BU searching for payback

Another game, another chance to make a statement. Multiple statements, in fact.

When the Boston University men’s basketball team returns home Saturday following a 2-1 road trip, it will have a chance at redemption against Marshall University – a team that obliterated the Terriers in Huntington, W. Va., last year, 70-47. They’ll also have a chance to prove themselves at Agganis Arena – a facility where the current junior class has won just once in six opportunities (and never in the regular season).

While much has been made about BU’s (4-2) seeming inability to play well outside of Case Gymnasium, the Terriers’ wins at Harvard University’s Lavietes Pavilion (47.5 percent shooting) and Northeastern University’s Matthews Arena (54.7 percent shooting) on the road swing suggest otherwise.

‘I vehemently disagree with the idea that there’s any curse at Agganis,’ BU coach Dennis Wolff said. ‘Agganis is a state-of-the-art building. It’s one of our home courts. It’s great to play in there and that’s how we have to look at it.’

Home court Agganis may be, but it’ll be interesting to see how one of BU’s hottest players – junior guard Corey Lowe – performs Saturday after shooting a woeful 2-of-15 (seven points) from the field in the season opener at The Greek against George Washington University. That performance, however, wasn’t solely based on Lowe’s lack of comfort at Agganis.

‘Corey had a rough shooting night there in the first game, more based on not being quite in shape and the type of shots he took,’ Wolff said. ‘Since then, he’s gotten in way better shape and he’s been shooting like he’s capable of.’

Since then, he’s been a double-digit scorer in every game, bringing his season average up to 17.7 points per contest.

In each of the Terriers’ four wins this season, it’s been an impressive display of perimeter shooting that’s helped them to victory. Given the number of talented outside shooters on the team, relying on the 3-ball is generally a safe play.

But if there comes a time when no one can seem to get hot, it would be nice to have an outlet in the low post. Thus far, Scott Brittain and Jeff Pelage (who are the closest players BU has to back-to-the-basket scorers) have been struggling and the Terriers haven’t fared well scoring or defending inside – they were outscored 42-20 in the paint against Harvard.

‘In a perfect world, I’d like to have a little bit more of an inside game. But right now we don’t,’ Wolff said. ‘I think it gets a little bit misconstrued because we put the ball inside to start the offense. We enter it in to Matt [Wolff] or Jake [O’Brien] or Brittain and we’re cutting or we’re screening.’

That said, neither Brittain nor Pelage have been fully healthy at the same time, so it’s still unclear as to exactly what the balance of inside-to-outside scoring will be. Against Harvard – in addition to pulling the trigger on 28 3-pointers – Lowe, Carlos Strong, John Holland and Tyler Morris all drove hard to the rim, which is a great way to generate offense when the outside shots aren’t falling.

‘We’re concerned with BU’s guard play,’ second-year Marshall coach Donnie Jones said in an email. ‘Their backcourt will be one of the best we’ve played thus far this season.’

Last season, the Terriers shot 38.1 percent from the field against Marshall (2-4) and fronted a lineup that contained just one of BU’s current starters: Matt Wolff. At that point, Holland was coming off the bench and both Lowe and Morris were out.

‘I thought [the injuries] had a lot to do with it,’ Wolff said of last year’s loss. ‘They pressed us, and we didn’t handle the ball well at all. I thought we were discombobulated the whole game.’

Not only will Marshall encounter a very different Terrier squad Saturday (personnel and experience-wise), but the Thundering Herd will have an altered look as well. Eight of Marshall’s players are underclassmen, including freshmen starters Shaquille Johnson, who’s averaging a team-high 13.5 points per game, and Damier Pitts, who’s averaging 9.0 ppg and 2.8 assists per outing.

It could be freshmen on both sides who have a major impact in Saturday’s contest, as O’Brien (13.5 ppg) creates a mismatch for Marshall, according to Jones.

‘I think we’ll be way more organized. We’re healthier and we should be able to give them a way more competitive game,’ Wolff said.

Notes: This will be the second all-time meeting between Marshall and BU. … The Terriers have already accomplished an impressive feat with Wednesday’s victory against Harvard. The game marked BU’s fourth non-conference win, making this season the first time since 2004-05 the Terriers have had more than three wins prior to the start of conference play.