Men’s hoops shines at Fiesta Bowl Classic

The Boston University men’s basketball team had a much different winter vacation than most students. It didn’t exist.

The Terriers tallied eight games in 32 days, including trips to Cleveland, Ohio; Tucson, Ariz.; and Albany, N.Y. While the early portion of the winter break schedule was more glamorous, pitting the Terriers against such opponents as George Washington University, Florida State University and the University of Arizona, it will most likely prove to be the three America East Conference games that will have the greatest impact on the Terriers’ post-season aspirations. But even after a successful 5-3 winter break, BU Coach Dennis Wolff thinks there is room for improvement in the ranks.

‘I think we’re still not where I would like to be,’ Wolff said. ‘I think we have different guys different days. We have yet to have everyone going at the same time.’

In most seasons, starting the conference schedule with a 3-0 record would have been the highlight of the eight-game holiday stretch. And while those wins were big, it was the trip to Arizona that proved to be the highlight of the winter break.

After splitting two games at home against George Washington and Ohio University, the Terriers traveled to Cleveland and fell by 14 to legendary coach Rollie Massimino and the Vikings of Cleveland State to start the break with a lackluster 1-2 start. With a matchup against a strong Atlantic Coast Conference team and a possible game with No. 4 Arizona waiting on the horizon, the Terriers were staring a possible 1-4 skid right in the face in their last games before conference play.

But under the hot Arizona sun, the Terriers shined, running away from a very strong Florida State team in the final 10 minutes in the first round of the Fiesta Bowl Classic. BU rained in a season-high 14 three pointers, while red-shirt junior guard Matt Turner scored all of his game-high 18 points in the final 12:29 to pull away to an 84-69 win. It was just the second win in school history for BU over an Atlantic Coast Conference team, a squad with the likes of Duke University and the University of Maryland on its schedule.

While the win over the Seminoles was big, the matchup that followed was bigger. The first-round victory over Florida State earned the Terriers the reward, or punishment as some skeptics might see, of facing the preseason No. 1 team in the country on its own home floor. And while the Terriers would end up falling to the Wildcats, it was not the rout that many might have expected.

Arizona was not only a stern test for BU, but perhaps served as a preview of the type of opponent the Terriers would have to face if they can earn a second straight bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Terriers did not wilt under the bright lights and the sell-out crowd of 14,587 at Arizona’s McKale Center. BU got out of the gate early, as senior forward and all-tournament team member Billy Collins scored nine of the first 11 Terrier points, pushing BU to a 15-14 lead. It would prove to be the last lead of the game for the Terriers, who were able to cut the deficit to two just minutes later, six at the half, and got as close as five in the second half. The Terriers were never able to come back after an intentional foul by Billy Collins on an Arizona fast break, and fell by 14, 85-71.

Even in the loss, Coach Wolff told the gathered reporters that he was more than pleased with his team’s effort, noting that he had never in his nine years seen a better effort from his players in a losing game.

And while the Arizona tournament was the high-profile highlight of the break, it was the three games that followed that might prove to be the most important. After the strong showing in Arizona, BU edged out three straight conference wins by a total of 11 points over Binghamton University, the University at Albany and the University of Vermont.

Turner led the way on Saturday, Jan. 4, scoring 27 points in a 70-65 overtime win over Binghamton in the conference opener for BU. Holding a 10-point lead with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation, the Terriers allowed Binghamton to climb back into the game and tie the score at 62. With BU holding a one-point lead with 25 seconds remaining, Binghamton’s Joel Casseus missed one of two free throws. That miss proved costly, as the Terriers would go on to win in the extra session.

With a seeming love for close games, it would be free throw shooting and the standout performance of sophomore Rashad Bell that carried the Terriers to a 66-63 win just four days later at Albany’s always tough Recreation and Convocation Center. Bell tied a career high with 21 points, including a 13-for-13 effort from the charity stripe. His teammates followed his lead, as BU nailed all 18 of its free throw attempts. Two clutch free throws by Matt Turner with five seconds left sealed the win for the Terriers.

The Terriers ended their winter break with a bang on Saturday, defeating Vermont 65-62 at Case Gymnasium. The Catamounts were the preseason pick to finish second in the conference behind BU, but are without star T.J. Sorrentine, who is out with an injured wrist. BU led by as many as 19 points in the second half, but with a propensity for nailbiters, BU was unable to respond to a stingy full-court press by the Catamounts. Vermont went on a 14-0 run, and ultimately outscoring the Terriers 17-2 over the next 5:10 to pull within three.

‘We were clearly perplexed [by the full-court press],’ Wolff said. ‘We were tentative. And the only way you can attack any pressure is by going at it and advancing the ball down the floor. If you make passes backward, you’re going to appear to be tentative.’

Vermont cut the deficit to two at one point, but ultimately fell by three as BU again made free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach. The BU defense led the way against Vermont, swatting away a team-record 12 Vermont shots.

While the holiday break was a hectic one for the Terriers, their 5-3 record over the last month is a good way to start the spring semester. With three games in seven days coming up, the road does not get much easier.