When most people think of Boston University men’s basketball, they think of outstanding guard play. Junior Matt Turner and sophomore Chaz Carr can score from anywhere on the court, while junior Kevin Fitzgerald is the leader, playing nearly mistake-free ball and suffocating defense.

However, for the Terriers to be successful, especially in America East play, the team needs its frontcourt to play big on both ends of the floor.

In Monday’s 61-57 loss to Stanford University, BU showed a lot of promising signs down low.

Most impressive was the play of 6-foot-8-inch junior Ryan Butt, who helped negate the Cardinal’s height advantage with intensity and aggressiveness on offense and defense. Butt finished with 12 points and five rebounds, and was the only Terrier to shoot 50 percent from the floor, going five for 10.

‘Ryan gave us a real good game the other night,’ BU Coach Dennis Wolff said. ‘He’s shown us he can do it at times before; now we’re just looking for that effort consistently from him.’

The one player Wolff knows what to expect from is senior captain Billy Collins, who has been through tough times in his first two years and is now enjoying the revitalization of Terrier basketball. Collins, a captain for the third straight year, is the heart and soul of the frontcourt and possibly of the team.

Against Stanford, Collins led the team with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and was repeatedly referred to by the game’s announcers as a ‘Boston blue-collar guy,’ which is appropriate although he’s from the state of New Hampshire.

‘Billy’s effort was similar to what he’s given us just about every game,’ Wolff said. ‘We need close to what we got out of him and Ryan all year, especially against Maine, Hartford and Vermont.’

Sophomore Rashad Bell is coming off a promising freshman campaign in which he averaged close to seven points and four rebounds in only 17 minutes per game. The 6-foot-8-inch forward added weight this off-season in the hopes of becoming a stronger force on the glass.

Bell was credited with only five rebounds against Stanford, but was active on both ends of the court, keeping the ball alive for his teammates. His free-throw shooting is most encouraging, since a main point of his game is getting to the line. Against the University of Cincinnati in last year’s NCAA Tournament blowout loss, Bell hit all eight free throws he attempted. Against the Cardinals, he knocked down nine of 10.

The biggest wild card in the frontcourt is 6-foot-6-inch junior Jason Grochowalski. After a freshman year in which he earned a spot on the America East All-Rookie team by averaging 12.7 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor and 41 percent from three-point range, Grochowalski saw all of his numbers decrease last season. He averaged only 7.8 points per game, shooting 41 percent from the floor and 31 percent from beyond the arc. He also saw his conference-leading free throw percentage of 86 percent from freshman year dip to just below 75 percent.

After shooting the ball extremely well in the exhibition win over One-on-One, Grochowalski struggled against Stanford, scoring only one point in 13 minutes. Wolff is looking for better play from his former All-Rookie performer, which would solidify the perimeter game of the frontcourt.

‘Jason needs to be a more mature presence on the court,’ Wolff said. ‘He picked up a couple of early fouls the other night, but he needs to play through that adversity.’

Another name Wolff has high expectations for is 6-foot-10-inch red-shirt freshman Matt Czaplinski. Although Czaplinski did not log any time against Stanford, he is progressing and will be a factor for the Terriers as they enter conference play. He will give the team much-needed size when it goes against some of the bigger teams in the conference, especially Maine, which boasts 7’0′ Justin Rowe and 6’10’ Mark Flavin.

‘Matt’s game is coming along, he’s made improvements in a lot of areas so far,’ Wolff said. ‘He’s definitely going to start getting into games.’

The one freshman who can make an impact this season is 6-foot-8-inch California native Kevin Gardner. Gardner showed offensive promise against One-on-One, hitting all three shots he attempted in limited minutes. He was held scoreless in 10 minutes against Stanford, but grabbed two offensive rebounds. His development, along with Czaplinski’s, will give the Terriers an interior depth they have not had in a long time.

Ultimately, the Terriers are still a perimeter-oriented team. In the frontcourt, players like Grochowalski, Collins and even Butt, to an extent, are comfortable shooting from the perimeter. To win the America East, and some high profile non-conference games, BU will need a consistent effort from its players on the low-post.

The guards might light up the scoreboard, but a lot of games will be won with rebounding and defense, which the frontcourt must provide.