It hasn’t really been talked about that much.
Given the tumultuous ride the Boston University men’s basketball team has taken through 29 games, there probably wasn’t good reason to.
But now, with the America East Tournament beginning tonight at Binghamton University’s Events Center in Vestal, N.Y., the phrase can’t help but be brought up: “NCAA Tournament.”
Three wins are what separate the Terriers from the conference’s only bid to the Big Dance as they enter the third and most important segment of the season.
What better way to begin their quest of reaching the national tournament for the first time since 2002 than by facing the two-time defending America East champions — the University at Albany?
The Great Danes clinched the conferences No. 3 seed in the tournament last Sunday after beating the Terriers, 76-64, at SEFCU Arena. The loss, which dropped BU into the sixth-slot, was the Terriers’ seventh in a row to Albany (15-14, 10-6). In the 2007 championship, the Great Danes ousted BU in the second round of the tournament and defeated the University of Vermont to capture the league crown.
Last season’s tournament placed relatively no pressure, save the desire to advance beyond the quarterfinals for the first time in three years, on a club many were anxious to see perform on a big stage. This year, preseason expectations aside, the Terriers (13-15, 9-7) have won eight of 10 and are one of the hottest teams in the field of nine.
Saturday’s 8:30 p.m. contest presents a unique situation — playing the same team in the regular season finale and then again in the first round. The last time that happened was the 2001-02 season, when BU beat the University of Maine 76-74 in the final game before losing 87-83 (OT) in the tournament.
“A lot of people say it’s hard to beat a team three times in a season, but [Albany] beat us three times last season, and we beat Binghamton three times last season,” said BU co-captain Tyler Morris. “Chances are we’re going to have to play them anyway. We’re just trying to win three games.”
Morris is by far the biggest x-factor. The redshirt sophomore missed BU’s last two games with post-concussion-like symptoms but has been practicing at full speed since Wednesday. His addition to the Terrier lineup adds a significant scoring threat which Albany didn’t have to worry about guarding a week ago. Conversely, Albany senior Brian Lillis played only 14 minutes in the season finale, so the dynamic of both Morris and Lillis potentially being on the court for much longer will be interesting to watch.
“Albany’s a team that really tries to play plays and they won’t guard certain guys,” said BU coach Dennis Wolff. “It’ll be harder to guard us if we have another guy who can shoot.”
“We all know what he’s capable of, so just having him back on the court is going to force them to have to respect him,” said sophomore guard Corey Lowe of Morris.
Lowe, the team’s leading scorer (18.5 points per game), has been the model of consistency in February and beyond, netting three-consecutive 20-plus point games as well as minimizing turnovers and facilitating a confident offense.
One of the biggest differences between the first and second half of BU’s season has been its ability to score in transition — thanks in large part to freshman John Holland’s exceptional play (11.5 ppg).
Last Sunday, both those aspects of BU’s game were sorely lacking, as Holland went 3-of-13 from the field and the Terriers looked the worst they have on the fastbreak since the turnaround.
“They do a good job of slowing down the game and playing at their own pace — not getting caught up in what other teams try to force them into doing,” Lowe said. “If we can get them to go up and down, I think that would be to our benefit.”
Holland, who just won his fifth consecutive AE Rookie of the Week award, was neutralized by 6-foot-8 junior Brian Connelly for the majority of the game. Connelly’s size made it difficult for Holland to generate shots over Connelly and it appeared as though when he may have had the chance, the Bronx N.Y. native didn’t attempt to drive.
“He’s going to have to expect that now based on what’s happened,” Wolff said of Holland’s success. “My expectation is that he’ll come out Saturday night and be in a better mindset to fight through the hard defense.”
