BU IN 2005 NIT at Georgetown Game Notes (PDF)
{{notes as of March 15}}
GAME #29: Boston University Terriers (20-8) at the
Georgetown University Hoyas (17-12).
WHAT: 2005 National Invitation Tournament First Round.
DATE: Wednesday, March 16, 2005, 7:30 p.m.
ARENA: MCI Center (20,600), Washington, D.C.
RADIO: Tonight’s NIT game can be heard locally
in the Boston area on WROL AM-950 with Rich Levine and Doug
Guy calling the action.
INTERNET: Tonight’s game can be heard on the internet
at www.bu.edu/athletics/webcast .
ENTERING THE TOURNAMENT
Neither BU nor Georgetown is entering the post-season NIT
playing its best basketball. BU is one of the top defensive
squads in the country, ranking second in field goal defense
and third in scoring defense, but has had trouble on the offensive
end. The Terriers have lost three-of-four, averaging only
51.8 points per game in those contests. After starting the
season 16-6, Georgetown has lost six of its last seven games.
UP NEXT FOR THE TERRIERS
The winner of tonight’s game advances to play the winner
of the California State-Fullerton vs. Oregon State and Denver
vs. San Francisco opening round games on a date and time to
be determined.
IT’s A program first - FOUR straight 20+ win seasons
for BU
BU comes into this year’s NIT with a 20-8 record. It
marks the program’s fourth straight 20-win season. Along
with the team’s 22-10 record in 2001-02, its 20-11 mark
in 2002-03, and its 23-6 record last year, it marks the first
time in the program’s 96-year history of men’s basketball
that the team has won 20-or-more games in four straight seasons.
Seniors Rashad Bell and Chaz Carr represent the only recruiting
class to win 20+ games every year.
TERRIERS MAKING THIRD STRAIGHT NIT TRIP AND FIFTH OVERALL
The Terriers are making their third straight and fifth overall
NIT appearance and are 0-4 in the other trips - all on the
road. Most recently, the Terriers lost at Rhode Island, 80-52,
last season. They gained a measure of revenge with a 73-68
win over the Rams earlier this season. Two years ago, BU fell
at eventual NIT champion St. Johns, 62-57. In 1980, they lost
at Boston College, 95-74. Six years later, in 1986, the Terriers
lost at Providence, 72-69.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY IN THE NIT
3/10/80 at Boston College L 74-95
3/13/86 at Providence L 69-72
3/19/03 at St. John’s L 57-62
3/15/04 at Rhode Island L 52-80
3/16/05 at Georgetown ??
WOLFF, ASSISTANT COACH WILLIFORD WON 1992 NIT TITLE AT
VIRGINIA
BU head coach Dennis Wollf was an assistant at the University
of Virginia in 1992 when the Cavaliers won the 1992 NIT title.
Fourth-year assistant coach Jason Williford was a freshman
on that UVa team. The only other time Wolff has been involved
in the NIT prior to his stint at BU was during the 1982-83
season as an assistant at St. Bonaventure.
SERIES VS. GEORGETOWN
BU and Georgetown are meeting for the sixth time in men’s
basketball. The Hoyas lead the series, 4-1. All five of the
previous meetings were in the 1970’s and all were won
by the home team. The last game was a 53-49 Georgetown win
on Jan. 4, 1977.
LAST TIME OUT: TERRIERS’ NCAA HOPES DASHED BY MAINE
IN QUARTERS
Maine's Chris Markwood hit a three-pointer with three seconds
remaining, lifting the sixth-seeded Black Bears to a 47-45
America East quarterfinal-round victory over third-seeded
BU on March 5.
Neither team had more than a two-point lead for the final
six minutes. Chaz Carr hit a pair of free throws to give the
Terriers a 45-44 edge with only nine seconds to go. Markwood
hit an off-balance trey with three seconds remaining to give
the underdog Black Bears a 47-45 lead with only three second
showing. A Carr desperation three-point attempt fell short,
giving Maine the victory. BU shot a season-low 28.3 percent
from the field.
