Men's Basketball Hosts Rhode Island at Agganis Arena Tuesday
November 28, 2005 | Men's Basketball
RADIO-TV COVERAGE: The BU-URI game will be broadcast on radio on WTTT 1150-AM. Doug Brown and former BU captain Billy Collins will provide the call. The radio broadcast can be accessed on the internet at http://www.bu.edu/athletics/fans/tv-radio-schedule.html. The game can also be heard on 89.3 WTBU-FM with Seth Needle and Brian Maurer providing the call. That broadcast can be heard on the internet at www.wtburadio.org.
BU-URI HISTORY: The Rams lead the all-time series 19-11 in a rivalry that began back in the 1916-17 season, a 24-22 BU win. The Rams have won three of four in the Dennis Wolff era at BU, however the Terriers had the upper-hand in the most recent meeting, a 73-68 win at URI last season. Rhode Island defeated BU in the first round of the 2004 postseason NIT, 80-52, and also downed the Terriers 86-63 on Nov. 30, 1997 (in Boston), and 69-61 on Dec. 23, 1996 (in Kingston, R.I.).
LAST YEAR VS. URI: Chaz Carr scored 25 points, while Etienne Brower added 14 and Rashad Bell had 10 leading BU to a 73-68 win at Rhode Island on Nov. 30, 2004. The Terriers shot 49% from the field and hit 21-24 free throws - including their first 18 - while forcing 18 Ram turnovers. The Terriers led 33-32 at halftime and quickly stretched the advantage to 11, 53-42 less than seven minutes into the second half on Shaun WynnâÂ?TMs three-pointer. URI would get no closer than the final margin of five the rest of the way.
AGGANIS ARENA: The Terriers will be playing their fourth game ever at the gleaming new Agganis Arena, which opened its doors last January to both the BU hockey team and the BU basketball team. The Terrier hoopsters christened the arena with a 61-55 victory over Vermont on Feb. 12, 2005, in front of a raucous crowd of 5,736. BU is 1-2 all-time at Agganis, including a 63-48 setback to Northeastern on Feb. 20, 2005, and a 51-46 loss to Michigan on Nov. 22, 2005. The Terriers will play two more games at Agganis Arena this season (Vermont 1/22, and Maine 1/29), and seven at their other home, Case Gymnasium. More on BUâÂ?TMs dual homes later in these notes.
Harry Agganis was a star athlete at BU in the early 1950âÂ?TMs. He was an All-American at quarterback for the Terrier football team and also a stalwart on the baseball diamond, where he was eventually drafted by and played for the Boston Red Sox. He left BU holding school records in football for passing yardage, touchdown passes, punting average, and interceptions. His life came to a short and tragic end, as he died of a massive pulmonary embolism in 1955.
BACK-TO-BACK VS. A-10: BU will play a pair of Atlantic-10 members this week as they take on URI on Tuesday then travel to Washington, D.C., for a game against 22nd-ranked George Washington on Friday. In 2004-05, the Terriers were 2-1 against A-10 teams, beating URI and Fordham and losing by two at Massachusetts.
THE COACHES: The Terriers are led by 12th year head coach Dennis Wolff (Connecticut âÂ?~78). Wolff is 192-136 (.585) in his career at BU, 222-154 (.590) in 14 years overall, including a 30-18 record in two seasons at Connecticut College. Wolff is the all-time leader in victories at BU, having surpassed Mike Jarvis (101) on Jan. 22, 2001. Wolff is a three-time America East Coach of the year (1997, 2003, 2004) and has twice been named both NABC District I and New England Coach of the Year (1997, 2004).
Under Wolff, BU has dominated in America East play, sporting a stout 124-67 (.649) mark, including 71-25 (.740) in home league contests. Wolff has led the Terriers to at least a share of four America East regular-season titles (1997, 2002, 2003, and 2004) and two America East Tournament championships (1997, 2002). BU has advanced to a pair of NCAA Tournaments under Wolff and has won 20 or more games on five occasions during his tenure.
WolffâÂ?TMs assistants are Orlando Vandross (America International âÂ?~92), Mike Winiecki (Richmond âÂ?~89) and Mike Costello (BU âÂ?~00).
