BOSTON  – Returning 13 men from last year's squad that advanced to the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason tournament, the Boston University men's basketball team will open the 2016-17 season at Northeastern on Friday night with the NESN broadcast set for 7 p.m.

The Terriers enter their 108th season with sixth-year head coach Joe Jones at the helm and will continue a crosstown rivalry with the Huskies that has turned into one of the nation's most exciting. Besides the last nine meetings featuring a single-digit victor, the rivalry has had three of the previous seven matchups require overtime and three others decided by three points or less. 

TERRIER TIDBITS

• BU was selected second in the Patriot League preseason poll after going 19-15 (11-7) last season despite utilizing an NCAA-high 16 starting lineups due to injury.
• In total, 13 Terriers reached double figures last season at least once in scoring ... Only two, John Papale (11.9 ppg, 2.1 apg, school-record 95 3-pointers) and Nathan Dieudonne (9.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg), graduated in May.
• Top-returning scorer and senior Eric Fanning (15.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg) was a 2016 All-PL First Team honoree last spring, while sophomore Kyle Foreman (9.2 ppg, 3.9 apg, 1.2 spg) was an All-PL Rookie Team member.
• The Terriers return two members who received medical redshirts for last season ... Junior and 2015 All-PL Second Team member Cedric Hankerson averaged 15.9 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 2014-15 ... Senior Justin Alston was averaging 8.8 ppg and 4.9 rpg through eight games before suffering a season-ending injury.
• Junior Cheddi Mosely (13.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg) is the third active former All-PL Rookie honoree alongside Hankerson and Foreman.
• Last season, BU recorded 130 total blocks, more than the previous two years combined (56, 62), and the most since the Terriers had 143 in 2004-05 ... Junior Nick Havener (6.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) had a team-high 40 blocks, while seniors Blaise Mbargorba (4.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and Dylan Haines (3.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg) had 33 and 21, respectively.
• BU welcomes three newcomers - 6-foot-6 guard Destin Barnes (2015 Ill. All-State Second Team), 6-foot-7 forward Tyler Scanlon (2016 Virginia 6A State Player of the Year) and 6-foot-8 forward Max Mahoney (2016 N.J. All-State First Team).
• Last year, BU shot 45.4 percent from the field (highest mark since 1992-93) and averaged 73.1 ppg while allowing 72.2 ppg and 43.2 FG%.
• The Terriers went 10-9 on the road last year with key wins at Fordham (CIT 1st Round), South Florida, Quinnipiac and American.  

• The Huskies return seven lettermen, including a pair of starters in T.J. Williams (6.8 ppg, 2.7 apg) and Jeremy Miller (9.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg), from last year's squad that went 18-15 and 9-9 in the CAA.
• Northeastern was selected seventh in the CAA preseason poll but has matched or surpassed expectations in four of the last five seasons.
• NU has won its last eight home openers, including two over BU by a combined three points (65-64 in 2012 and 66-64 in 2010).
• The Huskies feature grad student Alex Murphy, who joined NU this offseason after stints at Duke and Florida ... The 6-foot-8 forward ranked in the top 50 in multiple scouting services coming out of high school.
• NU went 7-7 at home last season with key wins over Harvard, Stony Brook, Vermont and College of Charleston.
• Last year, the Huskies averaged 72.0 ppg and 43.9 FG%, while opponents were held to 70.9 ppg and 45.6 FG%.

• Last Meeting: Nov. 13, 2015 – Northeastern 87, @ BU 84 (OT)
  • The Huskies used a 3-pointer by Caleb Donnelly with 16s left in overtime to pull out the win despite having leads as large as 11 in regulation and five in the extra session.
  • John Papale tied the game at 84-84 in the previous possession but missed the last attempt at the buzzer.
  • David Walker hurt the Terriers with 27 points, while Mosely led BU with 19 points.
• The Terriers own a slight 72-71 advantage in the series dating back to 1920-21, but Northeastern has won five of the last six games with BU last winning in 2013 at the TD Garden.
• Both schools were founding members of the America East back in 1979 and are scheduled to meet twice in a season for the first time since the 2004-05 season, as BU will host the Huskies next Friday (Nov. 18) in Case Gym.