender for the CAA title. They’re also aware that the Huskies entered this game having won four straight games in the rivalry after the Terriers had been in control for a while.

“The past couple of times we’ve played them, they out-worked us,” said Lowe, who finished with 27 points. “He showed us some stuff from past teams and how much it means to BU and Northeastern, the rivalry, so we just kind of wanted to put our piece in.”

The rivalry has always had interesting storylines. For a few years recently, an interesting note was that both head coaches, Everhart and BU’s Dennis Wolff, both lived in Walpole, about 20 miles south of Boston. This time around, one need only look at the two Terriers who especially torched the Huskies for the storyline.

Lowe and Jake O’Brien, who had 21 points on 7-9 shooting, including 5-7 from long range and a couple of daggers in the second half, were both recruited by Northeastern during their prep careers. In fact, after Lowe was released from his letter of intent at Providence, the Terriers and Huskies were among the schools he considered. Both players know about the rivalry from growing up in the area as well, and now they had a large hand in a big win for their team. That Northeastern recruited them may not have been an extra motivator at all, but it certainly is noteworthy.

Even though the rivalry takes on a different life now that the teams are not in the same conference, the meaning is still there. The players and coaches wanted this one, and when it was over, Janning said, “It’s a rival, so it’s going to sting until next year.” They might only meet once a year, but there’s still life to the rivalry and it showed on Tuesday night.