The Day After: Take a bow

Link: Take a bow

The Day After: Terriers advance to semifinals of CBI after thrilling 91-89 in OT

Link: Terriers advance to semifinals of CBI after thrilling 91-89 in OT

The Day After: Holland’s 26 points lead BU to CBI win over Oregon State

Link: Holland's 26 points lead BU to CBI win over Oregon State

The Day After: Vermont 76, Boston University 75

By John Barone

For extended stretches of Tuesday's game, the Boston University men’s basketball team showed exactly why the coaches of the America East Conference tabbed it as the preseason favorite to win the league.

Then, with victory just seconds away from BU’s grasp, the University of Vermont pulled the rug out from under its rival’s seemingly special night.

Senior forward Marqus Blakely capped a 21-point, 12-rebound performance by assisting on the go-ahead basket with 9.4 seconds remaining, and the Catamounts eked out a 76-75 win over the Terriers before a crowd of 968 at Agganis Arena.

Recap: Strong scores 24 to pace Terriers' win over Albany

By René Reyes

On most nights, senior guard Corey Lowe, junior forward John Holland and sophomore forward Jake O’Brien fill up the stat sheet for the Boston University men’s basketball team.

Saturday night was an exception.

Senior co-captain Carlos Strong stole the spotlight, scoring a season-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting to lead BU to a dominating 68-53 win over the University at Albany at SEFCU Arena.

The Day After: Boston University 69, University of New Hampshire 47

By Josh Cain 

With two consecutive losses and the final six games of its season looming over its head, the Boston University men’s basketball team made a statement against the University of New Hampshire that its been looking to make since starting conference play – the Terriers belong at the top of the America East.

The Terriers were heard loud and clear in BU’s 69-47 demolition of the Wildcats at Agganis Arena Thursday night. After a string of poor-shooting games, junior John Holland and sophomore Jake O’Brien were decidedly back to their usual scoring ways, scoring 23 and 15, respectively. But it was senior Tyler Morris’ first full game back from a broken hand that truly seemed to reenergize the Terriers – he scored 12 and had several key steals.

The Day After: Boston University 88, Marist College 72

Before the current season started, BU was pegged as the favorite to win the America East conference primarily because of its several dangerous scoring threats. Yet throughout the first nine games of the Terriers' campaign, the single most glaring issue facing the team was the issue least expected prior to November 13th's season opener at Iona. BU could not score the basketball.

So after Sunday's comfortable victory over Marist, the point of emphasis isn't BU's two-game winning streak -- its first winning streak of the season -- or the Terriers' excellent defensive rebounding or its first road win (the Indiana win was technically a neutral-court victory). It's the Terriers' shooting performance that merits close attention.

The Day After: Boston University Terriers 63, Bucknell University Bison 53

For 20 minutes, the Terriers provided 1,227 spectators with their best impersonation of the team everyone expected BU to field this season. Scott Brittain was sidelined, as was Valdas Sirutis, but the Terriers' first half gave everyone a glimpse of what this team can do when in form. Shots found the net more than occassionally, the passing was reasonably crisp, and whenever Bucknell started to think about offense, the BU defense procured turnovers and ripped down defensive rebounds. Bucknell's inability to hit the Charles from a boat was a factor, to be sure, but the Terriers were deserving of a substantial lead when the halftime buzzer sounded.

Three minutes and ten seconds into the second half, a 16-point lead was reduced to five. Boston University head coach Patrick Chambers called a timeout. The Terriers had lost control. Not only were things going wrong, but every strength the Terriers had exhibited while building their lead had vanished. Intelligent passes were replaced by fruitless drives to the hoop, yielding nothing. Defenders' pressure was being broken and nobody was left to close out on shooters.

The Terriers recovered and secured a win against an inferior opponent. Bucknell never managed to pull level or take a lead, and Carlos Strong and B.J. Bailey made some big plays down the stretch to give the home team a much-needed win.

The result is the most important thing, but there's plenty of additional information to be acquired by looking at how the result was obtained. How much weight should be placed on the Terriers' first half performance compared to their struggles early in the second half?

The Day After: University of Connecticut 92, Boston University 64

No discussion of last night's game at the Hartford XL Center can begin without noting the obvious: BU is not at full strength right now. The Terriers haven't been healthy all season, but yesterday's roster situation bordered on the ridiculous. After suffering from a thin bench against Harvard, the Terriers essentially swapped one of their two best players, Corey Lowe, for a freshman, B.J. Bailey, then hit the road for a game against the most talented opponent on the schedule. The above is not a recipe for success.

