Fresh off its first win of the 2014-15 season, the Boston University men’s basketball team will face perhaps its biggest test of the season Friday night, when the team travels to Rupp Arena to face off against No. 1 University of Kentucky.
The Terriers (1-1) are coming off a thrilling road win against Norfolk State University Wednesday night, edging out the Spartans (1-2) by a score of 71-63. BU trailed by two at halftime, but opened the second half of play on a 21-2 run to seize control of the game. The Terriers were led by junior guard John Papale, whose 17 points, including five 3-pointers, kept the Spartans at bay.
“He’s [Papale has] been great. He’s a huge key for us,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “I think this year, he’s been getting a chance to show his other skill sets outside of shooting, and he’s doing a great job of that. He’s a very competitive kid, a smart player and an underrated team defensive player as well. He’s been a key guy since he stepped onto the campus here.”
Three other Terriers scored in double digits last game, as sophomore guard Cedric Hankerson tallied 16 points, junior forward Justin Alston reached 13 and junior forward Nathan Dieudonne had 11. Dieudonne also pulled down 10 boards to earn the second double-double of his BU career.
After two close games, including a 71-65 loss to crosstown rival Northeastern University on Sunday, Jones said he is aware of what his team needs to work on to improve and be a top team in the Patriot League.
“Mostly, we need to work on our level of consistency,” Jones said. “We need to continue to work on being able to execute our defensive concept at a higher level. Offensively, we just have to learn how to generate good shots on a more consistent basis. I’ve been pleased with the start, but we know we have a ton of work to do.”
Friday’s game will be a tall task for the Terriers, as the Wildcats (3-0) remain a Southeastern Conference powerhouse and a perennial Final Four favorite.
After reaching the 2014 NCAA Tournament Championship game and losing to the University of Connecticut by a score of 60-54 on April 7, Kentucky is poised for another championship run.
The Wildcats are coming off a 72-40 dismantling of No. 5 University of Kansas Tuesday night. Center Dakari Johnson led the way with 11 points and is one of two Wildcats averaging double figures on the season. John Calipari’s squad stifled the Jayhawks (1-1) with its man-to-man defense, tallying 11 blocks in the game and limiting its opponents to only 11 field goals on the night.
Twin sophomore guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison skipped on the 2014 NBA Draft and combined for an average of 17.4 points and 3.4 assists per game so far this season. Juniors Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein have combined to pull down an average of 11.3 rebounds.
Not to be outdone by the leaders of the team, McDonald’s All-American freshmen Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyler Ulis have looked strong for Kentucky through the first three games.
“You don’t want to worry too much about the rankings, it’s more about who you are and what you want to do,” Jones said in regards to preparing the Terriers for the nation’s top team. “That will be our mindset going into Friday’s game like it always is. You need to think of what you need to do to put yourselves in the position to win a basketball game.
“You want to be able to take something out of each game and learn something about yourself from it. If we stay together as a team, and we can play with toughness, that will go a long way in trying to put us in a position to have success this season.”
While Kentucky is strategizing for what it takes to make a run in the tournament in the spring, the Terriers are still finding their footing after losing some key leaders in the offseason. Papale and Hankerson have shown that they have the propensity to be leaders on the court, and Jones said he is looking to see that leadership from other players as well.
“We’re looking for other guys to step up and assume more of a leadership position,” Jones said. “I think we have several guys that can do that. I think as we develop, that will be key for us, if other guys can step up into that role.”
Nick is currently writing for the Boston Hockey Blog. In the past, he has served as associate sports editor, and has covered men's and women's cross-country, women's soccer, men's basketball, and men's lacrosse for the Daily Free Press. You can keep track of Nick's exciting life by following him on Twitter at @nikfraz14
