Nov. 13, 2011
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BOSTON - Competing in an in-season tournament for the third straight year, the Boston University men's basketball team will open the TicketCity Legends Classic at the University of Texas on Sunday night with tip-off set for 7 p.m. ET.
Offering a free viewing this weekend, the Longhorn Network will televise the game nationally. Fans who do not have the channel can watch the game live through http://LonghornNetwork.com with Mark Followill and Jeff Van Gundy providing the call.
Coming off a tough 82-74 overtime loss to crosstown rival Northeastern on Friday, the Terriers (0-1) will try to defeat their first major conference opponent since beating the Pac-12's Oregon State in the first round of the 2010 College Basketball Invitational.
They are making their second-ever trip to the state of Texas after previously losing at TCU, 81-80, back in 1996. Holding a 1-5 all-time record against Big 12 members, BU dropped a hard-fought 72-53 decision to top-seeded Kansas in the second round of the 2011 NCAA tournament. The lone win came against Texas A&M in 1986.
Picked to defend its America East title, BU will face Texas for the first time ever and will conclude the Legends Classic with three games at the University of Rhode Island on Nov. 25-27 against the Rams, Cleveland State and Hofstra.
Aiming for his first win at BU, head coach Joe Jones will look to senior Darryl Partin to provide the offensive spark against the Longhorns. A preseason All-Conference honoree, Partin led the Terriers with 25 points on Friday against the Huskies after finishing second on the team last season in scoring at 14.3 ppg. Sophomore D.J. Irving was also impressive in the season opener, finishing one point shy of tying his personal best with 17.
On the defensive end, in just 21 minutes of action, senior Jeff Pelage tallied seven rebounds and three blocks, while sophomore Dom Morris hauled in seven boards as well.
They will need to guard the rim effectively Sunday night, as the Longhorns averaged more than 40 boards a game last season while out-rebounding opponents by a 6.0 margin. Texas though lost 83 percent of its offensive production and 88 percent of the rebounds from the 2010-11 squad that went 28-8 overall with an appearance in the third round of the NCAAs.
Led by Rick Barnes, UT is currently tied for the fourth-longest active streak in NCAA appearances with 13 and will rely on six true freshmen to keep it active. Three members from the No. 4 recruiting class according to ESPN are projected to start in the Longhorns' season opener against BU.
One known player with previous experience is junior guard J'Covan Brown, who averaged a team-best 22.0 ppg in the two NCAA games last season. He finished his sophomore campaign averaging 10.4 ppg and 2.1 apg off the bench.
Following the contest, BU will remain on the road with a trip to Cornell on Sunday, Nov. 20.
