Boston University men’s basketball coach Patrick Chambers recruited La Salle University sophomore forward Aaric Murray back when Murray was a senior in high school and Chambers was the associate head coach at Villanova University. But Murray chose to bring his talents to La Salle instead, and Villanova ended up with another skilled forward by the name of Mouphtaou Yarou.
Chambers knows his BU squad will have its hands full defending the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Murray when the Terriers (4-5) welcome the Explorers (5-3) to Agganis Arena Thursday night with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
A triad of forwards – 6-foot-6 junior Patrick Hazel, 6-foot-8 junior Jake O’Brien and 6-foot-7 freshman Dom Morris – will be called upon to slow down Murray, who is averaging team-highs of 17.1 points and 9.5 rebounds through eight games.
Murray recorded his third double-double of the season in his last contest, scoring 23 points and grabbing 13 boards in a 92-87 double-overtime loss to Oklahoma State University last Saturday. He ranks 10th in the nation with 3.3 blocks per game and is fourth all-time in school history with 96 career blocks.
“Pat Hazel is going to cover him. Jake O’Brien is going to cover him. Dominic Morris is going to cover him,” Chambers said. “We’re going to play five guys against him. We play team defense. If there’s one real thing I’m pleased with, and I know we still have work to do, but our defense is pretty good and our rebounding is getting there. Aaric’s a hell of a player. He’s definitely got pro potential, and he has a great feel for the game. We just gotta outwork him and make life tough for him.”
Junior center Jeff Pelage would have gone toe-to-toe with Murray on both ends of the floor, but he is still day-to-day with a high ankle sprain and unavailable for Thursday’s matchup.
“I know he’s walking around, but it is still tender,” Chambers said. “It’s not 100 percent yet. With a guy like Jeff who’s 6-8, 250, you don’t wanna bring him back or rush him to where he could possibly get injured again.”
BU has faced the likes of No. 12 Villanova and No. 16/17 University of Kentucky already this season and been blown out in both games. Things won’t get any easier when La Salle comes to town. The Explorers have won four of their last six contests with two of their three losses coming to No. 9/10 Baylor University and No. 11/15 University of Missouri. The three teams that have defeated La Salle have a combined 19-2 record.
“It’s a tough game, tough non-conference schedule,” Chambers said. “I know this is going to help us for the America East, I just know it. It’s going to get our freshmen. They’re gonna be more mature. They’re gonna be ready to play come [the University of] Maine on Jan. 2. La Salle’s a great team. It seems like we’re playing a lot of great teams, but we’re a great team too.
“We’re just a few possessions away from being 7-2 so we gotta keep that mind. We’re very close. We’re just not there yet. We just gotta make some adjustments, play with some confidence, get a little swagger going, see some shots go through the net and we’ll be alright.”
Guard Ruben Guillandeaux (15.3 ppg) – who has drained at least one 3-pointer in 12 straight games – and forward Jerrell Williams (13.5 ppg) round out the rest of the Explorers’ double-digit scorers. Reigning Atlantic-10 Conference Rookie of the Week Tyreek Duren runs the point for La Salle and leads the team with a season average of 5.1 assists.
Junior guard Darryl Partin played two seasons at La Salle before transferring to BU at the end of the 2008-09 campaign. He sat out all of last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Partin is third on the Terriers with a 9.6 ppg average behind senior forward John Holland (17.3 ppg) and O’Brien (10.7 ppg). It would be easy to believe that Partin might pull a LeBron James and go off against his former team, but Chambers doesn’t foresee that happening.
“Darryl’s got a good way about him right now,” Chambers said. “He’s in a good place. He’s trying to do what I’m asking him to do. We need him to score and shoot a little bit more so I hope he goes out and gets us 30.”
Thursday’s game marks the Terriers’ first of six regular-season contests at Agganis, where they look to continue their recent success – six wins in eight games – at the new facility.
“It’s exciting,” Chambers said. “I’m looking forward to playing there. I think we’re gonna have a really good crowd. If we can get a win, hopefully we get some new fans.”
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