Top-5 Terriers will need to be on ‘A’ game against Hartford

With the third-seeded Boston University men’s basketball team set to take on sixth-seeded University of Hartford in the quarterfinals of the America East Tournament, here are the top five Terriers who will need to step up on Saturday night:

1. Senior guard Darryl Partin

Arguably the team’s regular-season most valuable player, Partin possesses the scoring touch that could catapult BU pass the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the America East Tournament. It would be unfair to compare Partin to former Terrier John Holland, one of the greatest players in BU basketball history, but Partin is the type of shooting guard who could will the Terriers to victories with his offensive production.
Labeled as a streaky shooter throughout his career, he finished first on the team with 19.7 points per game, which was also good for second in the conference. BU will need major contributions from Partin on the offensive end if it wishes to go far in the tournament.

1. Sophomore guard D.J. Irving

A great debate unfolded among media members in the middle of the season as to who was the Terriers’ most important player of the 2011-12 campaign. The consensus pick was the 6-foot-0 Irving, who could note only control the pace of the game from the point guard position, but also score some timely buckets by penetrating into the lane with his blazing speed.
BU coach Joe Jones didn’t hesitate in mentioning that Irving’s presence was sorely missed when he was sidelined for three games with a concussion in late December. Not surprisingly, BU went 0-3 in those contests without its floor general. There’s no doubt that Irving’s the straw that stirs the drink for the Terrier offense, as his 148 total assists speak for themselves.

1. Red shirt freshman Malik Thomas

Thomas, a lanky 6-foot-7 guard/forward from Harlem, N.Y., has provided a reliable scoring boost for the Terriers. He red shirted, along with center Mat Piotrowski, last year under former coach Patrick Chambers, but he’s been a pleasant surprise as one of BU’s reserves.
He has the length and size to thrive in a conference like America East. Still, Jones has been careful in monitoring Thomas’ minutes because of his inexperience with the college game, so it will be interesting to see if Thomas ends up getting major minutes late in the game.
Although he only averaged 5.0 ppg on the year, Thomas could provide the necessary scoring punch to complement Partin and Irving.

1. Senior center Patrick Hazel

Enough with all the offensive firepower that could propel the Terriers this weekend. It’s time to talk some defense, and no player better embodies that than Hazel, one of BU’s tri-captains. Without question, he is BU’s anchor on the defense end, and when opponents drive the lane, they are almost always met by the imposing figure that Hazel is. Earlier on in the season, Hazel was considered as one of the front-runners for the America East Defensive Player of the Year for his impressive showing during the non-conference slate. To no one’s astonishment, Hazel led the Terriers with 51 blocks, with his closest teammate – senior center Jeff Pelage – 38 blocks behind. Hazel had monster performances in last year’s America East quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, stuffing the stat sheet with 19 points, 14 boards and five blocks.

1. Senior guard Matt Griffin

As the heart and soul of the Terriers’ squad, Griffin has done his part in leading by example as one of the team’s tri-captains, along with Hazel and injured forward Jake O’Brien. Griffin started in the first three games of the year before being replaced by sophomore forward Travis Robinson in the starting lineup. Normally a lethal 3-pointer shooter, Griffin has struggled to find his shot from outside, shooting at a paltry .304 clip. But flashback once again to last year’s America East tournament, and it was Griffin who knocked down two crucial treys to carry BU to a 55-49 victory over the Hawks in the semifinal round. More contributions from beyond the 3-point line by Griffin this weekend are a must.