The Beginning: BU vs. Northeastern, Tomorrow, 7 PM, Be There!

Let me start off with an email (edited) I sent to some friends who are all going with me to the game tomorrow:


Dear College Basketball Fans,

I am writing to you because you love mid-major college basketball just as much as I do (well, that's probably not possible). We're going to go see the BU Terriers play the Northeastern Huskies at Matthews arena tomorrow night. Here's the plan:

• I get off of work at 5:30 (maybe earlier I will see what I can do).
• I will book from work and meet ya'll at Pour House for some pre-game beers. Hopefully I will arrive there at 6.
• After 45 minutes of pounding 22 oz. beers we'll head over to Matthews (about 0.6 miles)
• I think tickets will be $10 maybe $12, it definitely won't be sold out.
• Then we will watch the BU Terriers and their talented and very young team beat the Northeastern Huskies!

If you have any questions you can email me or phone/text (203-687-6907) me anytime tomorrow (I'll be working, but it will be slow, I'll be able to field some calls)

For a preview of some sorts you can visit my blog.

Looking forward to an awesome night of College Basketball.

Feel free to suggest any post-game activities.

-Jimmy C

THE RAMBLING PREVIEW (I'm not previewing the game or the season just the facts that we all care about).

This is it finally it's the start of another BU Terriers Basketball season.  To my surprise BU was voted the pre-season number one to win the America East conference (unfortunately these days that means a play-in game unless we only lose4 or 5 games all year).  Let's not get ahead of ourselves though, this is the fourth year in a row that BU has been named that honor and it has not turned out very well in that span, no NCAA appearances since 2002.  We all know that BU does not do well with high expectations (see 2004 America East Tournament).

I think this year can be different though.  This team is mostly Pat Chambers now.  The only key Wolff recruits remaining now are Holland, O'Brien, Pellage.  The rest of the team is transfers and freshman, very talented freshman (a group of freshman that I am going to name "Villanova North."  Why? Pat Chambers was the associate head coach under Jay Wright at Villanova before becoming the rookie head coach of BU last year.  And on top of that 6 of the freshman recruits are from the city of brotherly love).  It's a new and younger era.  I'm looking forward to players who are talented and have got swagger and hustle.  All indications are that this will be a different team "High Expectations" team than in previous seasons.  Plus (and I know I have previously been a critic) Pat Chambers is the fucking man.

You know who else is the man?  Senior John Holland.  He's coming off of a year that he was the America East Conference leading scorer.  This is a talented kid who in my opinion could've easily played in a major conference for a good team (plus he's from the mecca of MLB Baseball - Bronx, NY).  It will be very fun to watch him play at MSG in February versus Albany.

In conclusion I think the two biggest keys to this season will be how well the Pat Chambers recruits do and how well John Holland can do this year.  I think both will win coach of the conference and player of the conference honors.  Lock it up.    

Tomorrow is the first game of the regular season for the Terriers, they face the crosstown and former conference rival Northeastern Huskies at Matthews Arena.  It's going to be a great game.  Last year the Terriers beat the Huskies in OT, this year who knows. I can't wait to see all of the new faces and make some evaluations. finally the coolest part about the Terriers Huskies game tomorrow: this is the first time in 60 years that both of these teams have met each other in the first game of their respective seasons.

MY INVITATION

Anyone who reads this post and is excited as I am should come to the game.  I really don't care who you are (as long as your not Marqus Blakely, you are not invited).  See my letter above for info.

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Rapid Reaction: Vermont beats BU, 83 - 70 in the Championship

It was a rollercoaster season for the BU Terriers and it all came to an end on Saturday.  BU went out and they did not play the same brand of basketball that they played in Hartford just a week earlier.  On defense they looked flat, they did not have an answer for Marqus Blakely and they did not get their two point baskets to fall.

This didn't pan out as I predicted it but, I definitely predicted the two x-factors and the other thing to watch:

• Marqus Balakely had an amazing game, that dunk in the last two minutes was awesome and likely a top ten highlight on Sportscenter.
• John Holland, the leading scorer in the America East did not play like it in this game or in the first two games of the tournament.
• Corey Lowe hit some nice threes but it was not nearly enough

Congratulations to Vermont! More to come later today or tomorrow

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Quick Haltime Thoughts - BU v. Vermont - America East Championship

At halftime BU is losing to Vermont 42 - 31.  How did we get here?

• Corey Lowe has been almost half of our scoring and they've been mostly three and foul shots.
• Marqus Blakely is too much for BU to handle, he is dominating the paint.
• BU can't make a two point field goal to save their life.
• John Holland did not show up.
• BU's defense did not show up.
• Vermont is matching BU's threes with threes of their own to widen the lead.