Rhode Island is led by Jim Baron (St. Bonaventure âÂ?~77), who is 56-68 in his fifth year at URI, 262-270 in his 19th year overall. Baron was the 2002-03 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and led the Rams to consecutive NIT appearances (2003, 2004).
BU vs. ATLANTIC 10: 50-83 all-time against current members of the Atlantic-10 conference. BU went 2-1 against the A-10 in 2004-05 (wins over URI and Fordham, loss to Massachusetts). The Terriers have three games against the A-10 this season - the next two against URI and George Washington, and at Massachusetts on Dec. 12.
Dennis Wolff is 6-13 against the Atlantic-10 in his career at BU. His Terriers have knocked off at least one A-10 school in each of the last two seasons, with a win over Fordham in 2003-04 and the aforementioned victories over URI and Fordham last year. A look at BUâÂ?TMs all-time marks against the Atlantic 10, with WolffâÂ?TMs career record in parentheses:
Charlotte 1-4 (1-1)
Dayton 0-0 (0-0)
Duquesne 0-0 (0-0)
Fordham 4-0 (3-0)
George Washington 1-12 (0-4)
LaSalle 1-1 (1-0)
Massachusetts 29-38 (0-3)
Rhode Island 11-19 (1-3)
Richmond 2-1 (0-0)
St. JosephâÂ?TMs 0-3 (0-2)
Saint Louis 0-0 (0-0)
St. Bonaventure 0-2 (0-0)
Temple 0-3 (0-0)
Xavier 1-0 (0-0)
RIDER RECAP: Brian Macon, Brendan Sullivan and Corey Hassan all scored career-highs, however it was not enough to earn BU its first win, as the Terriers dropped a 71-64 decision at Rider on Nov. 26 in Lawrenceville, N.J.
BU, which trailed by as many as 20 in the second half, went on a spirited 15-2 run to cut the deficit to five, 64-59 with 1:55 remaining in the game. Hassan hit three three-pointers to lead the spurt, and Macon added a pair of hoops as well. However the Terriers could not quite get over the hump as they committed a pair of turnovers down the stretch and Rider hit 7-11 from the free throw line to salt away the win.
Sullivan led the Terriers with 15 points, while Hassan and Macon added 14 apiece.
Rider opened the game hitting a pair of threes to take a 6-0 lead less than two minutes in. The Broncs hit four of their first six shots in the early going, while BU was just 2-7 from the field to dig its early hole. A Tony Gaffney two brought the Terriers to within three, 10-7, however, Rider proceeded to go on a 12-4 run to jump out to a 22-11 lead. BU responded quickly, as Sullivan buried a pair of three-pointers less than 30 seconds apart to cut the deficit to five, 22-17.
BU would go on a drought which would see it score just two more buckets in the nine minutes following SullivanâÂ?TMs treys. Rider would go on a 15-4 run to take its largest lead of the half, 37-21 with under a minute remaining. Macon temporarily stopped the bleeding with a three with 26 seconds left, but Terrance Mouton hit a runner in the paint to give the Broncs a 39-24 halftime advantage.
BUâÂ?TMs inside game suffered, as the Terriers were without the services of freshman big man Ben Coblyn and Rider packed things in with a tight 1-2-2 zone, forcing BU to shoot from outside. BU shot just 29.4% (10-34) from the field in the opening 20 minutes, while Rider connected on 48.3% (14-29).
The Broncs extended their lead to 19 early in the second half, scoring seven of the first 10 points. Hassan drilled a three for BUâÂ?TMs scoring, and Macon registered an old-fashioned three-point play at the 16-minute mark to bring BU back to within 16, 46-30. The Broncs upped the lead to 50-30, before BU tore off an 8-0 run to get within 12, their smallest deficit to that point. Sullivan hit another three and Gaffney had a three-point play to lead the spurt.
RIDER NOTABLE:
- BU fell to 1-2 all-time against Rider. The Terriers and Broncs had not played in 10 years prior to SaturdayâÂ?TMs meeting.
- The last time BU had three players score in double figures was Feb. 24, 2005, against Maine: Chaz Carr (21), Rashad Bell (17), Tony Gaffney (12).