BU’s LAST NIT GAME: TERRIERS’ SEASON COMES TO
DISAPPOINTING END
Last year, BU’s season ended with an 80-52 loss at Rhode
Island in the opening round of the NIT at The Ryan Center
on March 17. The Terriers missed their first six shots and
fell behind, 9-0 and 14-2, in the opening minutes of the game
and never recovered. BU opened the second half with five straight
points to cut the lead to 16 points, but URI regained control
with a 15-3 run over the next 3:25. A 10-2 Rams' run midway
through the half pushed the lead to 75-39, their largest of
the game, with 7:30 remaining.
HEAD COACH DENNIS WOLFF
In his 11th season at BU, Dennis Wolff is the all-time leader
in coaching victories at the school, bringing a 192-132 (.593)
record into the tournament. Overall, he is 222-150 (.597)
in his 13 years as a head coach (two seasons at Connecticut
College). He has led the Terriers to a pair of America East
Conference Championships (1997, 2002) and has been named the
conference’s Coach of the Year on three occasions (1997,
2003, 2004). Including tonight’s NIT appearance, the
Terriers made post-season appearances in each of the last
four seasons, earning an NIT bid the last three years while
going to the NCAA Tournament in 2001-02. Their 2002-03 NIT
trip marked the first time in the program’s history that
they had made consecutive post-season trips. This year’s
return to the NIT only extends that mark.
SENIORS RASHAD BELL AND CHAZ CARR IN FINAL GO ‘ROUND
THIS SEASON
It’s no secret that the Terriers’ recent success
coincided with the arrival at BU of Rashad Bell and Chaz Carr.
With a win over Maine on Feb. 24, they became the first BU
class to accumulate 20-or-more wins in each of its four years.
This season, both were named to the America East All-Conference
First Team. Bell also earned All-Conference First Team honors
as a sophomore, while Carr was selected to the conference’s
First and Second Team as a junior and freshman, respectively.
Combined, they have been a major factor in the team’s
85-35 record (a team record for wins by a single class) and
three straight conference regular-season titles from 2002-2004.
BU SECOND IN NATION IN FIELD GOAL DEFENSE
BU has one of the best defenses in the country and is second
among all Division I teams in field goal defense, allowing
opponents to shoot only 36.8 percent from the field.
TERRIERS 15TH IN NATION IN FEWEST TURNOVERS
A further testament to the Terriers’ success this season
is their turnover numbers this season. They’ve averaged
only 12.0 turnovers per game, a number that ranks them 15th
in the nation as of games played March 7.
BU THIRD IN NATION IN SCORING “D”
BU’s scoring defense is a primary reason for its success
this season and in years past. Through games played March
7, the Terriers rank third in the nation, giving up only 55.4
points per game. Last year, the Terriers were ninth in the
final Division I scoring defense rankings.
TERRIERS VS. BIG EAST FOES
Overall, the Terriers have a 40-129 (.237) record against
the current membership of the Big East. The Terriers lost
to BC, 80-74, in their only other meeting with a Big East
squad this season.
TEAM REC LAST MET
Boston College 16-39 2004-05
Connecticut 12-41 1997-98
Georgetown 1-4 1976-77
Notre Dame 0-2 1987-88
Pittsburgh never met
Providence 4-18 2001-02
Rutgers 5-12 1971-72
Seton Hall 1-4 1966-67
St. John’s 0-2 2002-03
Syracuse 1-6 1993-94
Villanova 0-1 1937-38
West Virginia 0-2 1974-75
40-129
TERRIERS, CATAMOUNTS THE CLASS OF AMERICA EAST OVER PAST
FOUR YEARS
Since America East’s realignment prior to the 2001-02
season, either Boston University or Vermont, or both schools,
have been on top of the conference standings each and every
week. BU shared the conference’s 2001-02 regular-season
title with UVM and has won it outright the last two seasons.