Eleven points is a large lead for BU to overcome, but if the Terrier defense plays better and they can get some two point baskets to fall, then they can get back in it.  I'm hopeful, but right now these Terriers are not the same Terriers that beat Stony Brook and killed Hartford, 42 points against is just discouraging.  Coach Chambers' needs to light a fire in the locker room at halftime.  We'll see what happens in the second half, BU needs to come out of the locker room with more intensity on both sides of the court, if they fall behind early even more, Vermont will march on.

And John Holland, please finish those dunks, I'm begging you.

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Prediction - BU v. Vermont - Tomorrow Noon ESPN2

Cool moment of the day. I'm a follower of New York Daily News beat writer of the NY Yankees, and BU Alum, Mark Feinsand (@bloggingbombers) who writes a blog on the Daily News website. This is how it played out (I also have problems recognizing other people's sarcasm in real life as well not just on twitter):

@BloggingBombers: Luis Tiant? RT @JoeandEvan Please...can people stop referring to Tomlinson as LT!! There is only ONE
@thejimmyc: @BloggingBombers haha Lawrence Taylor, c'mon Mark
@BloggingBombers: @thejimmyc Clearly I was kidding. Hey, at least I didn't say Lawrence Tynes, right?
@thjimmyc: @BloggingBombers haha I'm still having problems recognizing sarcasm on twitter. GO BU BASKETBALL! http://www.terriersbasketball.com/
@BloggingBombers In honor of tomorrow's America East championship, one last #FF @AnthonyDiComo @PeterBotte @stephsamps @gcf123 @thejimmyc #GOTERRIERS
@thejimmyc: @BloggingBombers thanks Mark! #ff #GOTERRIERS. I'm also thinking of blogging the bombers from beantown - "Yankees fan in Boston"

It's cool that he replied to my tweet and clearly I used this as a chance to publisize BU Basketball and my blog to a recognized blogger. Thanks Mark!

Prediction BU v. Vermont noon ESPN2
I rarely make predictions on the games that I preview.  I made a really accurate prediction back when BU played UConn, hopefully I can have some of that luck rub off on this preview, so here it is.

BU wins in a very physical and grind it out game.  They trail for most of the game but in the last five minutes they pull ahead of Vermont and go the NCAA Tournament. Final score - Terriers 65, Vermont 62.

Player of the game: John Holland
Player of the tournament: Corey Lowe
Apology of the year: Me, for doubting BU and Coach Chambers, obviously I was wrong and should not count on a position in the BU Athletic department anytime soon..

Please check the blog at halftime tomorrow and after the game tomorrow, I will try to blog my thoughts during and right after the game. And as always follow me on twitter (@Terriers_Hoops) during the game for some quick one-liners

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BU v. Vermont - The 2010 America East Championship Game

I am really excited for this game, It's the first time the Terriers have been to the championship since 2003 and they are playing for their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2002. How big is this game to me?  Bigger than the Super Bowl. Actually, since Burlington is about six hours from Boston (correction a Vermonter says 3 - 3.5 hours, still pretty far), I am going to have a "Super Bowl" like party, complete with red and white balloons, champagne on ice, and a victory cigar (note to self: download a copy of the BU fight song). I've asked a couple people if they are interested, so far I have not had a favorable response. I sent out an email yesterday pitching the idea to some BU alums and no one has responded so far. Am I the only one who cares? 

So to the 10 people who read my blog in the Boston area, I am inviting you to my apartment on Saturday to watch the game.  We'll probably do some tailgating a couple hours before the game. Email me (jim@terriersbasketball.com) for more details.

On a side note, I also pitched this to a friend who is a Vermont alum, the conversation went down like this (I will protect her name, so we'll refer to her as "T"):

Me: I'm having a party for the BU v. Vermont game on Saturday are you interested?
T: I would but I have yoga at 1:30 pm.
Me: That's lame, I had yoga at 1 but canceled this week because of the game
T: hahahaha
Me: I don't really have yoga, I am just trying to make a point
T: I know, thanks for making me feel like an idiot.
Me: Sure, no problem. BU fans, such as myself, like to point out their intellectual superiority whenever possible
T: die.

Later in the day her Facebook status had something to do with Vermont:

T's Facebook Status: "How long do I have to live here before I'm no longer a Vermonter?"
Me: Vermont sucks, GO BU!
T: Wow Castignoli. Now I really hope UVM beats your foo foo dogs on Saturday.

Some might look at this as harassment, but in sports fandom almost anything goes (violence isn't cool).

3/13 - BU v UVM - Patrick Gym - Noon ESPN2 or espn360.com

The Facts:

• The Terriers last reached the title game in 2003 and last won the title game in 2002.
• Vermont has been the team to beat in the America East ever since, They beat BU in the title game 2003 and also won in 2004 and 2005.
• Rookie head coach Pat Chambers makes his first appearance in a conference championship game.
• By beating Stony Brook on Sunday the Terriers have beaten every team in the America East this season except UVM.
• Vermont blew out the Terriers at Patrick Gym in the first meeting and narrowly edged the Terriers at Agganis in the second.
• Year after year these two teams are close to the top of the America East and since the beginning of the '00s have become big rivals.