That being said, last night's 28-point loss offered some additional information about how BU can be expected to play going forward, even if last night's team hardly resembled what the Terriers hope to field come January.

The Day After: Harvard University 78, Boston University 70

A game like yesterday's leaves plenty of room for excuses. The bench was thin, thinner than ever before. Harvard is significantly improved from last season. Shots stopped falling at a critical point.

The Terriers aren't making excuses, though -- and they shouldn't. This game was theirs for the taking, and it was given away, piece by piece. When BU was up nine and had a chance to put Harvard away, the Terriers let Harvard creep closer. When BU had three offensive rebounds on one critical possession and Jeff Pelage was sent to the free throw line, the 6-foot-9 center missed both free throws. When BU was down three points late in the game and called a timeout, the next two Terrier offensive possessions resulted in turnovers leading to Harvard fast breaks.

The Crimson seized control of the game when control was offered -- but control was offered by the Terriers. There's no excuse for that.

The Day After: Boston University 69, Northeastern University 64 (OT)

Entering yesterday afternoon's game against the Huskies of Northeastern University, BU had played in five games. Each lasted 40 minutes, and each featured at least 70 possessions per team, with some of those games featuring several additional possessions. While BU's preferred tempo is not defined as a specific number, it's safe to say the Terriers want to play fast.

When yesterday's game concluded, BU had eclipsed the 70-possession mark, but it took 45 minutes to do so. At the end of regulation, the Terriers had only just passed 60 possessions, playing at a pace well within their opponent's preferred range but somewhat outside its own. To a certain degree, BU had been playing Northeastern's game.

But a funny thing happened when the Terriers arrived at Case Gym yesterday. Someone had taken the lids off the rims.

The Day After: Georgia Tech 85, Boston University 67

During the Terriers' first four games of the 2009-2010 season, each contest's constituent events -- the made shots, the missed shots, the hustle plays and the turnovers -- came together to tell their own story. The games were compelling enough in isolation. As poor as the BU offense has looked at times, up-and-down play makes for an exciting brand of basketball. But in context, an underlying question enhanced drama and fueled the tension felt by engaged observers. When would head coach Patrick Chambers secure his first win? When would the Terriers finally get over the hump?

By the time the Terriers stepped on the court to face Georgia Tech, those lingering questions had at last been answered, and in satisfying fashion. BU had its first win, one earned due to a praiseworthy effort against one of the biggest names in college basketball. Sunday offered a stiffer test, one posed by a team tailor-made to give the Terriers fits -- outstanding, physically imposing forwards with enough skill in the backcourt to keep BU honest at the defensive end.

And for 25 minutes, BU was up to the challenge.

The Day After: Kansas State University 80, Boston University 70

Another day, another loss. BU's margin of defeat in last night's game suggests a lack of improvement -- not backsliding, to be sure, but inching no closer to victory. Given context, specifically by the Terriers' opponent and the venue, and a 10-point defeat suggests something different altogether.

The Day After: George Washington University 69, Boston University 59

Yesterday's game, technically speaking, was not the beginning of the Terriers' season. That came on Friday against Iona, and it was an up-and-down, back-and-forth street fight of a contest, one where Iona's pressure proved too much for a depleted team and its new head coach to overcome. It was sloppy at times, it was marred by poor shooting and widespread foul trouble, but it was also fast-paced and exciting. The performances of Tyler Morris and Carlos Strong, when juxtaposed with the surprisingly inefficient play of John Holland and Corey Lowe, fueled hope the team's fortunes would improve quickly once Holland and Lowe regained their usual form.

The stage was set for yesterday evening: a home opener at Agganis Arena complete with fan giveaways, a familiar opponent, and four days to make adjustments fixing the problems caused by aggressive defenses and capable athletes. Better yet, Lowe and Holland woke up on the right side of the bed, recapturing their offensive prowess. The Terriers' dynamic duo combined for 45 points. A third offensive presence would certainly be enough to push BU over the hump and give head coach Patrick Chambers his first career win.

The Day After: Iona College 82, Boston University 73

Whether attending last night's season opener in New Rochelle, NY, or watching or listening to the game from afar, the excitement associated with the start of the Patrick Chambers Era was palpable. And in some respects, the Terriers' first game under their new head coach lived up to the hype. If nothing else, the game was fast -- 76 possessions per team, easily outstripping the pace set by last year's team.

But fast, it seems, applies to more than just the pace of the game. After months of preparation, it appears the final weeks leading up to last night's events may have gone by too quickly, for while the Terriers showed some positive signs, the results on the court were those of a team not quite ready for prime time. For every possession ending with an open shot, another ended with a turnover; every heady defensive play was counterbalanced by an unnecessary foul.

