Five nights after being on the losing end of America East’s “Game of the Year,” the Boston University men’s basketball team can’t be caught getting too high or low about any one contest, as has been this team’s mantra since the first day of BU coach Joe Jones’ tenure.
The University of Vermont is not Stony Brook University, which the Terriers (11-12, 7-2 America East) lost to on Friday, but the Catamounts (13-10, 7-2 America East) are just as much of a physical and disciplined squad, the same one that defeated the Terriers on Jan. 5 by 14 points at Patrick Gymnasium.
Jones admitted before yesterday’s practice that his preparation for Wednesday’s showdown against Vermont at Agganis Arena has not wavered from the previous 23 games of the 2011-12 campaign.
In a tilt that will determine sole possession of second place in the league standings, his players may think otherwise, considering the competitive nature of this BU group.
“We’ve been pretty consistent in how we’ve approached each game as a staff,” Jones said. “Obviously, an athlete is going to look at things a little differently. I’ve approached all the games the same way. Just naturally, when you play Stony Brook or Vermont and they’re the top teams in the league when you play them, it’s a little bit easier to get yourself going.
“I’m sure our guys want to go and play against the team that beat you already. I just think that’s kind of natural.”
Following the loss in Burlington, Vt. to open conference play, BU strung together seven straight wins, including four by 13 points or more, before falling to Stony Brook, 66-57, in the sold out and nationally televised game on Friday.
Sophomore guard D.J. Irving, who made his return from a concussion in that first UVM matchup and finished with just three points, has a clean bill of health and is back to directing the fast-pace Terrier offense. His 5.5 assists per game are best in America East.
Jones believes his team, equipped with an explosive offense fueled by senior guard Darryl Partin (19.9 points per game) and a stout defense that ranks fourth in the conference in scoring defense (65.0 ppg), has vastly improved in all aspects since dropping that 83-69 decision to the Catamounts during the first week of the New Year.
“I think from watching film, right now, we’re a better team than we were in the first game we played them,” Jones said. “I think they’re better, too. But I think we’re better, and we understand my philosophy a little better on the offensive end and the defensive end. We’re much more comfortable in what we’re doing, and it shows. You can see that.
“The great thing about our team is that we’re going to keep playing. We’re going to make a run at you at some point, and that’s the great thing about these guys. They’re competitors. They want to get better, and they just want to compete. They’re competitive kids, and when you have that, you always have a chance.”
In his first season as Vermont’s head coach, John Becker has a full complement of offensive weapons in forward Matt Glass (11.0 ppg), forward Luke Apfeld (10.8 ppg) and guard Four McGlynn (12.0 ppg), who has been named America East Rookie of the Week four times in his brief but impressive collegiate career.
The ability of the Catamounts’ supporting cast of guard Brendan Bald, forward Brain Voelkel and guard Sandro Carissimo to contribute in a plethora of ways is a fact that hasn’t been lost on Jones either.
“We’ve proven to be one of the better defensive teams in the league, and we [have to] go play like that,” Jones said. “Those guys are all very good players. We have to do a really good job on Apfeld at the basket and being physical but smarter. McGlynn comes off the bench and people don’t understand that he’s one of their major threats from an offensive perspective.
“We really have to do a good job as a team of playing team defense.”
Starting with Vermont on Wednesday, a demanding stretch of three games in six nights lies ahead for BU. But at the moment, Jones is only concentrated on the task at hand.
“I’ve been very good at just going one game at a time,” Jones said. “I’m not even joking with you, but I don’t really know who the next games are against ahead of time. I don’t really know who the next opponent is. I don’t really think about that a lot. I’m just focused on what we need to do right now.”
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