CARR MOVING UP CAREER LISTS
Chaz Carr has steadily been moving up a number of the Terriers’
career statistical lists. He most recently moved into eighth
place on the program’s career scoring list. A look at
where Carr stands:
Stat Number Place
Scoring 1,401 pts 8th
3-pointers 176 4th
Assists 327 11th
Steals 127 11th
Games Played 119 5th
Minutes 3,552 4th
BELL EARNS THREE AMERICA EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS
THIS SEASON
Rashad Bell played an inspired game against Vermont on Feb.
12, scoring a career-high 29 points and badgering UVM’s
Taylor Coppenrath the entire game. Due to his efforts, he
was named America East Men’s Basketball Co-Player of
the Week on Feb. 14 along with Coppenrath. It was the third
weekly award for Bell, who won on consecutive weeks on Dec.
6 and 13. He earned the first award after tallying 20 points
and 11 rebounds in the team’s win at UNH on Dec. 4, and
took home the second award after going 13-for-16 from the
field at Harvard and at BC. He’s earned the award six
times during his four-year career.
BELL JOINS ELITE GROUP OF TERRIERS WITH 1,200 PTS AND
600 REB
Rashad Bell is one of only six players in BU men’s basketball
history to score 1,200 career points and grab 600 rebounds.
He enters tonight’s game with 1,305 points and 616 rebounds
in his career.
Player Pts Reb Years
Tunji Awojobi 2,308 1,237 93-97
Jim Hayes 1,679 664 67-70
Steve Wright 1,641 685 76-80
Paul Hendricks 1,527 805 82-87
Kenny Boyd 1,461 772 71-74
Rashad Bell 1,353 630 01-pres.
BELL CONTINUES TO LEAD BU, MOVES INTO BU’S CAREER
TOP 10 SCORING LIST
Rashad Bell continues to pace the Terriers in the scoring
department this season, averaging 15.7 points per game. With
his 17-point game at Hartford on Feb. 5, he moved into ninth
place on the team’s all-time scoring list. He is second
in America East in field goal percentage (54.6%). He’s
scored in double figures in all but three games this season
and has a string of 10+ points in 29 of his last 32 contests.
BELL SECOND ON BU’S ALL-TIME BLOCKED SHOTS LIST
Rashad Bell has moved into second place on BU’s all-time
blocked shots list with 114. Twice against UMBC this season
he tied his career high with five blocks, allowing him to
move past Jason Scott (1989-92), who had 93 blocks. That’ll
be about it for moving up, however, as Tunji Awojobi (1993-97)
holds the top spot with an incredible 302 career blocked shots.
BELL BECOMES 27TH TERRIER TO JOIN 1,000- POINT CLUB
Rashad Bell passed the 1,000 points career scoring mark during
his 17-point effort at Harvard on Dec. 7, becoming the 27th
Terrier to reach the milestone. He joins Chaz Carr on the
list. Carr eclipsed the mark last year. You can see the entire
list on page 59 of the BU media guide.
TERRIER DEFENSE BACK TO FORM THIS SEASON, AMONG NATION’S
LEADERS
A BU defense that ranked ninth in the nation last season in
scoring defense (59.5 ppg) is strong once again this season.
The Terriers enter this game ranked second in the nation in
field goal defense (36.8 percent) and third in the nation
in scoring “D”, holding teams to a league-low 55.4
points per game. Through the regular-season games, BU has
allowed only eight teams to score more than 60 points, and
is holding opponents to 28.5 percent from the three-point
line - both league bests. BU has held 16 of its last 24 opponents
- and 18 overall - to 55 points or less.
BU BENCH ROTATES AROUND YOUTH
Nobody on BU’s bench played a college game before this
season. The BU bench rotation has consisted of three true
freshmen (Tony Gaffney, Bryan Geffen, and Matt Wolff), and
a transfer sophomore (Omari Peterkin) who hadn’t played
a college game before BU’s game against Canisius on Dec.
23. Ben Coblyn, another true freshman, has seen limited action
while he nurses a sore lower back injury. The only other player
on the bench, freshman Chris Vasiliou, also didn’t see
college action before this season.