The Day After: (No. 6 UMBC 79, No. 3 BU 75, OT)

Boston University men’s basketball coach Dennis Wolff said before the 2009 America East Tournament that he though, unfortunately, his team would be judged on how they performed in the postseason. He threw in the unfortunately qualifier thrown in because, despite what may have seemed like an underachieving regular season given that the Terriers were pegged to finish first in the conference for the second-straight year and ended up in third, Wolff and his players managed to recover from the midseason loss of two of the team’s top five scorers (Tyler Morris and Carlos Strong) and record their first winning campaign in three years. BU’s 17 wins, eight of which came consecutively in one of the best stretches of basketball at BU since the early 2000s, were a success, but the failure to attain an 18th win is, as Wolff said, a bitter disappointment for the program.

Over three years ago, when Corey Lowe, Tyler Morris, Scott Brittain and Sherrod Smith took the court as wide-eyed freshman starters against George Washington University at Agganis Arena (and rookie Carlos Strong scored 19 off the bench) games like Saturday’s were what was on everyone’s mind afterward. The unbridled talent of this collection of players only needed experience to reach another level — a level that many hoped would produce the team’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2002. But after another one of what has been far too many late-game collapses by the Terriers over the last three seasons at the worst-possible time, those visions remain on the horizon. Lowe delivered a career-defining performance only to see it matched by Darryl Proctor’s 33 points and No. 6 UMBC’s 79-75 overtime victory.

For the first time in two seasons, the Terriers were ousted in the first round. And in a year in which so much history was made — the 100th season of BU basketball, Lowe’s 1,000th point, the program’s 1,000th win, the 200th win at Case Gymnasium, John Holland’s 543-point season, Lowe’s shattering of the all-time 3-point record — the ultimate symbol of a school’s immediate and historical success proved unattainable. Similar to his performance against Hartford, Holland appeared in-and-out of the contest. He was unstoppable at times, especially when he hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half and at others was relegated to a virtual non-factor player on the court. The same could be said about Rookie of the Year Jake O’Brien, who scored a career-high 25 points against defending champion UMBC at the RAC in late February, but was never really able to find his stroke.

Ultimately, it was Wolff’s necessary divergence from his gameplan and Proctor’s amazing effort — UMBC coach Randy Monroe called him a “willer” because he’s willed the Retrievers to victory so many times in the two years he’s played for them — that did the Terriers in. Wolff planned on pounding the ball in the post, but given how ineffective the forwards looked, that strategy quickly went by the wayside. With the offense not running through the post (as it had the majority of the time once BU lost Morris and Strong) the Terriers were a bit out of their element and if it weren’t for Lowe’s performance, they would have appeared completely out of sync.

It was the final game of Matt Wolff, Marques Johnson and Sam Tully’s careers. Next season will provide a much longer list of seniors in this paragraph, and the defeat for this talented team would be no less devastating.

UMBC will play top-seeded Binghamton at the Events Center on Saturday to decide who will get the conference’s automatic bid. The game is at 11:00 a.m. and can be seen on ESPN2.

Pros:
-- Corey Lowe: Not only did he deliver on the biggest stage of his career, but he slung the Terriers on his back and carried them through the game. After all the ankle injuries (and really, a career full of injuries) he appeared in top form knocking down runners, jumpers, deep treys and contested layups. His emotions at the end of the game told the whole story. Lowe will only have one more chance to play in an NCAA Tournament game. If you thought his effort in Albany was inspired, there’s no telling what fans could be in store for next season in Hartford.
-- Holland’s second half: Holland scoring 20 points is a testament to how effective he can be when he’s completely “in” the game. In the inaudible mumbles he offered after the contest, the only thing that was really English was, “I didn’t do what I was supposed to do,” in regard to his three points in the first half. Holland is an elite offensive superstar when he wants to be; the challenge for Wolff and his assistants is getting him to show that every night. He did for most of the season, but when he doesn’t, it becomes blatantly obvious and really hurts the Terriers.
-- Matt Wolff’s effort: In what ended up being his final game in a BU uniform and being coached by his father, Matt turned in a commendable performance, grabbing nine boards and dishing out six assists. He played all 45 minutes after suffering a concussion six days prior, but showed no ill-effects.

