OPENING TIP: The Boston University men's basketball team begins play in the 2006 America East Tournament Saturday afternoon, when the no. 3 seed Terriers (12-15 overall, 9-7 America East) take on the no. 6 seed Vermont Catamounts (11-16, 7-9). Game time is 2:30 p.m. at the Events Center in Vestal, N.Y., hosted by Binghamton University. The winner of the BU-UVM game will face the winner of the Maine-Binghamton game in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. The championship game of the America East Tournament is Mar. 11 at the site of the highest-remaining seed. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers have matched their season-high with three straight wins, including a 69-64 overtime victory at Vermont on Feb. 23. The Catamounts have lost four straight and were swept by the Terriers for the first time in nine years, including a 43-41 setback in Boston on Jan. 22.
2006 AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
(@Vestal, N.Y.)
Friday, Mar. 3
#8 UMBC (9-18) vs. #9 Stony Brook (4-23), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 4
#2 Binghamton (15-12) vs. #7 Maine (12-15), 12 p.m.
#3 Boston U. (12-15) vs. #6 Vermont (11-16), 2:30 p.m.
#1 Albany (18-10) vs. Stony Brook-UMBC winner, 6 p.m.
#4 Hartford (13-14) vs. #5 New Hampshire (11-16), 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, Mar. 5
Binghamton/Maine winner vs. BU/Vermont winner, 12 p.m.
Albany/SB-UMBC winner vs. UNH/Hart. winner, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 11
Championship game (@highest remaining seed), 12 p.m.
A CHANCE TO HOST: If the Terriers win a pair of games this weekend and top seed Albany loses either Saturday or Sunday, BU would host the America East Championship game with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. The game would be Saturday, Mar. 11, at noon, at The Roof. Please check back to www.GoTerriers.com for more information this weekend.
RADIO-TV COVERAGE: The BU-Vermont game will be broadcast on radio in the Boston area on WTTT-1150-AM. Doug Brown and former Terrier captain Billy Collins will provide the call. The WTTT broadcast can be accessed on the Athletic Department web site.
The tournament can also be followed on the internet at the America East's Championship live site. Championship news, stats and game coverage is available at this link.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: BU is 36-21 all-time in America East Tournament play (including when the league was known as the ECAC North from 1979-82 and the ECAC North Atlantic Conference from 1982-96). The Terriers have won the title on five occasions, most recently in 2002, and they have been to the championship game a league-best 12 times. The Terriers are looking to reverse a trend which has seen them losE their first tournament game in each of the last two seasons, however BU is 15-7 in quarterfinal action all-time. BU and Vermont are meeting for the fifth time in the America East Tournament, with each team having won twice. The Catamounts downed the Terriers 56-55 in the The Roof in the 2002 finale to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. BU is 1-1 against Vermont in quarterfinal action in tournament history, including a 1981 loss, 85-84 in triple overtime, and a 1983 victory, 80-75.
IT HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE: In the 23-year history of the league tournament, the no. 3 seed has captured the title once: Delaware in 1993. The other 22 champions have come from either the no. 1 seed (16) or no. 2 seed (6). BU is 6-5 all-time as a no. 3 seed, although the Terriers have never won a title from that position. The Terriers have reached the championship game as a no. 3 seed on two occasions, 1986 and 1987, but were defeated each time.
ABOUT VERMONT: The Catamounts are 11-15 and have lost four straight games, however they are the three-time defending America East Tournament champions. UVM has won nine straight league tournament games and has represented the America East in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons - including last year, when the Catamounts upset Big East champion Syracuse in the first round. Vermont is the youngest team in the America East, with only one starter returning from last year and 12 of the 14 players on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores. Vermont is led by freshman guard Mike Trimboli, who is averaging a team-high 14.1 ppg and leads the America East with 5.7 apg. Junior forward Martin Klimes is averaging 11.6 ppg and hauling down 5.4 rpg. As a team, UVM is averaging 64.4 ppg and shooting 43.2% from the field, 34.7% from three-point range. The Catamounts are allowing 64.6 ppg and opponents are shooting 40.4% from the field, 29.6% from beyond the arc.