What Vermont needs to do to win: Dominate the paint on both sides of the court and limit BU to three points.  With a strong forward like Marqus Blakely, reigning America East defensive player of the year, Vermont will look to get the ball to him to dominate the paint, get easy twos, lots of rebounds, and a few blocked shots.  In any Vermont win over BU, I definitely see Blakely being the player of the game.  They also have to pray that the Terriers have a bad game from beyond the arc.
Vermont's X-factor: Marqus Blakely, the most dominant player on their team needs to have a dominant game.

What BU needs to do to win: Find a way to neutralize Blakely.  It won't be easy because his presence can easily go unmatched at times, but a combination of Jake O'Brien, John Holland and Jeff Pelage will hopefully be able to get it done.  BU's defense has been outstanding lately, if they can continue to play great defense and get most of their three-pointers to fall (Corey Lowe that especially means you), BU should have a great shot to win this game
BU's X-factor: John Holland, so far he has not had John Holland-life performances in the tournament.  He was first team all-conference and the conference's leading scorer, if he performs like he did in the regular season the Terriers are going to be hard to stop on offense.

Other exciting thing to watch: Corey Lowe is having a dominant tournament performance.  In the Hartford and SBU games he was making almost everything from three-point range.  In the Hartford game he scored 28 and versus SBU he scored 26.  If the senior puts up a similar performance in the championship, he will win player of the Tournament regardless what the outcome is.

If this game was a 90's action movie: Die Hard, Exciting from beginning to end, a physical battle between good (John McClain - BU) and evil (Hans Guber - Vermont) the hero comes off the court exhausted from a vicious dogfight.

Prediction: Stay tuned, I'm going to keep you waiting until Friday (this is a BU blog you can probably guess).

Random Note

• I don't want this season to ever end, I have had a lot of fun writing in this blog.  But all good things must come to an end, and after it does end I'll have very little to write about.  When I started writing this post I was watching the celebrity gossip show Extra;  maybe in the offseason, I can write about celebrity gossip.  Does anyone have other ideas, what do you want to see me write about?

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The 2010 America East Tournament

Right now I am on a Peter Pan bus writing this post on my phone, please pardon the brevity. I could write a couple housand words about all of the storylines but here are the mains ones to look out for.

• An 8 team tournament? Binghamton withdraws decides to stay home because of all of their off the court problems.
• Who is the best player in the America East, Marqus Blakely of UVM or John Holland of the Terriers?
• Will Stony Brook continue it's regular season dominance in the postseason?
• Will BU continue to stay hot and finally live up to it's lofty preseason expectations?

Like the last season of Lost, all questions will be answered.

 

_________________ 

 

BU loses to Vermont in a Nail-biter

2/9/10 - Boston U v. Vermont - BU loses 76 - 75 

Despite the 9.4 seconds left this would be the final score

Ugh.

This was an awesome game to watch up until the last 9.4 seconds of the game.  BU played their best game all year, but they lost.  The way that they lost makes this a very hard loss to swallow and write about.

With a little more than a minute left BU was leading by four points, they would never score again and lose by one.  With 24.1 left on the clock Vermont races the length of the court and scores with 9.4 seconds left.  Coach Chambers calls a timeout and sets up a play that would not even a produce a single shot.  Because at the 4 second mark Corey Lowe would bounce the ball off of his foot out of bounds to give it back to UVM.  The Catamounts inbound the ball and BU fails to commit the foul that they need to keep the game going.

This is the most heartbreaking BU loss in recent memory.  What if anything can the Terriers take out of this? I really don't know, nothing positive.  The way they played was very good but they way they lost seems to negate everything positive.  BU needs to win out to have a decent chance of being in the top 4 of the conference.  The odds of them hosting the conference championship are almost zero.  There is really no excuse this time, most of the Terriers were healthy.  It's been a season full of bad breaks after bad breaks.

Is it too early to be looking forward to next year? Yes, if the Terriers want to win the conference tournament and go to the tournament, they have to do it this year.  Next year's team, except for Holland and Jake O'Brien, will be too inexperienced to make any sort of serious run.  This year was supposed to be THE year and still can be, everyone is equal in Hartford (unless your the 9 or 8 seed in which case you have to play an extra game).

Game Notes:

• True to his word my friend Eric came with me to this game and said it was an exciting game.  He doesn't understand why the Terriers don't draw more people.  I am still wondering the same thing.
• I was one seat away from being on the jumbotron, I did get my hand in there. Damn.
• I think this was my best game in terms of pictures, check them out below.

