Fordham, CIT postseason action await men’s basketball

Despite its loss in the Patriot League quarterfinals March 3, the 2015-16 season for the Boston University men’s basketball team is not yet over.

The Terriers (18-14, 11-7 Patriot League) will travel to the Bronx Wednesday night to take on Fordham University in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The postseason birth for BU will be its fifth in seven years and its second-ever CIT appearance.

“One of the things that’s really important to us is playing as a team in every sense of the word … I think this year’s team, out of any of the years that I’ve been here, really exhibited that,” BU head coach Joe Jones said. “Before the year started, we came up with five core values: communication, respect, enthusiasm, unselfishness and toughness, and this team really exhibited those core values. So for that I’m really, really thankful that they get a chance to get out there again and play.”

It has been a trying season for Jones and his squad, as the leading scorer of last season’s team, junior guard Cedric Hankerson, only appeared in one game before re-injuring his right knee. He subsequently took a redshirt season, as did senior forward and tenacious rebounder Justin Alston, who only appeared in eight games.

Although the Terriers lost two of their starters and had other key players miss time — such as senior forward Nathan Dieudonne and freshman guard Kyle Foreman — the team defied the odds and ended the regular season with a third-place finish in the Patriot League.

While Dieudonne, who missed a little under a month, and Foreman, who was playing on two injured ankles, returned to action in last week’s Patriot League tournament loss to American University, Jones said the duo shouldn’t factor majorly against the Rams (17-13).

“Both guys are still very, very banged up,” Jones said. “I don’t know if their presence on the court would be as significant as what their presence usually is, so chances are we’re going to have to play a good portion of this game without those guys on the floor.”

Fordham comes into this matchup on the heels of a 70-55 loss to the University of Richmond in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Championships last Thursday. Before that, though, they finished the regular season with four straight wins.

BU will have to be careful with the ball, as the Rams force 15.6 turnovers per game, good for 15th in the nation. They also average 8.4 steals per game, due in large part to the efforts of Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Joseph Chartouny.

Chartouny, who was recruited to play at BU, averages totals of 11 points, 6.2 assists (21st nationally), 2.1 steals (second in the conference) and 5.5 rebounds. He and 6-foot-8 forward Ryan Rhoomes should pose the biggest threats for the Terriers.

“[Rhoomes] is going be probably the best big that we’ve seen in a long time, and no one guy is going to be able to control him at any given time on the floor,” Jones said. “It’ll have to be a collective effort from all five guys on the floor doing their job and making things hard for him, because he’s such a talented, talented big guy.”

Rhoomes is averaging nearly a double-double with 14.6 points per contest and 9.4 rebounds, and he also owns the seventh-best shooting percentage in the country.

Jones noted that limiting turnovers and the Rams’ opportunities will be critical for the Terriers if they hope to extend their season. Should BU emerge victorious, it will play an undisclosed opponent between March 17 and March 20.

“The first thing we have to do is control the paint,” Jones said. “We need to force them to take contested jump shots, and we have limit them to one shot. Offensively, we must be able to play without turning the ball over at a really high rate because they are a very tough team to prepare for because they trap everything. You’re constantly having to make quick decisions with the basketball.”