The Boston University men’s basketball team will put its seven-game win streak on the line this Sunday when it squares off against Bucknell University in a pivotal Patriot League matchup.
This may be the biggest game yet this season for the Terriers (17-11, 10-5 Patriot League), as they currently sit one game behind the Bison (14-12, 11-4 Patriot League) in the conference standings. The winner of this game will be in a much more favorable position to earn the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament.
BU will also be looking for revenge, as it fell Jan. 23 to Bucknell 74-71 in a hard-fought game at Case Gym. The Terriers led 32-27 at halftime but could not stop the Bison on offense in the second half, allowing Bucknell to shoot 66.7 percent from the floor in the period en route to 47 points. BU has won all of its games since that loss, while the Bison have stumbled since, posting a 4-3 record and leaving the top seed up for grabs.
“First of all, they’re a very good team and well coached,” BU head coach Joe Jones said of Bucknell. “They play very hard. I think them coming back [last time], we just didn’t handle that well. We had such a big lead in the first half, and then we were still beating them at halftime, but it almost felt like they were winning at halftime. I don’t think we ever really recovered from their initial run they made to get it close.”
Sunday’s game should be a classic matchup of an explosive offense versus a shutdown defense. Bucknell leads the Patriot League in scoring offense with 79 points per game, thanks to a league-leading 47.5 field goal percentage and an impressive 15.3 assists per game. The Bison are led by senior Chris Hass, who averages 16.8 points a game and is coming off of back-to-back All-Patriot League seasons.
However, Bucknell may have a hard time scoring on the Terriers’ improved defense. BU boasts the second-best field goal defense (42.7) and 3-point field goal defense (32.6) in the conference. Although those efforts involve the whole team, sophomore forward Nick Havener has been a key factor in limiting other teams’ scoring. He’s also stepped up in the absence of senior forward Nathan Dieudonne, who has missed the last two games.
Jones said his defensive unit will have to be at the top of its game in order to limit the Bison’s offensive attack.
“They have a lot of parts,” Jones said of Bucknell’s offense. “Hass is as talented of an offensive player that there is in the league, [sophomore center] Nana [Foulland] is as good of a back-to-the-basket player there is in the league and they have very good complimentary players around those guys. It will be a major challenge for us to contain those two and not let other guys like [senior guard Ryan] Frazier beat you.”
With three games left in the regular season and a top seed for the taking, it is crucial that the Terriers grab their eighth-straight win to take control of a competitive Patriot League. Lehigh University, led by Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year Tim Kempton, is currently tied with BU for second place. Lehigh University is a game behind the Terriers, and Colgate University still has time to make a run.
With such a crucial game coming up, Jones stressed the importance of keeping his young team’s mindset on the right track.
“We can’t let this change our mentality,” Jones said. “There’s been a reason why we have had success. It’s something we’re going to have to talk about for sure, just because it will be staring us right in the face. I’ve got to be able to get them to a place where once the ball goes up, it’s going to be just another game we need to go out and win.”
Jones said BU needs to play its brand of basketball and make just one more play than the Bison to secure the victory.
“There’s nothing we need to do differently,” Jones said, “We need to do some things better, but there’s nothing we need to do differently than the last seven games we’ve had. [We need to] continue to play our game and do the things that we’ve done that have helped us become successful.”
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