Next Up:

2/13/10 4 pm - Boston U v. Hartford - Case Gym

Listen: 1510 am

  Siriutis free throw

I think John Holland playing defense

Great shot of Agganis Arena

The Terriers last lead

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Holland-Lowe score a quality win versus the Hartford Hawks

BU wins what will forever be known as the "Holland-Lowe Show."  The junior and the senior put up a ridiculous display.  Holland scored 32 points and Lowe scored 31.  As the recap on the BU site notes this is the first time in the entire history of the Boston University Basketball program that any two players have scored above 30 points in one game.  The amazing part, BU scored 84 points which means everyon else on the Terriers scored only 21 points.  The Holland-Lowe dynamic duo had only 7 points less than the entire Hartford Hawks team.

Both Lowe and Holland were impressive, the rest of the team was pretty pedestrian (except for Carlos Strong who added 14 points).  With Tyler Morris out it's pretty apparent that the Terriers are going to rely on their two best players Holland and Lowe to carry the team when they are playing lesser opponents.  I was disappointed by Jake OBrien's no show in this game.  And the bench scored 3 total points when Valdas Siruitis hit an early three.  The thing that this team lacks the most is depth.  They've returned a lot of seniors but with injuries almost all of them are accounted for in the starting five.  It's terrifying to say this, but BU is just one more injury away from becoming a bottom-dweller in the America East.  When they are good it shows, but only versus the lowly teams, versus mediocre or good teams they struggle.

What It Means

• BU wins it's second in a row versus a inferior opponent and doesn't show the kind of all around depth you would see from a champion
• BU is still growing as a team, they are getting better and are a long way from the ever elusive NCAA tournament berth.
• The schedule makers made it pretty easy for the Terriers to win three straight, next up is the worst team in the conference UMBC.

Random Notes

• This was my first time going to watch a BU Basketball game on the road, I want to especially thank my roommate John Lewis for the ride there and my father Vito Castignoli for the ride back to my home in CT.
• Reich Family Pavilion is a great place for a mid-major College Basketball game.  It should be a great place for the America East Championship, I can't wait.
• This was the first time used my camera extensively in the game, see how the pictures came out below. Unlike last time there were no technical difficulties with the twitter.  I might even get up a video soon.

View from outside the arena

John Driving to the game

The empty Hartford student section

Corey Lowe brings it up the floor as Coach Chambers Barks out a play.

The Holland-Lowe duo leads BU to victory 84 - 70

Next up:

Boston U. v. UMBC

Case Gym 1/12/2010 7 PM

Listen: 1510 AM

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Terriers dominate The Mount 86 - 77

This is a game that I really don't want to spend that much time writing about.  BU jumped off to an early lead and never trailed in this game, they led by 20 at one point during the second half.  It really surprises me that the score was so high because of how inept both offenses were in the first part of the second half.  One of the cons of going to a live game; there is no button to change the channel.  You can't tune into a more exciting game and then switch back at the end of the game.  This felt like a game I would much rather listen to on 1510, while watching a much more exciting game on TV. 

The game did have it's exciting parts, don't get me wrong.  The thing that killed it was the pace.  For every one or two dunks there were ten fouls.  Combined there were 59 team fouls in this game.  In both halfs the two teams were in the bonus within the first ten minutes.  This killed the last ten minutes of the game.  Everytime there was the slightest bump the ref was calling it.  Then all of the players had  to walk at a snails pace to the other end for free throws.

I have to say though BU's brand of Basketball is a lot more exciting than most mid-major teams and huge improvement over last year.  The most impressive play of that game to me was when I saw John Holland hustle for a loose ball near the scorers table.  The whole crowd, and probably coach Chambers knew that he was not going to get it.  He dived anyway, it ended up being off of the Terriers.  But to see that kind of hustle on a routine play was like watching Derek Jeter run out a ground ball.  No matter what the cicumstance you are going to see John Holland give it his all every night.  John Holland averages almost 20 points per game which is enough to put him among the top 40 in the nation in scoring.  That's no fluke, the junior from the Bronx (coicidentally the same city where Derek Jeter plays home games) is a great player and has a legitimate shot to be the America East Player of the Year.

During the game, the Terriers utilized a trap full-court press early in the first half that was very effective.  They forced many turnovers and held The Mount to one field goal in the first nine minutes of the game.  BU struggled almost as much, scoring only a few field goals and wasn't really able to pull away until the second half.

(Halftime came and the Newton fifth grade boys team came onto the court.  For a bunch of little kids, some of them played pretty well.  They went up and down the court pretty quickly and made some impressive passes.  It was almost more exciting than the game itself).

I was hopeful about the second half.  And as mentioned before, this game did have it exciting parts.  The first ten minutes of the second half was probably the most exciting of the game.  The Terriers were making some clutch threes. John Holland made a couple of pretty spectacular dunks. And Jake O'Brien had some pretty sweet plays inside the paint. Both Holland and O'Brien ended the game with 21 points.  After the first ten minutes both teams were in the bonus, the game struggled to find any real flow the rest of the way.  There was a foul and foul shots every 30 seconds.  If the Terriers were up by 20 like they had been earlier in the game I probably woul've left.  But somehow The Mount stuck around by making more than 80% of their shots at the charity stripe (compared to the 56% the last game).