- BU hit 10 three-pointers, its highest total since the Terriers drained 11 treys against Hartford on Feb. 7, 2004.
- Brendan SullivanâÂ?TMs 15 points were the most for a BU freshman since Matt Wolff scored 17 against Fordham on Nov. 24, 2004.
- SullivanâÂ?TMs five three-pointers are the most for a Terrier since Shaun Wynn hit 5-5 against Harvard on Dec. 7, 2004.
- Sullivan scored the first points of his Terrier career. Prior to his 15-point explosion on Saturday, he had only played in one game, logging 10 minutes without taking a shot at Duke.
- The Terriers are still not getting to the free-throw line with any regularity. BU shot just two charity tosses against Rider, seven against Michigan and four at Duke. BU is 8-13 from the foul line while its foes are 47-71 - a difference of 58 attempts. BU has been outscored by 39 points at the free-throw line this season (47-8) and by just 29 points (186-157) overall.
- Brian Macon was very aggressive against the Broncs, driving frequently and scoring most of his baskets in the paint - no small order for the 5-8 point guard. In addition to his 14 points, Macon had four assists, including several nice passes leading to hoops through the tight Rider zone.
- The Terriers began the season with a sizzling 48.9% shooting performance at Duke. The success rate has gone down in each of the last two games, however. BU shot 34.6 against Michigan and just 34.2% against Rider.
- The 64 points were a season-high for the Terriers and their most in seven games dating back to last season. BU scored less than 64 in each of its final three games of 2004-05 and had not tallied more since a 66-50 win against Maine on Feb. 24, 2005.
- Macon became the first Terrier other than Shaun Wynn to lead the team in assists. Macon had a Terrier-best five against the Broncs. Wynn had six dishes against Duke and seven against Michigan to lead the team.
- Ben Coblyn missed the game due to a high ankle sprain - the first active Terrier to sit out due to injury this season. Coblyn missed all of three games in 2004-05 due to back problems, and eventually redshirted. He is questionable against URI.
- BU has now had three different players lead the team in scoring in its first three games: Ben Coblyn (9) at Duke, Kevin Gardner (12) vs. Michigan, and Brendan Sullivan (15) at Rider.
- Wynn has 16 assists and just five turnovers on the season, a 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has brought his career average up to 1.92, fifth best in school annals.
- The Terriers have employed the same starting lineup in each of their first three games... Ibrahim Konate, Shaun Wynn, Corey Hassan, Kevin Gardner and Brian Macon have been the starters each time out for BU.
- The Terrier starters accounted for 38 of BUâÂ?TMs 64 points Saturday, while the bench scored 26. That is the highest bench production of the season for BU.
HASSAN THE ASSASSIN: Just three games into the season, true freshman Corey Hassan is proving to be BUâÂ?TMs biggest long distance threat. The Merrimack, N.H., product leads the team with eight three-pointers, and in fact just four of his 28 shots on the season have not come from behind the arc. Although very early, Hassan has a chance to be one of the great freshman three-point shooters in school history. Paul Seymour made 70 threes as a rookie in 1999-2000, while Chaz Carr hit 45 during his freshman year of 2001-02. Hassan is tops on the Terriers with 10.0 ppg as well. The last freshman to lead BU in scoring was Tunji Awojobi, who averaged 18.9 ppg in 1993-94.
BU TOP-10 FRESHMAN THREE-POINTERS MADE
No. Name Total Year
1. Paul Seymour 70 1999-2000
2. Chaz Carr 45 2001-02
3. Tremain Byrd 38 1993-94
Jason Grochowalski 38 2000-01
5. LeVar Folk 35 1995-96
6. Raja Bell 33 1994-95
7. Mike Costello 32 1996-97
8. Mark Daly 22 1988-89
9. Brian Holden 21 1990-91
10. Barry Huckeby 19 1991-92
A HELPING HAND: Senior Shaun Wynn continues to get his teammates the ball in scoring opportunities. Wynn has handed out a team-high 16 assists in three games, including a game-high six at Duke (the same amount as the entire Blue Devil team) and seven against Michigan. He has and picked up where he left off in 2004-05. Last season, Wynn was fifth in the America East with 100 assists (3.4 apg) and he now has 228 for his career. Jeff Timberlake âÂ?~89 holds the school record with 772 dishes, but Wynn could climb into the top-10 with a solid year; Jim Schwartz âÂ?~97 currently is 10th all-time at BU with 332 assists.
