Rebounding, free throw shooting and turnover margin. These are all areas that need improvement for the Boston University men’s basketball team. That being said, team assists, 3-point shooting and 3-point defense are all areas of strength.
The 3-point defense that the Terriers (3-3) have carried into each game stands out — opponents are shooting a 27 percent from deep on the season thus far.
This is compared to a season ago, where that number was 37 percent.
Currently that 27 percent fits the Terriers into 28th place nationally, ahead of all other Patriot League teams except American University, which sits at 10th .
“I think we’ve done a good job, I think the zone has been good for us,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “I think that’s where we match up well. A lot of teams early in the year adapt to the zone on offense. We have to be careful of that, that we don’t slow up, that we’re just going to be able to stand around in the zone, the guys have to be active.”
Much of the credit has to go to BU’s guards, highlighted by the play of sophomore Cheddi Mosely and freshman Kyle Foreman. The pair is tied for the team lead with eight steals.
“I think right now we’re doing a good job with the zone, and it helps us,” Jones said. “We’ve been trying to change our defense a little bit to make sure we’re contesting shots on the perimeter, I think those are what’s helping us.”
John Papale continues to carry the load on offense
As an instrumental player on the last four BU squads, senior guard John Papale knows the rigors of a full basketball season.
Playing a career-high 1,111 minutes of action last season, 37 per contest, it seemed as though Papale had reached a limit.
However, so far this season the Wallingford, Connecticut, native is playing an astounding 38.3 minutes a game, just two minutes shy of playing the entire game. This includes playing 42 minutes in the season opener, an 87-84 overtime loss to Northeastern University on Nov. 13.
Currently Papale is tied for seventh in the nation in minutes per game and trails the leader by only .9 minutes per game.
This intense workload has not hindered Papale thus far, as he is averaging a career high 15.7 points per game, which includes a 45.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Whether or not Papale can keep up his current rate without injury or fatigue setting in will be key for the Terriers as a whole. This is due to the fact that he is involved in so many aspects of BU’s gameplan.
“We have to be careful with that with him, that we don’t overdo it with that,” Jones said. “Hopefully we’ll get some more guys back in the fold and it will be a little bit better.”
Foul trouble ails the Terriers
Fouls are a necessary evil in basketball, as every team must find a way to deal with them. On the year, BU has out-fouled opponents by a margin of 17 and the reasoning can be traced back to the forwards on the team.
Senior forwards Nathan Dieudonne and Justin Alston, along with sophomore forward Nick Havener, account for 52 percent of the team’s fouls while playing in 35.3 percent of the teams minutes.
These fouls seem to be affecting Alston’s playing time most significantly. He is playing 2.7 minutes less in the current season than last, but his playing time has become more situational. For Alston, entering the game while in foul trouble has been a constant situation.
In four of the Terriers six games, Alston has had four or more fouls. This includes the season opener where he fouled out for the overtime period.
“He’s not playing as many minutes, that’s for sure, so that’s hurt us,” Jones said. “I think it’s more laziness than it is the new rules. I think we’ve been pretty lazy in the post with reaching and a lot of hand checks. But overall I think it’s a combination of both.”
After starting every game for the Terriers last year, Alston has been coming off the bench this season. Junior forward Blaise Mbargorba got the nod at forward over him in the recent win against the University of South Florida, although Alston outplayed him 21-4 in minutes.
Due to the lack of depth on the roster, each of these forwards will have to monitor their fouls in order to keep the Terriers’ frontcourt effective.