A deceiving score to an awful and worse game than I anticipated.  The Mount was never in this game.  They fell behind early in the game and could never find the energy to catchup to a very strong Terriers team right now.

With their first winning streak of the season the Terriers have to feel pretty confident about their performance thus far in the young season.  Dayon on Tuesday will be a real test.  Dayton is a better team but unlike the Georgia Tech, Kansas State and UConn games, I think they have a great show to win.

Other Notes:

• MVP of the game: John Holland, no surprise at all.
• The Mount Saint Mary's MVP: Shawn Atupem's hair (see my previous post).  He looked like one of those rappers fom the early 90's or the main character from house party.  Maybe the most exciting thing about the Mount Saint Mary's team.  I don't know how this team was picked first in the NEC, they are bad. 
• Coach Chambers was screaming at his team early in the game for fouling the The Mount.  The funniest part was how he said it "Stop fouling! They only have one field goal!"
• Like a dumbass I forgot to bring the camera.  I promise I will have pictures for the Stony Brook game.

Next Up:
Boston U v. Dayton Flyers
12/29 - 7 pm ET
 Listen: 1510 AM

JC's Preview: "The Mount" vs. Boston U

After over a week hiatus because of exams the Terriers are back in action tomorrow at Case Gym against the Mount Saint Mary's Mountaineers, or the small school located in the Maryland Appalachians that refers to themselves as "The Mount." That is a pretty hilarious name.  Why can't other school's have nicknames like this? For example because of BU's diverse student body; fans, students and alumni could refer to BU as "The World."  Or because BU is a very expensive private university in a conference with a bunch of state schools, BU could refer to itself as "The Upper Class." I could see the headlines in the Daily Free Press now: "The Upper Class beats Vermont" in other news "BU raises tuition another $10,000 per year." Onto the preview....

JC's Preview  

Last time out

• Boston University (4-6) went to Poughkeepsie and beat the Marist Foxes 88 - 72 in a game that was almost no contest.  Corey Lowe scored 27 points and John Holland added another 21 of his own.  The big story, however, was the Terriers program record-tying 15 three point field goals on 60% shooting from beyond the arc.
• Mount Saint Mary's (3-7) went to Pitt and lost their fifth straight game to the Pitt Panthers 66 - 48.  The Mountaineers were horrible shooting from the floor in the Pitt game making only 31.6% of their shots from their field and 56.3% from the charity stripe.   In their last two times out The Mount scored 48 and 38 points against lower tier major school Pitt and mid-major Old Dominion respectively.

Analysis
Both teams were in a very similar place at the beginning of the season --both picked to win their conferences.  However,  entering the conference slate, the teams could not be on more opposite sides of the spectrum.  BU is coming off a dominating win over a mid-major opponent in which it tied a program offensive record but still gave up a lot of points on defense. For BU, it's 15 three-pointers was a huge confidence booster.  Fans and conference opponents are beginning to see the team that was picked to win the America East.

On the other side Mount Saint Mary's, "The Mount," is still on a five game losing steak coming into the matchup tomorrow.  During that stretch they have had trouble on offense, only scoring above 60 points once. However, they have limited some good teams, from major conferences, to low point totals (Pitt scored only 66).  Their inability to score points and adeptness to turn the ball over has some scratching their heads about the team that was picked first in the NEC preseason poll.  The Mount have already started conference play and are already in the cellar with disappointing 0-2 record versus conference foes.

Prediction
On paper it looks like an easy game for the Terriers.  The Terriers are on the up and up and starting to play to their potential as a an experienced and talented team. The Mount is seeing why preseason rankings mean nothing and are beginning to become frustrated with their performance.  However, The Mount still have the same talent that they started the year with, it could at any moment awaken, all it takes is that one motivating pep talk or team meeting. The Mount is going to be anxious to end their 7 game road-trip with a win over a non-conference opponent.  I think Mount Saint Mary's will be a tough opponent, this has the feeling of a trap game for the Terriers.  Ultimately, I think that the Terriers are more of a well-rounded team at this point in the season and will win the game, but it will be close. The Terriers take it in a close one 63 - 58.

"The Game"
Boston U v. Mount Saint Mary's
12/22 7 PM at Case Gym
Listen: 1510 am
 

Other Housekeeping Items

• I'm borrowing my roommates digital camera tomorrow for the Mount Saint Mary's game, so get ready for some much higher quality pictures than the ones I have been taking on my crappy cell phone.
  
• I am planning out my posts for 2010.  I want to incorporate more weekly/daily features into the blog.  I plan to do some top fives, maybe a mailbag. If anyone has questions, comments, or suggentions for me please send a message to jim@terriersbasketball.com.
  