BU 20TH NATIONALLY IN SCORING DEFENSE: In the NCAA statistics as of Feb. 28, BU ranks 20th in the nation in terms of points allowed per game. At the date of release, the Terriers were giving up just 59.4 ppg. Air Force was tops in the nation, allowing just 53.6 ppg. BU ranks just behind Georgetown (59.3 ppg), and just ahead of Texas (59.6 ppg).
BU-VERMONT HISTORY: The Catamounts represent BU's fourth-oldest rivalry on the books. BU leads the all-time series 50-33, and the 83 games played ranks behind only Northeastern (133), New Hampshire (119) and Maine (86) in terms of the Terriers' most frequent opponent. The Terriers have won three straight against UVM for the first time since 1991-92. BU won at Vermont for just the second time in seven years and the fourth time in 12 years on Feb. 23, a 69-64 overtime squeaker. The Terriers beat the Catamounts in Boston 43-41 on Corey Hassan's jumper with 2.6 seconds remaining in the game.
HISTORIC WIN VS. UVM: The last time BU scored fewer than 43 points and still won the game: the 1941-42 season, a 36-34 victory over Massachusetts (no date given). That was 64 years ago.
BU VS. VERMONT IN 2006: Please see page 21 of these notes for a complete recap of the BU-Vermont games this season.
LEADING THE LEAGUE IN D: Regardless of his team's record, Dennis Wolff-coached BU has always been known for its relentless defense. This season is no different, as the Terriers lead the America East in scoring defense (59.4 ppg) and are second in field-goal percentage defense (41.7%), The Terriers led the league in both categories last year (55.7 ppg, 37.1% FG% defense) and they led the nation with their field-goal percentage defense. BU has led the America East in scoring defense in each of the last four seasons (55.7 in 2004-05; 59.5 in 2003-04; 63.2 in 2002-03; and 64.0 in 2001-02) and the Terriers have led the America East in field-goal percentage defense in three of the last four years (37.1% in 2004-05; 40.4% in 2002-03; and 39.0% in 2001-02). BU has held 12 opponents below 60 points this year, including Hartford, which scored just 40 points on Jan. 25 - the fewest against BU this season.
DOWN TO NINE: The Terriers are down to just nine available players for the remainder of the season. The team started out with 13 healthy bodies, but true freshman Tyler Morris tore ligaments in his ankle during preseason practice and sophomore guard Matt Wolff tore ligaments in his knee after playing in just four games; both are redshirting. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Ibrahim Konate will miss the rest of the season to concentrate on academics and freshman Brendan Sullivan has been suspended for the remainder of the year due to a violation of team rules. BU players have missed a total of 77 games this season due to injuries and suspensions.
BREAKOUT FOR GARDNER: Senior forward Kevin Gardner has become one of the premier players in the America East, after spending three seasons in the shadow of successful Terrier upperclassmen. Gardner is averaging team-highs of 13.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg this season, whereas his previous-best season was last year, when he averaged 7.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg.
Gardner recorded three consecutive point-rebound double-doubles from Jan. 22 - Feb. 1. He is the first Terrier with three straight double-doubles since Walter Brown did so Feb. 3-8, 1998 (14-10 vs. Northeastern; 26-13 vs. Hartford; 16-11 vs. Vermont). Also in the 1998 season, forward Joey Beard had four straight double-doubles from 12/10-27, 1997 (21-11 vs. Harvard; 26-13 vs. NC Charlotte; 13-13 vs. Manhattan; 20-14 vs. Eastern Michigan).
Gardner now has eight double-doubles in his career:
Date Opponent Pts Reb.
