Suddenly, people are talking about BU men’s basketball. They’ve been getting more and more recognition nationally, as the Terriers have moved up to 16th in the most recent collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. BU also garnered 10 votes in the most recent Associated Press poll. For those keeping score at home, that’s eight more votes than our friends at the other end of Commonwealth Avenue.
Not only is BU prominent on the national stage, but the Terriers are being noticed right here at BU, which is somewhat of an oddity. People are talking about the team and attending games, which is a big step.
But I’m not going to pretend I’m the biggest basketball fan there is and tell you that it’s your obligation as a member of the BU community to go to games. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Before Sunday, I had been to two games all year. Last year, I only went once – and that was just so I could get Beanpot tickets.
Saturday night, I decided that I would go to Sunday’s game to see what all the buzz has been about. The truth of the matter is, I went to home games against Vermont and Maine earlier in the year and I wasn’t at all impressed. Sure, the team is good, but I didn’t see any reason to believe that it was that good. I mean, they barely beat Maine and lost to Vermont.
In any case, I decided to wake up early on Sunday, setting my alarm for noon (and yes, that is early) so that I’d have time to take a shower before heading down to “The Roof.” I didn’t have a ticket, but that wouldn’t be a problem – I’d probably just have to wait in line for a little while.
We got down to the arena more than 20 minutes before tip-off and strolled over to those funny wooden boxes to get our tickets. But the box was empty, adorned with a sign telling us that the game had sold out.
Sold out? BU Basketball? For a regular season game? It is true – people really are starting to notice this team.
Luckily, some people didn’t pick up their tickets at the will call window and I made it into the game with about a minute left in the first half. And BU was losing. Wonderful. Luckily, my roommate and I were able to find a couple of empty seats in the very last row, so we settled in and watched the Bayside Skippers entertain the packed house.
And then came the second half – and what is known as an “offensive explosion.” As I sat and watched the Terriers dominate Northeastern, I started to realize just how amazing this team is. Everyone knows that they’re good – winning 21 of their last 22 is proof enough of that. It’s how this team operates that’s so amazing.
When you watch this team, you get the feeling that any player on the team could have a big night. Sure, BU has its stars, like Rashad Bell and Chaz Carr, but the Terriers aren’t a team that relies on star power. If a player has an off night, there will be someone there to pick up the slack. In Sunday’s game, Bell had only four points, but Grochowalski filled in, scoring a game-high 21. BU’s success can’t be attributed to one player, but a team effort.
Not only is this BU team good, but it’s fun to watch. Dunks by Shaun Wynn and Kevin Gardner had “The Roof” in a frenzy. Even their teammates were leaping off the bench and were so excited that one of the referees had to tell them to sit down.
But BU’s not just good near the basket – they’re good away from it too. The Terriers aren’t a team that shies away from shooting the three. Some of those threes that Carr knocked down were from way beyond the arc, shots he really had no business taking, much less making. With such great perimeter shooting, the Terriers are capable of scoring a lot of points in a very short period of time.
While the team is the main attraction, BU coach Dennis Wolff isn’t a bad sideshow. Watching his antics on the court are almost as entertaining as the game itself. He reacts to every whistle, every shot, every rebound. He has no problem telling the officials – or his own players – what’s on his mind. During Sunday’s game, Matt Turner made a couple of bad decisions. Within moments of each play, Wolff was looking down his bench, subbing someone in for Turner and then expressing his disgust with the senior guard.
As the Terriers come down the stretch and head into March, the most exciting month of college basketball (and maybe even of all sports), it’s clear that this is going to be a fun team to watch. While BU probably doesn’t have a very realistic chance of winning the whole thing, it’ll be fun to cheer them on as they try.
Joe Rouse, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a weekly sports columnist for The Daily Free Press.
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