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Finally, A New Post

Sorry, I know I have not been keeping up on the blog.  I hope that you my devoted readers can find it in your heart to forgive me.

The Marist Game
I was not able to watch or listen to the game, but I did read about it afterwards.  I think the most encouraging thing was the score.  Finally we blew out an inferior opponent.  When I first looked at the score I knew John Holland and Corey Lowe each scored more than 20 (I actually made a bet and won some money because of this).  There's really not that much to write about this game.  I wasn't there so I can't give you anymore insight than the recap on the BU website.

I promise I will write a preview and a recap of the Mount Saint Mary's game.  Especially if my publicity stunt works tonight.

UMass v. Memphis Tonight 6 PM ESPN2
Look for me in the stands tonight. I will be in attendance with a "UMass: 0 Final Fours, Memphis: 0 Final Fours" sign to try and create some publicity for my blog.

And yes I do agree with Coach Knight's comments the other day.  As a fan of the sport, I know not every coach is perfect, but I think it's disgraceful that a coach who had to vacate two final four appearances at two different programs is still allowed to coach and does not have any blemish on his NCAA record.  If you think that John Cal didn't know anything in either situation you are being naive.

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UConn 92 BU 64: BU gets clobbered.

Recap from the BU website.
Recap from the UConn website.

Boston University will have to wait another year to break their 50 year winless streak when facing ranked opponents.  UConn beatdown BU like a 2 seed playing a 15 seed.

There is not much to write about this game.  You could read the preview that I posted yesterday and think it was was a recap.  Yesterday I guessed the score would be 90 - 64 UConn. The actual score was 92 - 64 UConn. I was off by two points!

The game played out exactly as I expected.  UConn was way too physical for the Terriers, they out rebounded BU 54 - 29 and blocked six Terrier shots..  BU tried a lot of three pointers to try to keep up with UConn, but no amount of threes could've kept the Terriers in this one.  When all was said and done a more athletic UConn team was just better than the Terriers. The Terriers didn't play as awful as they did in the Harvard game, it was just a mismatch.

Random thoughts from this game:

• John Holland and Jake O'Brien are legit and could probably be pretty decent if they played for a school in a major conference. Right now they are the best two players talent wise on the team.  Holland had 23 points and O'Brien added 18 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.  That's pretty impressive especially against a team of UConn's caliber.
• Why did coach Pat Chambers take his players off the floor before the half was over?  Yes, there was only .2 seconds left on the clock, but seriously you can't wait?  The ref should've allowed them to stay in the locker room, it would've been funnier if BU came out of the locker room and UConn was up by three more points than they remembered.
• The Terriers were banged up tonight and didn't have a very deep bench. In addition to Valdas Siruitis and Scott Brittain being out, Corey Lowe sat out his first game because he is suffering from plantar fascitis. As a result, O'Brien led the team with 39 minutes played, Morris played 38 and Holland added another 37.  When your players log that many minutes they are going to be very tired. The Terriers need someone to get healthy soon.

Next Up:
Boston U v. Bucknell
Sunday 12/6 2:00 PM Tip at Agganis Arena
Listen: 1510 am

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JC's Preview: Connecticut v. Boston U (12/2 XL Center 7 PM)

As I watch a rematch of the 2008-09 national championship game, I'm thinking the same thing everyone else is thinking. When will a team from the America East or a mid-major conference finally win the National Championship?  It has to happen eventually, right?  In College Basketball there is tournament so every team has an equal shot once they get there, right? What if a team like BU made a George Mason like run to the Final Four?  No, wrong, it will never happen, don't get your hopes up.

JC's Preview

Here is the preview from the BU website. Also, see my post about why I am rooting for my alma mater (BU) over the team I gre up rooting for as a kid (UConn)

I don't think there is any question who will win this game.  This is a match up nightmare for the Terriers. The Connecticut Huskies will win and win big.  

What did the Harvard game show?  BU still has a lot of work to do.  Pelage and O'Brien combined for only eight rebounds, that worries me.  Versus UConn's more physical and more athletic forwards (Stanley Robinson, Gavin Edwards, and Alex Oriakhi) that is not going to cut it. The Terriers inability to be consistent in any game they have played all season, that worries me.  They do not have a complete win all season. 

The strength of BU's team is undeniably their guard play.  But BU does not have any advantage in this aspect of this game.  Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker are quick and talented, they will go right by you.  The two players that matchup against Dyson and Walker the best are probably Lowe and and Strong. 

How does BU stay competitive with a more athletic, physical and bigger team? I don't know, it's probably not possible. I really don't see any phase in this game which the Terriers can exploit, especially since they are so poor from the field and from three so far this season.

Terrier Keys to he Game:

• Have an outstanding game shooting the three
• Take advantage of loose-balls and turnovers
• Don't commit a lot of turnovers
• Make all of your free throws
  

If they can do that they might have a chance.  It's basically the four things that any coach at a mid-major school tells their players, "if we make very little mistakes and we can force them to make a few, we can win this game."

