n You may think it sounds crazy, but the fact that Boston University hockey is terrible is good for BU sports. Sure BU hockey has been and always will be the breadwinner of BU athletics, but it surely is not the only successful sport. In fact, this year it is nowhere close. Two teams, men’s and women’s basketball, are not only better than the Icedogs, but may be the best teams in Boston.

The women’s team has won seven games in a row, one short of the school record. The team defeated Vermont on Saturday by 15 points after trailing by 16 at the half in one of the most exciting games in recent memory. On the other side, the men have won an astonishing 19 of 20 games to move to the top of the America East conference. That includes a victory over arch-enemy Vermont in front of 3,200 rabid Catamounts in Burlington, Vt. Not to mention the fact they are nationally ranked at No. 18 in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll.

While the hockey team continues to sputter into mediocrity, these two hoops teams are looking to get into the NCAA Tournament – again (the men went in 2001 and the women last year). All of this leads to what may be the most important week of basketball at “The Roof.” It all starts when the women host the University of Maine on Wednesday.

It may be the most important game in program history. Maine has not lost in two and a half years in the conference and the Terriers are primed for the upset. Oh, and by the way, when BU visited Maine the crowd topped off at 2,279. Then Saturday, the BU men face cross-town rival Northeastern University, which happened to beat BU at “The Roof” in an action-packed game last season. Take it from a person who has seen these two teams play many times over the past few years – the game will have plenty of excitement.

So while it may be tough to be a Terrier hockey fan right now, take some time to see these basketball teams play. It is worth the price of admission.

Matt Blanchette COM ’05

The author is an announcer for WTBU.