Terriers lose a pair of away games.

1/27 - Boston U Terriers v. Maine Black Bears - Alfond Arena - BU loses 56 - 54
This game was a hearbreaker from the very beginning to the very end.  BU went through a few stretches where you thought there were going to break away. But then in usual BU fashion they went cold for extended period of time while Maine continued to play consistently.

Towards the end is where I got emotional.  I was close to turning the game off actually.  But I left it on and BU overcame a ten point deficit in just under 5 minutes to actually tie the game with 2.9 seconds left.  I anticipated that this would go into OT, if BU could play good enough defense to not let them get a good shot off the ball would bounce off the iron and fall short. Finally things would roll our way.

It would not be so.  For years to come I will wonder what Coach Chambers said during that last time out.  I don't want to pretend to be a coach but this is what I would be telling my team given the same situation:

"Keep your arms up, don't foul, keep them out of the lane, AND don't let them get off a high percentage shot."

Those last two points were somehow lost. The Maine Black Bears got off a layup at the last second to win the game.  Let me repeat a layup.  BU played the worst defense they have all season in 2.9 seconds.  It's embarrassing to lose on a layup off of an inbound play with 2.9 left.  There is no excuse.  The only positive I bring out of this game is that with a double digit deficit so late in the game this Terriers team did not give up.

Other notes:

• Our eighth man and a key sub Tunde Agboola was injured during this game and it is not looking very good.  The injury could not have come at a worse time.

1/30 - Boston U v. Stony Brook Seawolves - Long Island - BU Loses 71 - 55
I did not get a chance to listen to or watch this game, I did look at my phone for occasional updates on the score.  BU went on their second game of a three game road trip and did what they seem to do best:  lose on the road to a team that is better than them.  This seemed a lot like the last time the Terriers played the Seawolves.

I hate using injuries as an excuse, so I never do and neither should Coach Chambers or the rest of the team.  I really don't care that the Terriers are dinged up. Our team needs to step up and our coach needs to prepare the team better for games. For the second time this year the Terriers looked really flat in the first minutes of the game and were never able to fully recover and find a groove (the other time was the Vermont away game).  When I checked the score for the first time it was 10 - 0 and Stony Brook led.  I checked several times and each time it looked about the same or worse than the first time I checked.  Eventually BU got bashed 71 - 66 after they played 40 minutes of mediocre Basketball.

This result infuriated me. Admittedly I was out to dinner and had a few beers so I may have overreacted.  The loss set off a series of tweets directed at Coach Chambers blaming him for blowing the season.  I think this might have been a little too harsh. When you are stuck in the moment you will say very irrational things.  But later it got me to thinking, what/who is responsible for the Terriers mediocrity this season? Who would be your scapegoat?

Was it the right move to fire Dennis Wolff and hire Pat Chambers?
This was a very surprising and controversial head coaching move during the offseason, and looking back right fully so.  The fresh look that that the Terriers were looking to get by making an unexpected coaching change just isn't there.  Here are a few things that have made this situation into a debacle.

• Almost all of the starters returning and all of the seniors are Wolff recruits.  When you have that many returning key starters and seniors to a team it would make more sense to keep the same system and let the coach have one more chance to perform.
• They hired a first-year head coach.  Coach Chambers has had zero head-coaching experience and only several years of coaching experience at Villanova. Now all of a sudden he is thrust into a head coaching position for a team with the highest expectations entering the season.  That is a tough position to enter into.
• BU is still plagued by injuries.  I don't know what this is.  My theory was that they played games at the beginning of the season, the non-conference games, like they were conference tournament games.  Their non-conference schedule was way too ambitious.  Tough games against tough opponents will take their toll.  It's not great to see a senior captain break his hand in practice.

I don't think it is Coach Chambers' fault that BU has performed way below expectations this year. I think the athletic director his staff and the university are to blame.  They made the wrong decision by firing Wolff and hiring Chambers. It was the wrong year to do it.  Wolff would've been on the hot seat and coaching for his job. He spent three years with most of these seniors, he is the one who can motivate and get this current team to perform well when it counts the most under pressure.  Coach Wolff should have been given another chance. Coach Chambers is a first-year head coach and has no experience, with a team that has very high expectations. He was not being set up very well to succeed.  I say this emphatically, especially with players he barely knows, coming into a high expectation season and playing a  non-conference schedule that was way too ambitious.  The BU athletic department basically pulled the trigger too early on the coaching change.  They started to rebuild during a non-rebuilding year.

Hopefully I will be proved wrong in March.

Other News and Notes:

• With the losses to Stony Brook and Maine earlier, BU falls to 1-4 versus the teams ahead of them in the standings and 5-0 versus the teams below them.  The Terriers are winning all of the games that they should win and losing all of the games that they should lose.  Right now they are the definition of a middle of the standings team.
• The Bracket Busters matchups were announced today.  BU was not picked for one of eleven games televised on ESPN. BU will travel to Delaware to take on the Blue Hens on February 20.
• I watched BU beat Northeastern in the Beanpot Semis tonight.  During the past week I have seen two BU Ice Hockey wins and two BU Basketball losses.  These two programs are run so differently, it's really baffling. How is it that the hockey team doe so well year after year yet the Basketball team always comes way short of expectations every year?