A FAMILY AFFAIR: For BU head coach Dennis Wolff, the office can feel like home sometimes. His son, Matt, is a sophomore guard on the Terriers this season. Matt Wolff, who is 6-6 and played in every game as a freshman, is a solid defender who can light it up from the outside and creates match-up problems for opposing defenses. Matt played his high school ball at Walpole HS, where the family lives, where he averaged 19 ppg as a senior. The basketball connection for the Wolff family does not end with the father-son combo; Nicole Wolff, DennisâÂ?TM daughter and MattâÂ?TMs sister plays for the University of Connecticut as a junior guard. Dennis Wolff graduated from UConn in 1978, where he was a two-year letterwinner.
IN THE POLLS: BU has not received any votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches top-25 poll. The Terriers have scheduled four opponents who appear in the rankings: Number-one Duke (BUâÂ?TMs opponent on 11/14) and no. 22 George Washington (12/2) are ranked. Michigan (11/22) received enough votes to unofficially be ranked 43rd, while Bucknell (12/28) received one vote, unofficially checking in at no. 51.
COUNTDOWN TO 200: Dennis Wolff is just eight wins shy of his 200th win at BU. Wolff is 192-136 in 12 seasons on the Terrier bench and is already the schoolâÂ?TMs all-time leader in victories. Wolff won his first game at BU in his debut, an 80-78 victory over Rider on Nov. 25, 1994. It took Wolff 80 games to reach the 50-win mark, 108 games to go from 50 to 100, and 83 games to go from 100 to 150. BU is 42-14 since Wolff won his 150th game.
Dennis Wolff: DEAN OF AMERICA EAST COACHES: With the retirement of VermontâÂ?TMs Tom Brennan at the end of last season, Dennis Wolff is now the elder statesman among America East coaches. Wolff is in his 12th season on the bench, and no other leading man in the conference has coached at his current school for more than five years. Brennan had been at Vermont for 20 years. WolffâÂ?TMs 192 wins at BU are more than the coaches at the other eight schools in the America East combined (174). In terms of total years coached among league mentors, WolffâÂ?TMs 13 total years of experience trails New HampshireâÂ?TMs Bill Herrion (18), BinghamtonâÂ?TMs Al Walker (17) and UMBCâÂ?TMs Randy Monroe (14).
BU ON TV: The Terriers will make a minimum of seven television appearances in 2005-06. BU begins the season at Duke on ESPN2 in the preseason NIT. The Terriers will then play three games at Agganis Arena (Michigan, 11/22; Vermont, 1/22; Maine, 1/29) on the New England Sports Network (NESN) as part of a university package with the station. Eric Frede will provide play-by-play for those games, with Ronny Perry handling analysis. The Terriers will also be televised at Holy Cross (NESN), Massachusetts (CN8), Albany (2/4 - NESN) and at Vermont (2/23 - NESN).
SPECIAL GUESTS HIGHLIGHT RADIO BROADCASTS: BU alum Doug Brown returns to the microphone to broadcast Terrier basketball over the airwaves this season. A collection of former Terrier players and former rival coaches will aid Brown in providing color analysis.
Former forward Billy Collins (2000-2003) will serve as the color commentator in the majority of the broadcasts. Collins will anchor Brown in all 11 home games, as well as select road contests. Collins was a two-year starter and three-year captain for BU and averaged 10.3 ppg in 74 career games in the Scarlet and White. Former Vermont head coach Tom Brennan, who led the Catamounts to the second-round of the NCAA Tournament in 2005 before retiring in the off-season, will work games at Duke (11/14) and at Binghamton (2/14). Dave Wallace (1992-95), who was captain of Dennis WolffâÂ?TMs first team at BU, will work the games at George Washington (12/2) and at UMBC (1/5). BU Hall-of-Famer Drederick Irving (1984-88), who is second in Terrier history with 1,931 points, will work the Rider game (11/26). Jim Schwartz (1994-97), who was a captain on the Terriers 1997 America East championship team, will work at Stony Brook (1/19), and former Boston College and Ohio State head coach Jim OâÂ?TMBrien will call games at Canisius (1/22) and at the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara (12/28-29).
