For Boston University’s place in the America East standings, Sunday’s final regular season dogfight at Northeastern University is absolutely meaningless. That’s just how they wanted it.
Wednesday night’s 78-62 defeat of the University of New Hampshire, coupled with the University of Vermont’s loss to the University of Hartford, ensured that the Terriers (17-9, 12-3 America East) will finish the regular season atop the conference. This means that the road to an NCAA Tournament automatic bid goes right through ‘The Roof,’ after the BU men clinched that same berth at home a year ago.
These circumstances do not, however, mean that the Terriers will not show up to Matthews Arena on Sunday to face their cross-town rivals at 1 p.m. The game holds the value of revenge, after the Huskies (15-13, 8-7) stole a 72-69 win at ‘The Roof’ on Jan. 25, despite trailing by as many as 16. And with the Huskies lined up as a possible second-round America East Tournament opponent, the Terriers certainly don’t want to drop both games against Northeastern on the season.
Junior forward Jason Grochowalski led the Terriers against New Hampshire on Wednesday, pouring in 20 points while pulling down 13 rebounds on senior night at ‘The Roof.’ The BU men also got important contributions from sophomore forward Rashad Bell, who dropped in 14 points, and junior guard Matt Turner, who shot 4-8 from beyond the arc to total 12 points. The performance was not only important in clinching the top seed, but it set the tone for the first round game of the America East tournament, when the Terriers face the eighth-seeded Wildcats on Mar. 9 at noon at Walter Brown Arena.
A key to the game will be controlling Northeastern’s pesky freshman point guard, Jose Juan Barea. Barea torched the Terriers back in January for 18 points, including a tie-breaking three-pointer in the final seconds. He will be back on the floor after serving a three-game suspension for playing on a team in Puerto Rico where some teammates were paid. Barea is hoping to help Northeastern become the only team this season to complete the regular season sweep of the Terriers.
In the teams’ first meeting, Terrier sophomore Rashad Bell posted a career-high 24 points. The game proved a challenge on both ends of the court for the BU guards, however, as Barea baffled them defensively while junior Matt Turner and sophomore Chaz Carr shot a combined 4-19 from the field. These problems led to a 30-10 Northeastern run to finish the game and secure the Terriers’ first conference loss of the year.
Hoping to head into the post-season with some momentum, the Terriers look to reverse the result and build confidence. With a little success, Coach Dennis Wolff’s squad will be on their way to the Big Dance in a few weeks’ time.