Feb. 23, 2006 at Vermont 17 10
Feb. 1, 2006 at New Hampshire 26 12
Jan. 29, 2006 vs. Maine 16 10
Jan. 25, 2006 vs. Hartford 10 11
Jan. 5, 2006 at UMBC 24 11
Dec. 22, 2005 at Canisius 20 11
Nov, 22, 2005 vs. Michigan 12 11
Jan. 9, 2005 vs. Binghamton 12 11
HASSAN THE ASSASSIN: True freshman Corey Hassan has averaged 20.3 ppg in his last three contests and has vaulted into the top-10 on BU's freshman scoring list. He also ranks second among Terrier frosh in single-season 3-pointers.
TOP-10 FRESHMAN SCORING AT BU
No. Name Total Avg. Year
1. Mike Alexander 525 16.9 1982-83
2. Tunji Awojobi 510 18.9 1993-94
3. Chaz Carr 433 13.5 2001-02
4. Jason Grochowalski 356 12.7 2000-01
5. Paul Seymour 352 12.1 1999-00
6. Raja Bell 328 10.9 1994-95
7. COREY HASSAN 311 11.5 2005-06
8. Curtis Vanlandingham 307 12.3 1974-75
9. LeVar Folk 281 9.7 1995-96
10. Bill Brigham 280 9.3 1988-89
BU TOP-10 FRESHMAN THREE-POINTERS MADE
No. Name Total Year
1. Paul Seymour 70 1999-2000
2. COREY HASSAN 63 2005-06
3. Chaz Carr 45 2001-02
4. Tremain Byrd 38 1993-94
Jason Grochowalski 38 2000-01
6. LeVar Folk 35 1995-96
7. Raja Bell 33 1994-95
8. Mike Costello 32 1996-97
9. Mark Daly 22 1988-89
10. Brian Holden 21 1990-91
THE DISH ON MACON AND WYNN: Point guard Brian Macon and two-guard Shaun Wynn have become the first BU players since 1996-97 to each record 100 or more assists in the same season. Macon leads the team with 107 dishes (third in the America East), while Wynn is not far behind with 102 (fifth). Macon has led the team in assists 15 times on the year, while Wynn has done so on 10 occasions. Wynn now has 314 dishes for his career and has an outside chance of climbing into the top 10, as Jim Schwartz `97 currently is 10th all-time at BU with 332 assists.
LAST GAME RECAP - AT HARTFORD: Corey Hassan scored a career-high 23 points and Bryan Geffen added a career-high 18 as the Boston University men's basketball team pounded Hartford 84-71 Sunday afternoon. BU was white hot shooting the ball in the opening minutes. Hassan made three 3-pointers in the first five minutes, as the Terriers jumped out to a 22-3 lead with 14:47 left in the first half. Included in that streak was a 16-0 run, as BU hit its first five treys of the game.
Hartford countered with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 22-10, but Hassan and Geffen each hit from downtown and BU pushed the lead up to 17, 33-16 with 5:47 remaining. The Terriers would take a 40-26 edge into the halftime locker room, as they shot 62% (8-13) from beyond the arc. The Terriers widened their lead to as many as 21 in the second half, 68-47, when Hassan hit another three with 7:05 remaining. The Hawks showed their only sign of life late in the game, as Paris Carter and Aaron Cook combined for six 3-pointers in the span of four minutes to trim the Terrier lead to nine, 71-62 with 3:24 remaining.
However, Gardner, Hassan and Brian Macon were a combined 6-6 from the free-throw line in the waning moments, as the Terriers were never seriously threatened.
HARTFORD NOTABLE:
- BU has now beaten Hartford nine straight times and 13 of the last 14 meetings. BU has won six straight at Hartford and the Terriers have swept the Hawks in each of the last four years.
- BU tied its season-high with 10 3-pointers against the Hawks. The Terriers also hit 10 treys at George Washington (Dec. 2).
-BU scored a season-high 84 points at Hartford Sunday, its highest output since a 92-55 victory over Harvard on Dec. 7, 2004. It's the highest point total for the Terriers in a road conference game since an 85-82 victory at Binghamton on Feb. 9, 2003.
-BU shot 50% from the floor (27-54) for the first time in 10 games and the fifth time this season. The 47.6% from 3-point range is the third-best this season (minimum of 5 treys made), behind only 61.5% (8-13) vs. Harvard on Dec. 6 and 50% (5-10) against Binghamton on Jan. 15.
