BOSTON – The No. 8-seeded Boston University men's basketball team will host No. 9 Loyola Maryland in the opening round of the Patriot League tournament on Tuesday night at Case Gym with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.
As part of Fan Appreciation Night, BU students will receive free admission with ID. There will also be an opportunity to win prizes, including a $400 travel voucher and 40" HD Smart TV.
The Terriers (14-17, 7-11 PL) finished in a three-way tie for seventh with both the Greyhounds and Lafayette, but the Leopards owned the top tiebreaker due to their regular-season sweep of Loyola. Though BU was unable to claim a first-round bye, it will have confidence entering the tournament knowing that it handed top-seed Colgate its lone home loss of the season while also claiming a victory against No. 2 seed Bucknell. Tuesday's contest will mark the second postseason matchup in three years after BU defeated Loyola, 64-60, at home in the 2017 PL quarterfinals.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- BU is seeking its seventh overall conference title and first since winning the 2011 America East title as the No. 2 seed.
- Coming off back-to-back PL semifinal appearances, BU is 46-32 (.595) all-time in conference tourneys and 4-5 in the PL with an appearance in the 2014 title game.
- The Terriers are 1-1 all-time in first-round matchups, defeating Northeastern in 2000 in the America East after falling to Towson in 1999.
TERRIER TIDBITS
- The PL announced All-Conference honors Monday afternoon with both junior Max Mahoney (2nd) and freshman Jonas Harper (Rookie) being recognized.
- Named to the third team last season, Mahoney moved up to the second team after finishing the regular season fourth in the PL in scoring at 16.6 ppg and seventh at 6.4 rpg while shooting 62.4 percent from the field, the nation's 14th-best mark ... His FG% is on track to shatter his own school record mark of 60.1 FG% set last season.
- Harper is the eighth Terrier in seven years under head coach Joe Jones to earn All-Rookie Team accolades ... He ranks second in the PL in 3-point shooting percentage (.493) and has reached double figures in seven PL contests.
- Left on the outside looking in for the second consecutive year, junior Tyler Scanlon was the only player alongside American's Sa'eed Nelson to be listed in the PL for scoring, rebounding, assists and steals ... He is second on the team in both points (13.8 ppg) and rebounds (5.1 rpg) while leading the Terriers in assists (3.4 apg) and steals (1.3 spg).
- On Saturday, Mahoney became the 37th Terrier to reach 1,000 points ... Scanlon just needs one more field goal or two free throws to join Mahoney in the club.
- Sophomore Javante McCoy is third on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg ... Both Harper (5.3 ppg) and redshirt-freshman Alex Vilarino (6.9 ppg) have reached double figures seven times apiece in PL action.
- The Terriers are averaging 72.4 ppg and shooting 47.8 FG% while holding opponents to 72.4 ppg and 47.2 FG%.
SCOUTING LOYOLA MARYLAND
- The Greyhounds are entering the tournament with confidence as well after thrashing No. 3 Lehigh at home this past Saturday, 92-73.
- Overall, Loyola is 4-15 away from home with wins against American, Holy Cross (67-65 OT), Binghamton (83-65) and Hampton (75-66) ... The Greyhounds fell at UMass Lowell (97-79) after the River Hawks lost at BU, 79-60.
- All-PL First Team and 6-foot-4 guard Andrew Kostecka is averaging a PL-high 21.5 ppg while averaging 4.9 rpg, 2.7 spg and 2.4 apg.
- Brent Holcombe (11.0 ppg), Chuck Champion (10.8 ppg) and Isaiah Hart (10.8 ppg) also average double figures in points with Holcombe posting a team-high 6.0 rpg.
- The Greyhounds average 73.2 ppg and 45.9 FG% while holding opponents to 77.6 ppg and 48.5 FG%.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Terriers lead the all-time series, 10-6, after splitting the regular season with a 72-65 home win and an 81-73 overtime loss at Reitz Arena.
- BU is 7-0 at home against the Greyhounds with a 2017 PL quarterfinal victory and most recently the 72-65 come-from-behind win on Feb. 23 ... Trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, BU faced a 63-61 deficit before finishing the final 95 seconds on an 11-2 run with four different Terriers finding the hoop, as the Greyhounds went 1-of-5 with a costly turnover ... Mahoney led BU with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Hart had 25 points for Loyola.
- In the 81-73 OT loss at Reitz Arena back on Jan. 16, Mahoney recorded a personal-best 31 points, but Kostecka had 28 to help Loyola rally from a 13-point first-half deficit to send the game to OT ... The Greyhounds outscored BU off turnovers (27-16), on second-chance points (18-6) and in made free throws (23-12) for the win.
- Kostecka (11 pts.), Scanlon (8 pts.) and Mahoney (7 pts.) are the only three returning scorers from BU's 64-60 PL quarterfinal win in 2017.
