It isn’t the NCAA Tournament game of nine seniors’ dreams, but the Boston University men’s basketball team is set to experience postseason play at 10 p.m. tonight.
BU’s (19-13) trip to Corvallis, Ore. to face the Beavers of Oregon State University (14-17) marks the Terriers’ first entry in the College Basketball Invitational, and the team’s first invite to a postseason tournament since its National Invitational Tournament berth in 2005.
The most striking aspect of Oregon State’s basketball program is the head coach, but for reasons unrelated to basketball. Craig Robinson is in his second year at the helm, as is his brother-in-law, President Barack Obama.
On a more relevant note, the Beavers are the reigning CBI champions. Last year’s title team won three very close games &- victories over the University of Houston, the University of Vermont and Stanford University came by a combined eight points &- before dispatching the University of Texas at El Paso in the best-of-three championship series to hoist the trophy.
This year, the Beavers finished sixth in the Pacific-10 Conference, then bowed out in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to eventual winner University of Washington. Oregon State was 8-10 in conference play and holds a 14-17 overall record.
While BU’s 19-13 record may seem more impressive, after adjusting for the quality of competition, this should be a very closely contested game. Ken Pomeroy’s Pomeroy Rating lists BU as the No. 125 team in the country. Oregon State clocks in right behind, at No. 126. It’s hard to get much closer than that. And the Beavers will have home-court advantage.
Oregon State is led by junior guard Calvin Haynes and his 12.4 points per game, but the real challenge will most likely lie in the paint. The Beavers’ front line is anchored by the 6-foot-11, 240-pound Roeland Schaftenaar. Although he’s unimpressive from a statistical standpoint, the Terriers have rarely been asked to contend with a player of such size.
While the Beavers had notable offensive issues, the team’s adjusted defensive efficiency ranked fourth among Pac-10 squads, so Oregon State can certainly defend at a high level. That, combined with the Beavers’ ability to slow the game down to a crawl, presents an interesting nut for the Terriers to crack.
The best tool to do the cracking, as usual, is junior forward John Holland, who needs to get going after a lackluster performance in the America East Tournament. Holland, the AE scoring king this season, averaged just 10.3 points per game during the conference tournament.
Holland might be the best player for the job, but when it comes to current form, the obvious option is Corey Lowe. Lowe appeared to fade late in conference play, but saved his best for the conference tournament, averaging 24.7 points per game in efficient fashion.
While the 3-ball was, as always, an important tool for the senior guard, Lowe also displayed the ability to get to the rim and draw contact when necessary. Considering the Beavers’ size advantage in the frontcourt, drawing fouls to level the playing field &- something BU has done well all year &- will be as important as ever.
Should the Terriers manage to advance to the CBI quarterfinals, they will meet the winner of the Morehead State University-Colorado State University game, which is being televised at 9 p.m. on HDNet. The quarterfinal game is scheduled for March 22.
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