So to reiterate, BU has little to no chance.  This game will not even be close.  The question is not if BU will lose, it's by how much.  I predict UConn 90 - BU 64. UConn will clobber BU.

Notes:

• The game will be broadcast on espn360.com.  Anyone with comcast internet can go online and watch for free.
• The last time BU beat a ranked team was in 1959. 
• Calhoun used to coach for the Northeastern Huskies when they were in the same conference as BU. 

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BU loses to Harvard 78- 70: First Loss to the Crimson at Case Gym in 37 years

The last time that Boston Univeristy lost to Harvard at Case Gymnasium was December 13, 1972. Twelve years before I was brought into life on Earth. This was a disspointing loss. The Terriers were as flat as a 2 day old PBR keg. Instead of getting better they got worse.

Let's revisit my preview and the keys to the game I laid out.

• Shoot better from three than Harvard. - Fail. The Crimson and the Terriers had the same exact stat line from three point range: 5-20.   There's no reason with as many great shooters as the Terriers have that they shouldn't be shooting better from three than the Crimson. 
• Play a strong and consistent 40 minutes. - Fail.  They played well for maybe a 10 minute period in this game.  At 5:37 left in the first half they were down by 13 but somehow went into the locker room down only 2 at the half.  Then took the lead early in the 2nd by as much as 9 at the 13:25 mark. They would blow that and lose by 8.  The Terriers only seem to score in spurts, they had one big spurt in this game and that was it.
• Play as aggressive as they have all season.  - Fail.  I think it was obvious to everyone there that the Terriers were getting dominated down low.  The stats from the game are kind of deceiving, the Terriers out rebounded the Crimson by one but couldn't finish any of their second chance opportunities.  BU's two big men Pelage and O'Brien combined for 8 rebounds, Holland had 9.
• Neutralize Lin and McNally. Fail.  This was a big fail.  Lin had 19 points and McNally added 14 of his own.  Lin had 4 assists and 4 steals and went 7-8 from the line.

Other notes:

• Player of the game: Jeremy Lin
• BU Player of the game (if I had to name one): John Holland 18 points and 9 rebounds.
• Carlos Strong looked really good, but only in the ten minute Terrier spurt.
• Corey Lowe was forcing hail mary threes and went 0-7 from the beyond the arc, not his best performance.
• The Terriers scored only 2 bench points.
• The Crimson blocked 8 Terrier shots.

You really have to look at the stats hard to figure out why the Terriers lost this game.  But it's there, compared to the Crimson's 47%, the Terriers shot only 38.5% from the floor .  Even that number is deceiving; during the Terrier spurt they were making everything.

I can't pull any positives from this game other than John Holland.  He was the only consistent person for BU on the floor.  The defense for the Terriers was pretty bad as well.  Usually when you score 70 points and have 5 more offensive rebounds than your opponent you expect to win the game.  That was not the case tonight at Case. Terriers lose and lose bad.  They need to get better in a hurry if they want to at least be competitve with UConn on Wednesday.

One of Lowe's 7 misses from beyond the arc (I will get a digital camera soon I promise).

Next Up:

BU at UConn

Wednesday 12/2 7:00 PM at the XL Center in Hartford, CT

Listen: 1510 am

Watch: SNY, WCTX9, ESPN Full Court

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JC's Preview: Boston U v. Harvard (Case Gym 11/29 5 PM)

Before I begin the preview, is it me or does Coach Pat Chambers sound like a broken record? Look at the last paragraph of Dan Duggan’s recap of the Northeastern game:

“We got better today, we’re going to practice (tomorrow) and we’ll continue to get better,” Chambers said. “As long as we’re getting better and we’re headed in the right direction, we’re going to be OK.”

This is what Chambers has been preaching after every game this season. He just used the form of “to get better” three times. I have no problems with what the coach is saying; I want the Terriers to get better too, so do all Terriers fans. But it’s just stating the obvious. It’s like saying “I get better at my job every day.” I think Coach Chambers needs to say something a little more inspirational. For example what if he said this instead:

“We’ll be on the same level as UConn by the time we play them next week.” Or….
“This is a great team with determination, they won’t quit and neither will I, we could be down 50 to the Celtics and still not quit.”

Maybe, those examples are a little over the top, but I think you get my point. Also, I don’t like the last part of the last sentence: “we’re going to be OK.” As a fan I hope BU is going to be more than “OK,” I hope BU is going to be great. Pat Chambers may be doing well on the court directing his team but he needs to show a little more passion in post game interviews if he wants to attract students and fans to the game and recruit great talent to the program. He’s got my $10, but I don’t think he is convincing many more than that right now. Now, onto JC’s preview.

