While it was a lackluster finish to the regular season, the Terriers have known their destiny for three games, so not too much stock should be put into the play Sunday afternoon. Still, despite blowing a large lead against the Hawks, the Terriers pulled out a win in their fifth overtime game of the season and fourth OT win. In 2006-07, BU played in four overtime contests and lost each one, while they went to overtime once in 2007-08 and that was a first-round victory in the conference tournament against Albany.
Unfortunately for the Terriers, the most significant occurrence in the game was the severe concussion Matt Wolff suffered four minutes into the contest while fighting for a loose ball (he actually got called for a foul on the play). Wolff was hit hard in the jaw and remained in the game for a few minutes before coming out. He didn't come out of the locker room for the second half. Without him, the Terriers would be significantly shorthanded in the tournament (even though they're matched up against an equally short-handed UMBC squad). Check the blog for updates regarding his health as the tournament draws closer.
As the week draws on, we'll be publishing previews of every tournament game and we'll be live blogging every game from Albany as well, so be sure to visit us often in the coming weeks.
Pros:
-- Sherrod Smith's performance: Smith played 16 quality minutes in what was certainly his best performance since the second game of his freshman year against Harvard. If Matt Wolff isn't healthy, Smith could be called upon to once again play a role as he will almost certainly do in practice this week while Wolff is recovering.
-- Corey Lowe's shooting: After re-gaining his shooting touch in the second half against Iona, Lowe shot the ball very well again, especially for a stretch early in the first half (where he hit three consecutive 3-pointers) and late in the game where he fearlessly took the ball to the hole, and also stepped out, nailing a crucial trey from the right corner late in the game.
Cons:
-- Matt Wolff's injury: Obviously Wolff's injury is the main concern surrounding the Terriers heading into the tournament. If he isn't cleared to play by Saturday, BU's offense will take a significant hit and execute as was shown for stretches during the Hartford game.
-- Lackadaisical attitude: While it was a relatively meaningless game, it still appeared as though BU's attitude changed once it got up and the Terriers never regained a sense of urgency/passion. If that's the case this weekend, it could be a short stay in Albany for BU.
Links:
BU wins on Senior Day
Smith earns minutes and praise
2 comments:
Beside a lack luster performance, we got another lack luster crowd at Agganis (surprise, surprise). While I was definitely not inclined to jump up and down at their performance, I think the boys are sick of it. And there will probably be another minimal showing of support at Albany.
Crowds like Sunday's may help the team on the road (because let's face it: Agganis may as well be a road game at times) but we've seen the impact a 6th man can have on someone's play, especially Holland. I would love nothing more than to see more than a handful fans in Albany dressed in scarlet.
We'll be in Albany, where the crowd will be very sparse, BU-wise. So perhaps you're right that playing at Agganis may have prepared them a bit for the neutral site atmosphere the Terriers will face this weekend.
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