BOSTON – Looking to carry momentum into the Patriot League tournament, the Boston University men's basketball team will wrap up the regular season at Army West Point on Saturday with tip-off slated for 2 p.m.
With Wednesday's 81-65 win over Lafayette, the Terriers clinched a first-round bye and now need a win over the Black Knights and a loss by either Lehigh or Navy to clinch a home quarterfinal game on Thursday (March 1). The Black Knights will also have much to play for, as they need a win and at least one other result to go their way to earn the right to host a first-round contest.
TERRIER TIDBITS
- Sitting at 9-8, the Terriers have extended their streak of finishing .500 or greater in conference play to 18 seasons ... The streak is tied-ninth nationally with VCU after Wisconsin saw its streak in the Big Ten end at 19 years ... BU has reached 10+ wins in eight of the last nine seasons.
- BU is 7-8 on the road this season after going 6-9 last season ... The Terriers though have lost their last three at American (60-56), Colgate (74-60) and Lehigh (80-75).
- Senior Cedric Hankerson leads BU in scoring at 13.6 ppg and currently ranks 14th all-time with 1,277 career points, just 12 shy of video coordinator John Papale ('16).
- Both sophomores Max Mahoney (12.9 ppg) and Tyler Scanlon (10.5 ppg) are the other two Terriers averaging double figures ... Mahoney is currently on track to set a school record for field goal shooting percentage at 60.2 and is one of three averaging at least 5.0 rpg alongside Scanlon (5.7 rpg) and freshman Walter Whyte (5.0 rpg).
- Freshman Javante McCoy became the fifth Terrier to score at least 20 points this season with 21 against Lafayette on Wednesday ... Both he and Whyte have combined for 45 starts and are averaging 19.0 ppg together in conference play.
- The Terriers are averaging 70.6 ppg and 46.2 FG% while holding opponents to 71.2 ppg and 45.1 FG% ... They rank 61st nationally in steals per game (7.3) and are coming off a season-high 28 points off turnovers.
SCOUTING ARMY WEST POINT
- The Black Knights have lost their last five games, including Wednesday's 87-83 defeat at Colgate ... They are 6-4 at home with key wins over Columbia (88-78), Lehigh (93-81), Loyola Maryland (86-75) and Lafayette (81-71).
- Jordan Fox is one of three in double-figure scoring at 13.7 ppg while averaging 4.1 apg and 4.1 rpg ... Matt Wilson (12.4 ppg) owns a team-high 5.8 rpg, and Tommy Funk (10.4 ppg) has a PL-high 5.8 apg with a team-high 22 steals.
- Army has not had success getting to the charity stripe, ranking 334th nationally in fre throw attempts (424) and 345th in made free throws (278) but has made up for it by ranking 29th in made 3-pointers at 9.8 per game and 36th at 38.8 3FG%.
- The Black Knights are averaging 74.7 ppg and 45.1 FG% as a team while holding opponents to 74.3 ppg and 43.7 FG%.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Terriers lead the all-time series, 16-9, with the first meeting occurring in 1954-55 ... Since sweeping all three contests in 2014, BU has gone 3-3 with a split each of the last three seasons.
- In the last meeting at Case Gym, owning a 61-60 lead with 7:07 remaining in regulation, Hankerson reeled off 10 straight points with a layup, two free throws and back-to-back 3-pointers in 1:42 to create enough distance for the Terriers for the 90-82 win ... Army pulled within nine at 3:52 (74-65) and 37 seconds (85-76), but the Terriers hit 11 of their 18 FTs during the final 74s to seal the win ... Hankerson had 33 pts., one shy of his career high.
- Last season at Christl Arena, leading by two at the half at home, the Black Knights held BU to 35 FG% in the second to prevail, 73-62.
