The Boston University men’s basketball team will look to sweep the season series against American University on Wednesday on the road at Bender Arena.
The two teams come into the contest tied for fourth place in the Patriot League. Thus, both sides will be looking for a crucial edge in the conference standings as regular season play draws to a close and the Patriot League Tournament approaches.
American (14-12, 7-7 Patriot League) is fresh off an 88-77 win against Lafayette College, while the Terriers (11-14, 7-7 Patriot League) are coming off a convincing 73-60 win over the Loyola University Maryland Greyhounds. The Terriers held Loyola to shoot only 28.6 percent from three and 36.2 percent overall.
BU is looking to bring its defense to Washington, D.C, as it will have to match American’s defensive intensity. The Eagles hold the best scoring defense in the Patriot League, holding their opponents to roughly 57 points a game.
“It could be low-scoring, but we have to be prepared to win in a low-scoring game,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “They’re a different team at home. They’re faster and play up-tempo. I think this game will end up in the 60s.”
The Terriers and Eagles are no strangers to each other’s games and defenses as they faced off in the 2014 Patriot League championship, where American beat BU 55-36, and most recently on Jan. 21 when BU avenged its loss in another low-scoring game, winning 59-54.
In their last tilt, BU’s press gave American all kinds of fits as the Terriers forced 13 turnovers and scored 15 points off them. Sophomore guard Cedric Hankerson was especially effective, as he broke a program record with nine steals.
Although the Terriers’ defense has been inconsistent all year, BU can be expected to continue their swarming defense against American, as the Eagles are the lowest scoring offense in the Patriot League, registering just 57 points a game.
Jones said the Terriers will press the Eagles in this matchup only if the opportunity presents itself.
“We’re normally not a pressing team. The last time, we just had great opportunities to press,” he said. “We always look to trap, even off foul shots, but I think we’ll be in a more traditional man-to-man, but we’ll press when the time is right.”
In addition to limiting American with its press, BU will also have to limit the Eagles’ three leading scorers, guard Jesse Reed and seniors John Schoof and Pee Wee Gardner. Although Reed is leading the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game, stopping Gardner will be at the top of the game plan for the Terriers.
Gardner is American’s floor general as he creates offense for his teammates — averaging 3.6 assists per game — and can also single-handedly break the press by himself. A confident scorer, he’s already hit three game-winning shots this season.
If BU finds itself in a close game in the end, Jones said his team will need to find a way to get the ball out of Gardner’s hands.
“We can’t defend him man-to-man. We have to send multiple guys at him with weak-side help,” Jones said on how to defend Gardner. “They’re a faster team at home, and they have a higher energy, especially with him at point. It’ll be a collective effort to stop him and get the win.”