- BU is now 5-0 when it scores more than 70 points this season. The Terriers defeated Harvard 72-63 on Dec. 6, UC-Riverside 80-69 on Dec. 29, Stony Brook 73-65 on Jan. 19, Stony Brook again 73-68 on Feb. 19 and Hartford 84-71 on Sunday.
- The Terrier defense forced 18 turnovers, including seven by Hawk star forward Kenny Adeleke. It's the third-most turnovers BU has forced this season (New Hampshire had 22 on Feb. 1 and Michigan had 19 on Nov. 22).
- BU has outrebounded its last four opponents by an average of 37.5-30.8, or +6.7 rpg. The Terriers have outrebounded 17 of their 27 foes in 2005-06. It was just the sixth time this season Hartford had been outrebounded.
- The Terriers nearly doubled their road win total for the season in the span of four days. BU was 3-9 in enemy territory coming in to the week. However, wins at Vermont and Hartford helped the Terriers finish 5-9 on the road.
- Freshman Corey Hassan's 23 points broke his previous career-high of 22, set Feb. 19 against Stony Brook. Hassan is averaging 20.3 ppg in his last three contests and shooting 44.4% (12-27) from 3-point range in that span.
- Hassan had five 3-pointers Sunday and now has 16 multi 3-point games this season. He has hit four or more treys in a game on seven occasions.
- Senior guard Shaun Wynn had a season-high eight assists. He was one shy of his career-high (9 @UVM, 2/15/04). Wynn had seven assists on three occasions this season.
- Senior forward Kevin Gardner has four consecutive games scoring in double figures and he is averaging 17.3 ppg in that span.
- Gardner has reached double figures in scoring in 12 of 15 America East games this season and is averaging 14.9 ppg in league play, compared to 10.5 ppg in non-conference action.
- Sophomore guard Bryan Geffen had 18 points, topping his previous career-best of 15, set against Hartford, the last time the teams played, on Feb. 25. Geffen clicked for double figures for just the third time this year and the fourth time in his 51-game career at BU.
- In 2005-06, Geffen is averaging 16.5 ppg in two games against Hartford and 3.5 ppg in 21 games against everyone else.
- Junior guard Brian Macon now had 107 assists on the season. It's the most for a Terrier player since BU's current Director of Basketball Operations Kevin Fitzgerald had 116 in 2001-02.
BU vs. AMERICA EAST: BU is in its 27th season of competition in the America East Conference. The Terriers were a charter member of the league formed in 1979-80 and known formerly as the ECAC North, the North Atlantic Conference and the America East, which has been the league's surname since the 1996-97 season. Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire are the only other schools to have remained in the league since its birth. BU has won or shared the league title on eight occasions: 1980, 1983, 1990, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004. The Terriers have represented the America East in the NCAA Tournament five times: 1983, 1988, 1990, 1997 and 2002.
BU is 249-129 (.659) all-time against current league members. Coming into 2005-06, the Terriers had a 238-140 (.630) record in their 27 years of membership in the league, easily the best among the current teams. Vermont is second at 185-192 (.490).
Dennis Wolff is 104-40 (.722) all-time against current America East foes. A look at BU's all-time record against current members of the America East. Wolff's record followed in parentheses.
Albany 8-2 (8-2)
Binghamton 7-3 (7-3)
Hartford 34-15 (20-6)
Maine 48-38 (20-9)
UMBC 8-2 (6-2)
New Hampshire 84-35 (22-3)
Stony Brook 9-2 (9-2)
Vermont 50-33 (12-13)
TOUGH SKED FOR TERRIERS: BU played one of the most difficult schedules in the nation in the first part of the year, and as of Dec. 9, USA Today's Sagarin rating had the Terriers' docket as the sixth-toughest in the country. Three of BU's first five opponents (Duke, Michigan and George Washington) had combined for a 69-10 record as of Mar. 1. Additionally, the Terriers faced Bucknell in the Cable Car Classic, and the Bison are 23-4.