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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

Boston U beats Bucknell 63 - 53.

Read the BU recap.

In what looked like a blow out in the first half turned into a close game later.  However, the crowd still left happy as the Terriers scored over 60 points (Right: Strong hits a foul shot to make it 60), beat Bucknell and got a two for one deal at Raising Cane's after the game.


Boston University played high quality basketball in the first half.  They scored 32 points with 43% shooting and held the Bison to 16 points and 19% shooting.  Everything indicated that this would be a blowout.  Wrong.  Bucknell had a very strong second half  -they pulled to within three at one point-  but were not able to completely erase the Terriers early lead.

During the past few weeks there have been two Terrier teams.  The First Half Terriers and the Second Half Terriers. I refer to this as the "First and Second Enigma." The First half Terriers are aggressive, play hard, don't sit on an early lead or get discouraged when they are behind, they keep battling.  The Second Half Terriers show an early effort, then fade.  They sit on a fat lead and then lose it.  I'm not sure why this happens, it may have to do with injuries and foul trouble.  The Terriers continue to show signs of greatness but cannot play a complete game.  This team is still not living up to preseason expectations.    All Terrier fans hope that the team can find a solution to the enigma by the January 2nd matchup against Stony Brook, their first in-conference game.

Game Notes:

• Player of the game: Jake O'Brien led the Terriers with 17 points.
• Corey Lowe was back and hit a really long three in the first half.
• I attended this game with a few friends, we all got free tickets from a student outside the of the arena.  Apparently there were a few promotions that were designed to lure more people to the game.  This was all a part of a "final project" for a  marketing class, they had to get as many people to attend the game as possible.  I don't think they received an A.  The attendance at Agganis games continues to be disappointing.  Pat Chambers promised better attendance when he interviewed for the job, I am not seeing it so far.
•  I felt bad for the Dance Team, they were having really bad luck with the PA system a couple times.
• One guy mentioned UConn football, I tried to high five him but was denied because I was wearing a Yankees hat.  
• Also, when I got my picture taken next to the BU Hockey National Championship trophy I think the person purposely cut my hat out of the picture because I made a snippy remark about not caring about the Red Sox and Celtics tropy (judge for yourselft, see the picture below).

Yankee hat cut out purposely?

Next Up:

Boston U at Marist

December 12, 2 PM

Listen: 1510 am

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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: 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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Happy Thanksgiving!

Just thought I would drop a line before going to sleep.

I just read Julian Benbow's story about Pat Chambers.  Wow, what a great story.  I was rooting for Coach Chambers to succeed because he is coaching BU, but now I am rooting for him as a person.  I don't care if he leaves BU and goes to BC, I would probably still root for him to do well.

On an semi-related note, I will be in attendance at Madison Square Garden tomorrow for the #7 Duke v. # 13 Connecticut college basketball game.  This will be my first visit to the garden in my 25 years of life.  I am stoked not only to watch a game at one of the games most storied venues but to see this particular match up. As a Connecticut native I have been a Huskies fan my entire life.  Two of my best sports moments were when UConn beat Duke in '99 in the national final and then again in '04 to advance to the national final.

But I digress, how does this all semi-relate to BU Basketball?  Well, as most know the Terriers are going to the XL Center in Hartford the following Wednesday 12/2 to take on #13 Connecticut.  I've mulled this over for weeks, as a huge fan of both teams who do I root for?  I've gone back and forth a couple times, but I've finally decided that I am going to root for BU for three reasons:

• If UConn won it would probably not mean a lot for their fanbase or school.
  
• If UConn lost it would probably not have a major impact on their NCAA Tournament hopes.
  
• If BU beat UConn, a nationally ranked opponent, it would be HUGE for BU and the BU fanbase. It's probably the best media attention a mid-major school could ask for.

I was going to wait until later in the week to write this post but I thought I would get it out now.  Finally, I still think BU will lose to UConn, but much more on that Tuesday.

Stay tuned tomorrow as I will be previewing the BU v. Harvard match up at Case.

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BU topples Northeastern in OT 69 - 64

Wow, great game (short recap). Very frustrating at times, very exciting at times, very similar to the BU v. Harvard hockey game I went to last night.

Quickly some thoughts:

• Co-players of the game: Corey Lowe and Jake O'Brien
• Most Frustrating part: BU went on an 13 - 0 run to take an 11 point lead to start the first 5:30 of the second half. The rest of the second half they only scored 13 points.
• Most exciting part: John Holland's dunk in the last seconds of the game to seal it.