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: Despite losing its top three leading scorers from a team that went 20-9 and advanced to the NIT a year ago, the Terriers were chosen to finish second in the America East Preseason CoachesâÂ?TM Poll. BU garnered 52 total points, including three first place votes, to finish behind Albany and just ahead of Maine. This marks the third straight season BU has been the coachesâÂ?TM choice to finish second. The Terriers were picked to win the conference in 2002-03. BU won the league crown in 2002-04 and finished third in 2005.
Preseason CoachesâÂ?TM Poll
Rank) Team - Points (First-Place Votes)
1) Albany - 61 (5)
2) Boston U. - 52 (3)
3) Maine - 46 (1)
4) Binghamton - 43
5) Hartford - 41
6) Vermont - 31
7) Stony Brook - 21
8) UMBC - 15
9) New Hampshire - 14
WYNN PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: Senior guard Shaun Wynn (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was tabbed by league coaches as a preseason all-conference selection. Wynn led the Terriers with 3.4 assists per game in 2004-05 and his 2.27-1 assist-to-turnover ratio was the seventh-best in school history. Wynn was the 2003-04 America East Defensive Player of the Year.
Preseason All-Conference Team
Lucious Jordan, Albany
Jamar Wilson, Albany
Andre Heard, Binghamton
Shaun Wynn, Boston U.
Kevin Reed, Maine
FOUR INCREDIBLE YEARS: The BU basketball program has flourished in the last four seasons under head coach Dennis Wolff, accomplishing things never seen before in the programâÂ?TMs 103-year history. BU went 20-9 in 2004-05, the TerriersâÂ?TM fourth consecutive 20-win season. BU went 22-10 in 2001-02, 20-11 in 2002-03 and 23-6 in 2003-04. The 85 wins are the most in any four-year period in program history. Prior to 2001-02, BU basketball had achieved 20 or more wins just seven times in 92 seasons of competition. The Terriers also earned an invitation to the 2005 postseason NIT, marking the fourth consecutive season the school participated in postseason play. BU earned an NCAA Tournament bid in 2001-02, and has been to the NIT three straight years. Prior to 2001-02, BU basketball had made seven postseason appearances: NCAA in 1959, 1983, 1988, 1990 and 1997, and NIT in 1980 and 1986.
BU LEADS NATION IN FG PCT DEFENSE IN 04-05: A major reason for BUâÂ?TMs success last season was its ability to gum up opposing offenses. BU led the nation in field goal percentage defense, allowing foes to shoot just 37.1% from the floor. The Terriers also held opponents to just 55.7 ppg, the third-lowest total in the country. BU allowed 59 points or less in 18 of 29 games last year, and the Terriers were 16-2 in those contests. The Terriers completely neutralized Hartford on Jan. 6, holding the Hawks to just 22 points in a 73-22 victory; it was the lowest point total scored by a Terrier opponent in 64 years.
TOP THREE SCORERS DEPART: The Terriers lost 59% of their scoring output from last year with the graduation of Rashad Bell and Chaz Carr and the transfer to UMass of Etienne Brower. Bell led the team with 15.6 ppg and finished his career ninth all-time in scoring at BU with 1,367 points. Carr averaged 13.1 ppg and was eighth all-time in scoring with 1,406 points. Brower averaged 8.3 ppg. At least one member of the trio led the Terriers in scoring in 26 of 29 games.
DUAL HOMES OF BU BASKETBALL: BU will split its home games this season, playing four contests at the sparkling new Agganis Arena, which opened in January 2005, and seven games at its traditional home, Case Gymnasium, otherwise known as âÂ?oeThe Roof.âÂ?Â? The games at Agganis Arena feature some of the heavyweights on BUâÂ?TMs schedule, as the Terriers host Michigan (11/22), Rhode Island (11/29), Vermont (1/22) and Maine (1/29). The Maine contest will be the nightcap of a doubleheader with the womenâÂ?TMs team. Agganis Arena seats 7,200 and was christened in basketball last season when the Terriers upset Vermont 61-55. Agganis Arena is the permanent home of BU menâÂ?TMs hockey and the facility will host the early rounds of the 2007 America East MenâÂ?TMs Basketball Championships.
