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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