I have to go back to Connecticut now for Thanksgiving. More thoughts on the game later. In the meantime, I leave you with a few pictures.

Yours Truly

Jake O'Brien sinking a foul shot

UPDATE:


Finally some time to sit down and write about this game.

It was probably one of the more exciting games you will see at Case Gym all year. The Terriers were down by 10 early in the first half but battled back to make it a 2 point deficit going into the locker room.

Pat Chambers must have said something at halftime to light a fire under these guys asses. When they came out they looked stronger than they have all season. In the first 5 minutes they went on a 13 - 0 run to take the lead by 11. I thought after we took the lead we might be in the midst of a blowout. But after a tactical time out by Northeastern, the Terriers cooled down and only scored 13 points the rest of the half.

Overtime was scary. The Terriers came out of the gate with two threes to make it a six point game and they even blow that. But after a few turnovers on both ends, but more turnovers for Northeastern, BU is able to grab the lead with about a minute left and keep it for good. The exclamation point was a sweet dunk by John Holland at the end of the game that could've made Sportscenter.

Overall, it was a great win against a bitter crosstown rival. However, the Terriers looked very streaky at times especially in the second half. They came out of the locker room very strong and then faded. It may work versus Northeastern but against Harvard and Connecticut they are going to have to stay consistent across the whole 40 minutes.


Other things I noticed:

• There was more of a Northeastern following at the game than BU. Perhaps because of Thanksgiving break, but still I didn't like it.
• Northeastern fans are assholes, they were screaming at Corey Lowe as he was limping off the court during overtime.
  
• BU is still fouling a lot. Jake O'Brien had 4 fouls for most of the second half; as a result, he had less playing time and probably less points.
• Tyler Morris fouled out again.
• Did I already mention Corey Lowe and Jake O'Brien were amazing?
• Coach Chambers has a weird way of coming up with set plays. Before that Corey Lowe jumper to tie the game with 18.1 seconds left in regulation, Coach Chambers had all of his players go to the bench while him and his coaches deliberated in the middle of the court for 75% of the timeout. Then he went back to the team and explained what the came up with in the span of 20 seconds. Shouldn't he have plays like this in his pocket before the game, just for these situations? Hey, I'm not complaining, it worked.
  

Next up:
BU v. Harvard
Sunday 11/29/2009 at Case Gym 5 PM Start
Listen to it on 1510 The Zone

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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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BU 71 - Indiana 67

Recap. And another recap.

Wow. I was really pumped about this game. The Terriers beat the Hoosiers! BU cannot say that very often.

Notes from the game:

BU out muscled a team from a major conference. BU out rebounded the Hoosiers by 52 - 32. BU scored 19 second chance points. It's clear that this Terriers team is being more aggressive and more physical this year under Pat Chambers than last year under Dennis Wolff.

John Holland again has an unbelievable performance with 21 points. And Jake O'Brien recorded his first career double double.

The Terriers had some nine point deficits a few times during the game but never let the deficit grow to double digits. The Terriers always kept battling back and finally broke through in the final minutes of the game.

Momentum shifter: In the second half down by six Indiana's Devin Dumes commits an intentional foul. John Holland sinks both and then on the in bounds Tyler Morris drains a three. All of a sudden the Terriers are only down by 1 point. BU lost the lead on the next few possession but it definitely instilled some confidence that BU needed to win the game.

Overall, I am very excited to see the Terriers beat one of the most historic college basketball programs in the country. This is a win that this mid-major BU program can build off of. Now the Terriers play their first ranked opponent of the year in Georgia Tech. I look forward to another close game.

Next Up:
BU vs. #19 Georgia Tech 12:30 pm Eastern from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Watch it on ESPNU or listen to it on 1510 the zone.

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Format Change - BU Men's Basketball Blog

So after dabbling with a NY sports blog for a while I decided that I was beating a dead horse. With so many media outlets in NY and fans of NY sports teams with their own blogs there is too much coverage.

The other day before attending the BU v. GWU basketball game at Agganis Arena, I tried to find web content on Boston Univeristy Men's Basketball - I couldn't find a lot. So, as of today I am dedicating this blog entirely to BU Men's Basketball.

During the next year I hope to read every article I can read and go to as many BU Terriers Men's Basketball games as possible to give my readership the most informed opinions about the team.

I would like to give you a preview of Boston U's team but I think other media outlets have done a lot more research and could do a way better job than I ever could. Here are the best articles I have read so far:

• ESPN's Dana O'Neill writes a story about Pat Chambers and his plans for BU's Basketball program under the new regime.
• Boston Herald's Rich Thompson previews the Terriers upcoming season by writing an article about the five top questions the Terriers have to answer this season.
• Scout's Inc. Michael LaPlante ranks Pat Chambers' 2010 recruiting class as tied for tenth among NCAA Division I mid-majors.

That is all for now. I will be listening to the BU v. Kansas State Game tonight at 7:30 Eastern through goterriers.com.

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