Grading the Terriers: 11/11 vs. Northeastern

By Shep Hayes/DFP Staff

Sophomore forward Dom Morris: C

Compared to last season, Morris played an overall average game to start the 2011-12 BU basketball campaign. Offensively, he had eight points, making 50 percent of his shots inside the arc, about on par with how he shot last year. His biggest weakness against the Huskies was outside of the arc, where he shot much weaker than on the inside. Morris attempted five 3-pointers, including one coming off of a timeout in overtime that would have given BU a two-point lead with under one minute remaining. He did not make that shot, and he also failed to complete any of his other four attempts, dragging down his otherwise decent play in the Northeastern end of the court.

Morris was able to make up his offensive futility on the defensive end, however. He snagged six balls off the glass for the Terriers, tied with Jeff Pelage for the most in the game for BU. In a game when BU struggled to rebound at both ends of the court, Morris’ contributions made a difference.

Senior forward Pat Hazel: C+/B-

Hazel played only 20 minutes of the game, the fewest of any of the BU starters. In that short time, though, he was able to offer some contributions to the Terrier offense. Hazel attempted six field goals and made four of them for eight points. He got three offensive rebounds, a success considering how well the Northeastern defense was able to crowd the space under the basket after seemingly every shot.

Dragging Hazel down, however, were his fouls. Hazel did foul out after being called for two illegal actions in overtime, a bit uncharacteristic --he has done that only once in each of the past two seasons. The number becomes even more abnormal when you take into account how little he was on the court. It seems likely to expect fewer fouls from Hazel going forward, but they did slow him down against NU.

Senior guard Darryl Partin: B-

Darryl Partin could not make a 3-point basket Friday night. While that may seem like a bit of an overstatement, Partin was 1-for-7 from beyond the arc, his lone basket from far out coming toward the end of the first half. On a night when the team as a whole appeared to be struggling with 3s, Partin looked particularly underwhelming.

Inside the arc, however, was a different story. Of the nine two-point shots Partin attempted, he made eight. Additionally, he made eight of his 10 free throws, well above the team’s 50 percent average from the charity stripe, ultimately salvaging his atrocious 3-point play.

Senior guard Matt Griffin: C+

Griffin led the team in three point attempts made, with three. Unfortunately, he also led the team in 3-point attempts, with eight. Inside the arc, Griffin’s only other direct contributions to the BU offense were the two free throws he made, making him the only Terrier with a 100 percent free-throw percentage. Indirectly, Griffin was able to set up a number of plays for BU, stealing the ball once and only fouling three times in regulation.

Sophomore guard D.J. Irving: C+

Irving is yet another Terrier who played decently in two-point territory, but terribly anywhere else. Only one of his five 3-point attempts found the bottom of the net, compared to six of his nine interior field goals. Irving showed some of his patented speed, but lacked a solid 3-point shot.

Where Irving really seemed to be having problems, however, was at the free throw line. An excellent free throw shooter last season, with a .845 average. Opening this season, Irving did not look as dominant from the top of the key. making only two of his six attempts. Overall, a significant setback from a player usually strong in two areas BU looked weak Friday.

Jeff Pelage’s Defensive Rebounding Skills: B+

In the 21 minutes Jeff Pelage played, he barely contributed to the offense. The man once dubbed “Adonis” by former BU coach Pat Chambers took two shots and made neither of them. He had only one offensive rebound. Not exactly the leader of the Terrier offense.

On the other end of the court, however, Pelage was able to dominate the glass. He had six rebounds off of Husky shots. On a few occasions, he seemed as if he was able to reach up into the fray under the basket and grab the ball out of various Northeastern hands. He also had three blocks, including one where he reached in from behind and swatted the ball away from an NU player attempting a layup. Pelage was almost certainly the best BU defender in the game.

The Freshmen: Incomplete

James Kennedy and Zach Chinonuma played a combined total of 17 minutes, so they are yet to complete the syllabus. Both were 1-for-3 from the floor, though two of Kennedy’s field goal attempts were 3-pointers. He made neither of them, and Chinonuma did not attempt any. Kennedy also had two defensive rebounds and one offensive, making a little more use of his nine minutes than his classmate. On the whole though, it is still to early to assign this duo a formal letter grade.

The Crowd: A+ (With bonus points for setting a record)

1875 fans packed Case Gymnasium to the rafters, more than any other game held at The Roof. BU had an incredibly strong presence, rivaling both the quantity and passion of fans at last year’s America East Championship. When the Terriers mounted a comeback in the final seconds of regulation, the entire side of the gymnasium holding the Dog Pound was on its feet, screaming at nearly every touch of the ball. When the game went into overtime, few fans departed for the hockey game about to get under way at Agganis Arena. Most stuck around to see how their team would fare, and they stayed on their feet until Northeastern began to pull away.

On the opposite side of the court, The N Zone in the section behind the BU bench proved to be a worthy for of the Dog Pound. The fans were exciting, passionate and classy. They even made the court shake on multiple occasions, jumping up and down while chanting The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army.” An excellent showing from both fan bases, one that makes this rivalry much more entertaining.