Cons:
-- BU’s forwards: Dennis Wolff is always cautious about calling his players out in a public forum, but following BU’s first-round exit, he showed no hesitation to mention how disappointed he was in the “4 and 5” positions. While he didn’t name names, it was evident that he was unhappy with the effort put forth by Scott Brittain and Jeff Pelage. Brittain has been stuck in Wolff’s dog house all season, constantly being pleaded with to show more aggression on the court and, as Wolff says, play off two feet. He didn’t Saturday. Combined with Pelage’s five turnovers and no assists as well as both Brittain and Jake O’Brien fouling out in regulation, the Terriers’ fate might have been sealed even before Proctor tied the game.
-- Defense of Proctor: Understand that this does not include the final minutes of the game after Brittain and O’Brien fouled out, because the shot Proctor made shows why he was a leading candidate for the Player of the Year award. Before that, however, he was scoring at will against BU’s zone and man-to-man, hitting mid-range jumpers and making strong cuts along the baseline.
-- First-round exit: It seems obvious, but this team hadn’t lost in the first round in two seasons. And given that the University at Albany upset UVM in overtime just before BU tipped off, the Terriers’ path to a championship game appearance for the first time since 2002-03 looked bright. It wasn’t to be, however, and BU will have an entire offseason to think about the loss and prepare for next year.

Links:
Proctor, UMBC knock of Terriers in AE Tourney
Lowe's 33 point effort not enough in crushing loss
BU, UVM knocked out

The Day After: (BU 67, Hartford 57, OT)

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

The Day After: (BU 76, Maine 65)

Regardless of the fact that the victory came against the University of Maine (one of the two clear-cut sub-par teams in the conference), the Terriers pieced together one of their most complete team efforts of the season. The win was significant in marking the 1,000th win in program history in the 100th season of basketball at Boston University.

In addition, John Holland became the second player under BU coach Dennis Wolff to score 500+ points in a season and he's clearly developing into one of the best offensive players to ever set foot in Case Gymnasium/Agganis Arena. His Dr. J-esque dunk last night against two Maine defenders was just as good as not better than his rim-rocker that earned the number one spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 a few weeks ago.

Jake O'Brien and Jeff Pelage also threw it down last night in the 76-65 victory, as Pelage's flush capped a 10-point, 12-rebound performance that emphasized a stretch of his best play of the season. For the Terriers, Pelage's improved play and consistency couldn't come at a better time as they've got one game remaining (against the University of Hartford) before the start of the conference tournament (BU is locked into the third seed and will play the 2:30 game against the No. 6 seed on Saturday).

While the win ensured the Terriers' first winning season since 2004-05, it also marked the return of a team fans became familiar with during BU's eight-game winning streak. Holland and Pelage both recorded double-doubles (though Holland's could have easily gone to O'Brien as the two came down with a rebound, and Holland ripped the ball from O'Brien to get credit for his 10th board) and Lowe had one of his best facilitator games of the season (seven assists, one turnover) and found his shooting stroke in the second half.

The most important thing is that the Terriers are feeling more confident in their abilities than they were a week ago and even though O'Brien and Lowe are playing on tender ankles, the training staff feels they are healthy enough to play and the week off before the start of the tournament should be very beneficial.

In the press conference, Gatorade was set out for the players (an uncommon occurrence), to which Holland exclaimed when he walked in, "We have Gatorade tonight!" Wolff promptly responded, with a straight faced, dry-humor tone, "Let me have John's Gatorade since he didn't pass the ball to Matt." There's no better scenario for a team than to be loose and playing well entering the tournament and if the Terriers win on Sunday (senior day) against Hartford, they'll be just that.

A note: Be sure to log onto the blog at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday for a special live blog of the women's basketball team's game against the University of Maine, run by Scott McLaughlin, Jake Seiner and Dan Ventresca. They will blog the final two games in BU's quest for a 16-0 conference season as well as the America East Tournament in Hartford.

Pros:
-- Jeff Pelage's aggressiveness/double-double: The imposing rookie has strung together a week of increasingly impressive performances between games and practice and it shows. If he can continue playing at such a high level entering the tournament, the Terriers have as good a "secret weapon" as any team in the bracket.
-- Corey Lowe's second-half shooting: Lowe found his stroke after a rough first half from beyond the arc. Coming out of the locker room, he his his first shot in warmups and gave a look like, "why couldn't I do that the whole first half?" He certainly did in the second, and if he can continue to stay locked in (both passing- and shooting-wise) it will greatly benefit the Terriers.
-- Jake O'Brien's tolerance: O'Brien suffered a sprained ankle Tuesday and it was significantly swollen, yet toughed it out and delivered an 18-point, 9-rebound performance on Thursday.

Cons:
-- Maine's first-half offense: Maine was finding too many open cuts to the basket and scoring with ease. Other teams will learn to exploit BU's zone in a similar manner if things don't tighten up.

