Under Mike Brennan, American has been nearly unstoppable in the Patriot League Tournament. In 2014, the No. 2-seed Eagles ran through three games with ease, thrashing No. 1 Boston University in the final. Last year, coming in as the sixth seed, they upset two teams before a two-point loss to Lafayette in the final. Continue reading
When American met Boston University for the first time this season, the teams were a combined 1-7 in conference play, both reeling from critical injuries. Fast-forward a month, and in true Patriot League fashion, everything has changed: Both squads had leapt up the standings, winning four of their last five games before Wednesday’s meeting. Continue reading
Momentum is fickle in the Patriot League.
When Boston University entered halftime of Monday’s game with an eight-point lead on Loyola (MD), it seemed to reinforce both teams’ trajectories. The Terriers were surging, having followed an 0-3 start to league play with two straight wins. The Greyhounds were slumping, dropping their last two after opening 3-0. Continue reading
HAMDEN, Conn. – There was some bad Sunday afternoon, certainly, but in this holiday season, let’s focus on some good to start, shall we, namely Boston University senior John Papale.
Papale is only 120 miles away, so it’s hard to call a game against Quinnipiac a “homecoming”, but he did have his own cheering section Sunday, having grown up in nearby Wallingford (same hometown as former Sacred Heart point guard Phil Gaetano). He struggled for much of the afternoon, going 2-7 from three-point range, but in the end, he shared the team lead in points (13) and had some key plays down the stretch to seal the Terriers’ come-from-behind 64-57 victory, their second straight to draw even at 5-5 on the season.
Though he is demonstrative on the sideline, Boston University coach Joe Jones is typically even-keeled after games, noting the good and bad from wins and losses alike. But after the Terriers’ comeback fell short in Tuesday’s 75-69 loss to Harvard, Jones was visibly frustrated, showing the wear of a tumultuous first month. Continue reading
Like many Patriot League games, Wednesday’s Colgate at Boston University matchup went down to the wire. A back-and-forth second half left the visitors ahead by one point heading into the final minute, when 6’11” center Ethan Jacobs buried a decisive three-pointer. The Raiders added a few free throws for a 76-69 margin, keeping pace with Bucknell atop the league at 9-4. Continue reading
While we have tangible defensive statistics to pore over in the 21st century, they aren’t exactly as concrete or in-depth as their offensive counterparts, especially on the individual level. Continue reading
Allowing 17 straight points is usually a terrible way to end a game. But it was just a garbage-time footnote for Boston University on Saturday afternoon, not even halving what had been a 75-39 lead. The Terriers led for all but 12 seconds of their home conference opener, burying Lehigh with a barrage of three-pointers to improve to 2-0 in Patriot League play, and dropping the Mountain Hawks to 0-2. Continue reading
In advance of tomorrow’s media day, Big Apple Buckets would like to present their preseason all-conference teams and individual awards for the Patriot League. Continue reading
With the “free agent” period of college basketball in full swing, I felt it was a good time to identify who has prematurely left the NEC and what kind of impact it has on their former team. Here are the top nine transfers that decided to leave the conference. For Jeff Goodman’s complete list of 2013 basketball transfers, go here. Continue reading