Instead of facing Binghamton University in the first round of the America East Tournament, the Boston University men’s basketball team will go against a tough Hartford University squad that nearly knocked off the Terriers in a gritty 58-55 slugfest on Feb. 13.
After a Binghamton news release announced Monday that the university would not be participating in the tournament, as a result of the distractions it might bring, the Terriers (17-12, 11-5 AE) have been forced to alter their focus.
But BU coach Patrick Chambers said neither he nor his squad is too concerned with the change-up.
“It hasn’t really affected us at all . . . we just have to keep our conditioning and working on our execution and keep competing a little bit,” Chambers said. “It’s just about keeping sharp. Like I always say, we’re starting to head in the right direction, we’ve got to keep that going. Just “cause we’ve got a few days off here doesn’t mean we’re going to stop.”
On paper, the change in opponents looks good for the Terriers &- the Bearcats had a respectable 13-18, 8-8 record in light last year’s scandal-ridden debacle. Six players were dismissed in connection with former player Emanuel Mayben’s drug-related arrest. Now, the Terriers will also not have to face junior Greer Wright, the fifth-leading scorer in the conference.
However, having barely escaped with a win against the Hawks the last time they played, the Terriers could be in trouble &- especially considering the quarter and semifinals will be held in West Hartford, Conn., the Hawks’ home territory.
The Terriers will also once again have to contend with junior Joe Zeglinski, who Chambers was quick to compliment after the teams’ last matchup, calling him a “tough, tough kid.” Zeglinksi is the fourth-leading scorer in the AE with 16.7 points per game.
What BU has going for it, however, is confidence. The Terriers are the hottest team in the conference heading into the tournament, having won six of their last seven.
In all three of its final three games, BU has demolished opponents by double figures. On Feb. 17, the Terriers posted an overwhelming 93-51 victory over Binghamton. They followed that performance up with a 78-63 win over the University of Delaware on Feb. 20 and a 76-56 shellacking of the University of Maine in their final game of the season.
“It feels good that everybody’s available,” Chambers said of finishing the season on a winning streak. “It feels good that we’re playing with great confidence. I think mentally our team is in a good place. Does that mean we’re going to win Saturday? I don’t know. We’re playing Hartford at Hartford.”
The Hawks, on the other hand, have not performed quite so well in finishing up their season. Including the loss to BU, Hartford has dropped seven of its last eight. That may explain why the Hawks tried so desperately to knock off the Terriers at home &- stopping the hemorrhaging at that point might have just given them a lift in the conference tournament.
More than likely, junior forward John Holland will have something to say about a potential run by Hartford &- in the final three games of his third season at BU, Holland has scored 86 points combined. During that span, he cracked the eighth spot for most points in a season at BU with 554. He also finished the season at the top spot in the conference in points per game with 19.9.
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