The Boston University men’s basketball team will square off against conference opponent Bucknell University this Saturday in Case Gym for its third game in six days.
The Terriers (10-10, 3-4 Patriot League) will aim to start a new winning streak after dropping a hard-fought game to Colgate University 85-78 Wednesday. BU entered that game on a three-game win streak where they held their opponents to no more than 50 percent shooting from the field in each contest.
It almost comes as a surprise to see BU head coach Joe Jones’ squad playing well, considering the setbacks they have endured this season. Junior guard Cedric Hankerson, the team’s leading scorer last year, and senior forward Justin Alston were both forced to sit out the season.
Meanwhile, freshman guard Kyle Foreman missed a couple games with a foot injury, and his backup, sophomore Eric Johnson, has missed the past two games. Most noticeably, sophomore guard Cheddi Mosely missed several games with a stress fracture, and is still not 100 percent healthy.
However, Jones believes his team still has the athletes to win games in the competitive Patriot League.
“We still have a very talented group that we can put on the floor,” Jones said. “Now I got to be better at figuring out how this team needs to be successful. I still feel like we have enough talent to get it done, we just have to figure out a way to be successful with the group that we have on the floor.
In his two games back from injury, Mosely has been efficient on the offensive end, totaling 15 and 17 points. His scoring production was similar to before his injury, when he started all 14 games.
However, the Jersey City, New Jersey product came off the bench in the past two games, as junior guard Eric Fanning seems to have taken his spot in the lineup. Most noticeably, Fanning exploded on Monday for 37 points versus Loyola University Maryland. Jones insisted that his starting lineup was not a top priority, as he tends to give more minutes to whoever’s playing well each game.
“He’s still got a foot injury he’ll be dealing with for the rest of the season,” Jones said. “That’s not really a concern of mine, whether or not he’s a starter right now. Right now, we’re just trying to get better, we just have to keep trying to get better.”
The Terriers will have their hands full against the Bison (9-9, 6-1 Patriot League), who sit atop the conference standings. Specifically, BU must focus on slowing down Bucknell guard Chris Hass, who is coming off back-to-back All-Patriot League seasons.
Hass averages 18.7 points per game for the Bison, good enough for second in the conference. He shoots 45.8 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from the 3-point line, and will provide a difficult task for the Terrier defense.
“He’s a great player, he’s really giving us problems in the past,” Jones said. “Not only can he shoot it, he can really drive it, and score at the rim. He’s a good player.”
In order to try and slow down Hass, Jones plans to disrupt the Bucknell guard as much as he can.
“I think the one thing we have to do is just make things tough on him and not let him get into a rhythm,” Jones said. “He’s been able to kind of find a rhythm offensively against us, we have to try and figure out ways to keep him kind of uncomfortable.”
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
