WHITROCK: Slaying the giant

Manchester United can be considered the Yankees of soccer (or football, or whatever you want to call that particular sport). Every year, Sir Alex Ferguson and his ragtag group of millionaire footballers are a legitimate threat to win the English Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, and the Football Association Challenge Cup. For the Davids of English football, the first few weeks of the season provide a chance to grab a quick win or two and sit atop the table before Goliath asserts himself.

Besides, there’s nothing like asking about the difference between a Manchester United opponent and a triangle. Oh, you didn’t know? A triangle has three points.

But enough about footie ‘-‘- what’s the point? Well, if you’re a fan of America East women’s basketball, but don’t support Hartford, that feeling of momentary triumph should be familiar. Every year, one or two contenders temporarily appear capable of knocking the Hawks off, but more often than not, it’s Jennifer Rizzotti’s team securing the NCAA Tournament auto-bid. Except for the one year when UMBC won it all. That was just weird.

And then there’s this year. What would Hartford do with all-everything Danielle Hood gone due to graduation? Beat Duke, that’s what. At Duke, no less. Same old Hartford, I guess.

But it’s not the same old Hartford, not as far as the Terriers are concerned, anyway. The Hawks came into Case with a 3-0 record in conference play, ready to show Boston who’s boss. BU was 4-0 in America East and on a roll.

Before the surprise ending is revealed ‘-‘- well, it’s not really a surprise ending. The game was a whole week ago (BU won 76-65). But that’s not the point. The result was somewhat surprising at the time, but not particularly so, and here’s why: Hartford’s luck at The Roof has been less than stellar recently. I refer you to Kristi Dini’s YouTube moment of fame. Dini and Matt Wolff should start teaching half-court shot classes at FitRec.

It didn’t take a Dini half-court shot to beat Hartford last week, although her 4-of-7 performance from beyond the arc didn’t hurt. The Terriers were able to hang with Hartford in every category and held an edge in the most important category of all: putting the ball in the basket.

BU’s win at Case pushed its record to 5-0 in conference play. Two more wins have followed, including last night’s 84-57 demolition of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, featuring an incredible 39-9 Terrier run in the first half. The Terriers have won eight straight, are clear of the pack by one and a half games, and are poised to take on a new role: front-runner.

If there’s a year for the Terriers to make a run at the conference title, this is it. Four Terriers have started in every game this season; all four are seniors. Those four players ‘-‘- Jesyka Burks-Wiley, Kristi Dini, Christine Kinneary and Amarachi Umez-Eronini ‘-‘- are the team’s four leading scorers. No one else is averaging more than seven points per game; take away Aly Hinton, and nobody’s average exceeds four points per game.

This isn’t meant to suggest BU will be in dire straits next year. Hinton is a capable scorer who dropped 35 points on Northeastern last year, and BU’s bench is stocked with talent. That talent will most likely need time to adapt next year, but the Terriers will be fine.

This year, however, the cupboard isn’t stocked ‘- it’s overflowing. The front line is the equal of any team in the conference, and BU coach Kelly Greenberg can leverage her depth to wear opponents down over a full 40 minutes.

There’s one huge hurdle left in the Terriers’ path to the NCAA Tournament: the America East Tournament, hosted by ‘-‘- you guessed it ‘-‘- Hartford. The Hawks might not be the near-invincible opponent of years past, but home-court advantage makes them that much tougher. Hartford hasn’t lost to an America East opponent at home since February of 2005; back then, Northeastern was still in the conference, and the Hawks’ entire current roster was still in high school. Knocking them off in Chase Arena will be a massive task.

These Terriers know something about home winning streaks ‘-‘- BU’s 16-game home winning streak was broken by St. John’s earlier this year. Maybe that knowledge will come in handy come March. In any case, continued strong performance will help the Terriers carry momentum into the conference tournament and secure a women’s NIT bid should BU fall short of the NCAAs.

Until a wooden stake is thrust firmly through the heart of Hartford’s season, nobody will count them out. To do so would be foolish. Like Manchester United or the Yankees, the Hawks have turned winning into a habit. Other teams may be atop the standings early in the season, but at the end, Hartford always expects to be alone at the top.

First place at the midway point is all fine and dandy, but the Terriers can do more than that ‘-‘- they can win the whole conference. Don’t beat Goliath, BU. Be Goliath.