JC’s Preview

BU v. Harvard, Sunday 11/29 5 PM, Case Gym

Radio: 1510 AM

Harvard:


Harvard comes into this game fresh off of a 78 – 60 schlacking of fellow America East member New Hampshire. In that game and the previous game against Bryant, Harvard played 10 different players for 10 or more minutes and not one player was on the court for over 27 minutes. Look for Harvard coach Tommy Amaker to make frequent subs. Also, considering that stat, senior guard Jeremy Lin’s 18.1 points per game is pretty impressive. Harvard is a team much like the Terriers that likes to shoot the 3 often. Lin and sophomore guard Oliver McNally are 35% and 44% from beyond the arc respectively. They should match-up pretty well in the guard position with the Terriers. Look for Harvard to shoot a lot of shots from beyond the arc.


Boston U:

BU comes in fresh off of their 69 – 64 OT win over Northeastern. So far the Terriers have gotten outstanding play from their forwards sophomore Jake O’Brien and senior and leading scorer for the Terriers John Holland. Of course we could not forget, Corey Lowe’s remarkable performance against Northeastern, which was probably the most inspired of the season. He aggravated a foot injury in the last few minutes of the game and stays in the game. That’s the heart and will of a true leader and captain. The Terriers have an arsenal of shooters from beyond the arc, five players are shooting 30% or better from three (Holland, Lowe, Strong, O’Brien and Morris).

In their last matchup against Northeastern the main concern was their streakiness. BU’s fanbase (including myself), was put on the emotional rollercoaster versus Northeastern. The Terriers were down by 10 early in the first but battled back within 2 at the half. They then went on a 13 – 0 run and took an 11 point lead only to blow that and have to come from behind again to force overtime. Then after that my emotions took over and I blacked out.


BU Keys to the game:

• Shoot better from three than Harvard. 
• Play a strong and consistent 40 minutes.
• Play as aggressive as they have all season.
• Neutralize Lin and McNally

BU should beat Harvard extending their streak to nine consecutive wins against and not allow Harvard a win at BU since the 1975-76 season.

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Northeastern v. BU Preview (4 PM The Roof)

Today at 4 PM Eastern the Terriers (1-4) play their first home game at Case Gym, otherwise known as "The Roof." against their crosstown rivals the Huskies of Northeastern (1-1). It's still pretty early in the season to know what kind of game this is going to be. But if BU plays like they did in the Puerto Rico tip-off, I expect them to be favored and win big.

The Puerto Rico tip-off showed us that the Terriers can play up to the level of teams from major conferences (Kansas St - Big 12, Indiana - Big Ten, Georgia Tech - ACC). Three games in four days is very tough on a team, and it showed the Terriers just didn't have enough gas left in the tanks against a very athletic and physical Georgia Tech team.

Areas of excellence:

• Rebounding - In the Indiana game alone they out-rebounded their opponent 52 - 32.
• Aggresiveness - The Terriers are a more aggressive and physical team and it shows on loose balls and the amount of fouls committed during the game.

Areas for improvement:

• Field Goal % - Plain and simple the Terriers need to finish baskets.
• Avoiding Foul Trouble - In a few games (GW and Indiana) we have seen some key Terriers in early foul trouble. The Terriers need to find a way to be aggresive but not foul as much.

If the Terriers can improve their play, as coach Pat Chambers constantly preaches, and get the ball to John Holland (America East's player of the week), BU should hand Northeastern its second loss of the season today at the Roof.

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Georgia Tech 85 - BU 67

Recap and another recap.

Game notes:

That is tough. I recorded the game and watched most of it. BU looked really good in the first half versus Georgia Tech. The Terriers went into the locker room only down by two, 42 - 40. But halfway into the Second half they got tired and fell apart.

John Holland is still the Terriers MVP eventhough he is not starting,

This kid Peacock for Georgia Tech was legit tonight, but I have a feeling he will do nothing the rest of the year. I think Derrick Favors will do well.

Final Note:

The Terriers played with the #19 ranked team in the country for 30 minutes. The last ten minutes they were too tired. Going into the Northeastern game I am satisfied with the BU team.

Next up:

BU v. Northeastern - 4:00 PM Eastern
@ THe Roof
Listen to it on 1510 the zone.

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Kansas State 80 - BU 70

Here is the recap.

I only listened to part of the game on 1510. I was impressed by how well the Terriers did in this contest against a team that they were outmatched by, both physically and athletically. The only problem so far is that their aggressive style of play is costing them a lot of fouls. Corey Lowe fouled out last night with 15 minutes left in the game.

So far three losing games into the schedule, John Holland is the the MVP. He is averaging 18.1 points per game.

Overall, I'm impressed by the level of play by the Terriers. They're playing up to their superior opponents, something that is tough for mid-major teams to do on the road. If BU can keep games close with teams from superior conferences such as the Big 12, then the Terriers should be able to dominate teams from equal or lesser conferences.

Next up, Indiana Today 11/20/2009 6 pm Eastern from San Juan. Listen to the game on 1510 the zone.

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