BU has played at The Roof since 1972-73, compiling an extraordinary 180-74 (.709) record there. Dennis Wolff-coached teams have been even better, running up a 94-32 (.746) mark at Case since his arrival in 1994-95. BU has a current nine-game home win streak at The Roof and is 39-8 (.830) there since the beginning of 2001-02.
A LITTLE GREEN: The 2005-06 edition of BU basketball ranks among the youngest in the America East. The 12 players on the active roster have combined to start 90 games in their college careers - 89 of which have come from two players. Seniors Shaun Wynn and Kevin Gardner have combined for 167 games played and 89 starts, leaving the other 11 Terriers with 106 games played and one start (Matt Wolff, last season) between them. Only Vermont has a more inexperienced team, as the Catamounts lost four starters who helped lead them to three straight NCAA Tournament berths. A look at the leagueâÂ?TMs experience coming in to 2005-06:
School Games Started Games Played
Vermont 40 177
BU 90 273
UMBC 119 289
New Hampshire 126 228
Maine 133 292
Binghamton 155 283
Stony Brook 169 299
Albany 247 396
Hartford 271 449
In terms of total games played on the current roster, this is not the youngest BU team in Dennis WolffâÂ?TMs 12 years. The 1999-2000 Terriers combined for just 231 career games played heading into the season.
WYNN IN THE RECORD BOOKS: After WynnâÂ?TMs lethally efficient season last year, in which he handed out 100 assists and recorded 53 steals while only committing 44 turnovers, the senior guard has an opportunity to leave his mark in the Terrier record books. Wynn has 127 career steals, just five shy of cracking the top-10 all-time at BU. Shawn Teague holds the school mark with 201 thefts, but a comparable season to 2004-05 could move Wynn as high as fourth. Wynn also has a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.92, the fifth-best in school annals. Jeff Timberlake (âÂ?~89) is tops on the list at 2.24.
ELITE COMPANY: BU has won 20+ games in each of the last four seasons. The Terriers are one of just 23 Division-I programs in the nation that can boast such a streak: BU, Vermont, Wake Forest, Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Connecticut, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Utah State, Memphis, Kent State, Southern Illinois, Creighton, Utah, Arizona, Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi State and Gonzaga.
MORRIS OUT FOR THE SEASON: Freshman guard Tyler Morris (Indianapolis, Ind.) will miss the entire season after tearing several ligaments in his foot in preseason practice. Morris, who was expected to contend for playing time in the backcourt, landed on a teammateâÂ?TMs foot less than two weeks into practice, and underwent surgery on November 7 to repair the ligaments. Morris will redshirt this season and return for his freshman year of eligibility in 2006-07.
MACON: A RARE JUCO FIND FOR BU: Guard Brian Macon becomes just the second junior college transfer to suit up for the Terriers in Dennis WolffâÂ?TMs 12 seasons. Macon comes to BU from Miami Dade College, where he averaged 10.1 ppg and 7.1 apg for a SharksâÂ?TM team that went 27-5 and won the Southern Conference. Stijn Dhondt (2001-02) is the only other juco player in the Dennis Wolff era.
NOT AFRAID TO PLAY THE BIG BOYS: A staple of the Terriers under Dennis Wolff has been their willingness to play anyone, anytime, anywhere. A look at some of the major programs BU has gone up against in the regular season in WolffâÂ?TMs first 11 years: Providence, Kentucky, Duke, Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Carolina State, George Washington, Rhode Island, TCU, Connecticut, Alabama, Colorado, Massachusetts, California, Iowa, Boston College, Stanford, Florida State, Arizona, St. JosephâÂ?TMs and Michigan. Some of the most significant wins in school history have come against this list, including back-to-back victories at Michigan (2003 and 2004) and a 15-point win over Florida State in 2002.