Links:
Terriers simply grand
M. BBall tops Maine in postseason tuneup

The Day After: (BU 63, Iona 57)

The win marked two straight years BU's won the ESPNU Bracketbusters game, but much more importantly, it put an end to BU's three-game losing streak in which the Terriers appeared to be reverting to their "old ways" that plagued them mid-season. Instead, however, the win may serve to get the Terriers back on track and with games against the bottom two teams in the conference left before the tournament, it could serve as a springboard for playing better basketball come the first weekend in March.

Pros:
-- Jake O'Brien's shooting: Granted he was getting some open looks, but it's still good to see him knocking them down. There's been some inconsistency in his shot over the course of the season, but if he can get into a rhythm from the outside, the Terriers could be dangerous.
-- Jeff Pelage's play: Same said of O'Brien can be said for Pelage. He's a physical post presence that the team's been lacking, but has been playing much better of late. Increased productive minutes from the rookie would help all facets of BU's game in the tournament.

Cons:
-- Lowe's turned ankle: It's unknown how long Lowe will be out for, but the injury certainly didn't look good, and seeing any player hobble off the court on crutches is never a welcome sight, especially when he's one of the best to play at BU. The Terriers will need him for the tournament, and all eyes will be on his recovery.
-- Turnovers: Twenty one turnovers against any team is never good, but BU has begun to set a trend of accumulating turnovers against man-to-man defense more often than not. It's what bothered them most (among other things) against Vermont and may serve as an unfortunate blueprint for opponents if the trend continues.

Links:
Gael-force win for Terriers
Freshmen O'Brien and Pelage step up for BU

The Day After: (Stony Brook 66, BU 54)

From the second he stepped on the court as a freshman, Corey Lowe has started 74-of-76 games (with the two exceptions coming last season) and boasts a career average of 34.1 minutes per game. He's been the unquestioned face of the program over the past three seasons and one of the most exciting players in BU history, as he's already taken over the top spot for most 3-pointers made in a career and is 11th on the all-time list in points scored.

Wednesday night against Stony Brook University, he played a season-low 11 minutes. It appeared as though Lowe (17.5 points per game) was being held on the bench by BU coach Dennis Wolff to avoid picking up his fourth personal foul, but it soon became apparent Wolff wasn't going to send his starting point guard back out, saying "we went with the guys who I thought would give us the best chance to win."

While the Terriers did manage to cut into the Seawolves' 15-point lead and pull within one without Lowe on the floor, there's no doubt he would have helped BU's winning effort. It's the second time this season Wolff has made the decision to bench a healthy Lowe, while the other was disciplinary because he picked up two technical fouls in the same game against Holy Cross.

Granted Lowe's had his bouts of mild controversy before (missing two games freshman year, the technicals this season, etc.), but one would be hard-pressed to believe the Newton native could have done something so drastic in the first half of the loss to Stony Brook to warrant his benching for the entire second half. Even if he did something wrong, the benching comes as a surprise because when he and John Holland combined for 17 points in the loss to Binghamton Wolff said postgame that "when Lowe and Holland combine for 17 points, we're not going to win many games." Unless Wolff really needed to send another disciplinary message to Lowe, the decision is significant if that quote supports his logic, given that the mission of any team this time of year is to be playing as a cohesive unit and on top of their game come tourney time.

On the heels of being benched against Albany, Lowe turned around and soon helped propel the Terriers to an eight-game winning streak, playing the best basketball of his career. In order to gain enough confidence as a team in the three games remaining before the tournament, Lowe (presuming he will be awarded his regular amount of playing time as Wolff said he would following the SBU loss) will need to return to his high-level of play that carried BU through its best stretch of basketball since 2005.

Pros:
-- Second-half comeback: As unusual as the benching of Lowe was, the fact that the Terriers were able to come back without him on the floor bodes well for the future when he may actually have to sit out for foul trouble.
-- Matt Wolff's performance: Wolff grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and dished out seven assists to make up for his poor showing (and benching the game before) as well as Lowe's absence (assist-wise).

Cons:
-- Post-presence in the first half: The Terriers didn't make much of an effort to get the ball inside in the first half and it was a large reason why they were down big at the half. To the coaching staff and players' credit, the forwards did a much better job inside in the second half.
-- Slow start: It seems as though an all-too common theme this season has been a slow start to the game. Always having to come back is no way to play basketball, especially on what have to be tired legs with all four starters averaging over 30 minutes per game. Whether it's in the way the players practice, the way the coaching staff prepares the team or a combination of both, one slow start in the tournament could be all it takes to dash BU's title hopes.

Links:
Terriers lose to SBU; Lowe benched
Time to panic?