GEFFEN’S CONFIDENCE ON THE RISE
Dennis Wolff’s confidence in freshman guard Bryan Geffen
was evident after he scored a career-high 13 points vs. UNH
on Jan. 26: “I like everything about Geffen’s game,”
said the coach. “He can handle the ball and he knows
how to play.” Geffen scored eight straight points, including
two three-pointers, sparking a BU second-half run that sent
the Terriers to the win. Against Vermont at Agganis Arena
last Saturday, his steal and layup gave ended an 8-0 UVM run
and gave the Terriers a lead they would not relinquish. Geffen’s
star has been on the rise in the second half of the season
- during which he’s averaged 4.3 ppg in the last 18 games.
He got off to a slow start after averaging 1.7 ppg and shooting
16.0% in his first 10 games.
GARDNER LOGS FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE IN BINGHAMTON
WIN
Kevin Gardner posted his first career double-double in the
Terriers’ 69-54 win over Binghamton on Jan. 9. He finished
with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He’s tied for first on
the team in rebounding at 5.7 boards per game and leads the
team in offensive rebounding with 60. Earlier this season,
he set a career scoring high with 20 points at Boston College.
BROWER HAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF STARTING ROLE IN SOPHOMORE
SEASON
Etienne Brower has found his groove this season. He has tied
or set career highs in scoring six times this year, most recently
scoring a career-high 19 points at Maine on Feb. 2. He tallied
his first two career double-doubles with 18-points and 10-rebounds
vs. Stony Brook on Feb. 16 and 11 points and 10 boards vs.
Northeastern on Feb. 20. Among team leaders, he’s second
in blocked shots (40), and third in both rebounding (5.6 rpg)
and scoring (8.6 ppg).
MATT WOLFF NAMED AMERICA EAST CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK ON
DEC. 20
Freshman guard Matt Wolff was named America East Co-Rookie
of the Week on Dec. 20 after scoring 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting
from behind the three-point line in the Terriers’ 63-52
win at Michigan on Dec. 14. He shared the award with Vermont’s
Ryan Schneider. It was the first weekly award for both players.
MATT WOLFF HAD BREAKTHROUGH GAME AGAINST FORDHAM
Freshman Matt Wolff had a tremendous game against the Atlantic-10’s
Fordham on Nov. 24. The coach’s son, coming off the bench,
scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, adding nine rebounds
and five assists in 36 minutes in the 66-51 win.
BU ON POSITIVE SIDE OF ASSIST-TO-TURNOVER RATIO ONCE AGAIN
For the third straight season, BU is on the positive side
of the assist-to-turnover ratio. Through the regular-season
games, the Terriers have a 1.04 ratio (350 assists to 336
turnovers) - good enough for second in America East to Vermont’s
1.34. It’s always a sure sign that the Dennis Wolff-led
Terriers are playing well. Last year, they were credited with
420 assists and charged with 352 turnovers (a team record
for fewest turnovers, a stat kept since 1973-74). Their 1.20
assist-to-turnover ratio led the league.
FITZGERALD RETURNS TO BU AS DIRECTOR OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS
Former Terrier Kevin Fitzgerald (‘04) was named BU’s
Director of Basketball Operations prior to the team’s
game at UNH on Dec. 4. Fitzgerald finished his playing career
fifth on BU’s career lists for assists (372) and steals
(166), leading BU to 79 wins in his four years in addition
to three America East regular-season titles, one conference
championship, and three straight post-season appearances.
He averaged 3.6 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
His 2.20 assist-to-turnover ratio is second best in program
history.
THREE-POINT STREAK AT 271 GAMES AND COUNTING
BU finished last season (and the last eight complete seasons)
having made at least one three-pointer in each game. Including
this year’s games, the Terriers have extended their streak
of consecutive games with a three-pointer to 271. The last
time the Terriers were held scoreless from beyond the arc
was Feb. 10, 1996, when they missed each of their 10 three-point
attempts at Vermont. BU has hit three-pointers in 321 of the
324 games under Dennis Wolff.
CARR NAMED AMERICA EAST PRE-SEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Chaz Carr was among the players selected by a vote of the
league’s coaches to the America East Pre-Season All-Conference
Team. Carr, an All-Conference First Team selection last year,
will lead the Terriers in their attempt to retain their spot
among the conference’s top teams.
AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE PRE-SEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Jose Juan Barea Jr. Guard Northeastern
Nick Billings Sr. Center Binghamton
Chaz Carr Sr. Guard Boston Univ.
Taylor Coppenrath Sr. Forward Vermont
T.J. Sorrentine Sr. Guard Vermont
BU PICKED SECOND IN COACHES’ POLL
The BU men’s basketball team was picked to finish second
in America East this season in the coaches’ pre-season
poll. For the second straight season, the coaches picked Vermont
to win the conference title and the Terriers to finish behind
the two-time defending champs. Maine, last year’s conference
tournament runner-up, was picked third, while Northeastern
is fourth.
2004-05 AMERICA EAST PRE-SEASON COACHES’ POLL
TEAM (1st-place votes) PTS
1. Vermont (8) 80
2. Boston Univ. (2) 69
3. Maine 64
4. Northeastern 59
5. Binghamton 50
6. Hartford 35
7. Stony Brook 30
8. Albany 28
9. New Hampshire 23
10. UMBC 12
BELL, CARR, WYNN CAPTAIN TERRIERS IN 2004-05
Seniors Chaz Carr and Rashad Bell, along with junior Shaun
Wynn, will serve as team captains during the 2004-05 season.
It’s the first captaincy for each player.
FOURSOME NAMED ALL-LEAGUE IN 2003-04
Four Terriers earned America East post-season honors last
year. Chaz Carr and Jason Grochowalski both earned a spot
on the All-Conference First Team. Shaun Wynn earned the league’s
Defensive Player of the Year award as well as a Third Team
nod. Finally, Ryan Butt earned Third Team accolades for the
second year in a row.
2003-04: SEASON IN REVIEW
The Terriers ended the regular season on a 12-game win streak
and winners of 23 of their last 24 games. They had also won
12 consecutive road games to end the regular season, second
in the nation at the time only to No. 2 Saint Joseph’s
13-game road streak. BU had two impressive 11- and 12-game
winning streaks during the season. For the first time in the
program’s 95-year history, the team has had three straight
20-win seasons, and made an unprecedented third consecutive
post-season trip.
IN 2003-04, WOLFF EARNS “TRIPLE CROWN” AWARDS
FOR SECOND TIME
For his part in leading the Terriers to a 23-6 record last
year, Dennis Wolff earned America East, National Association
of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 1, and New England Division
I Basketball Coach of the Year honors. It’s his second
straight America East Coach of the Year award and third overall
(1997). He also earned all three awards after the Terriers’
25-5 NCAA season of 1996-97.
BU ATHLETICS EARNED THIRD STRAIGHT AMERICA EAST COMMISSIONER’S
CUP
For the third straight season, Boston University earned America
East’s Stuart P. Haskell Jr. Commissioner’s Cup,
which annually recognizes the strongest athletic program in
the conference. BU won two championships (women’s soccer
and women’s tennis) and finished as a runner-up another
four times. For their part, the Terrier men’s basketball
team contributed with a regular-season championship, its third
in a row. BU also won the first two Commissioner’s Cups,
after the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons, and is the only current
America East school to have earned one.
NICOLE WOLFF CONTRIBUTING ONCE AGAIN FOR UCONN WOMEN
Dennis Wolff’s daughter, Nicole, is a junior on the University
of Connecticut women’s basketball team. After battling
injuries in her first two seasons at UConn, she’s back
in the lineup this year. In 30 team games (19 starts), she’s
averaging 4.1 points per game for the Huskies, who are seeded
No. 3 in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
WOLFF ALL-TIME LEADER IN COACHING WINS AT BU
With a 69-42 victory over Hartford on Jan. 22, 2001, Terrier
head coach Dennis Wolff became Boston University’s all-time
leader in coaching wins when he earned victory number 102.
Wolff passed Mike Jarvis, who was 101-51 in five seasons at
BU. Entering this game, Wolff has an overall mark at BU of
192-132 (.593).
BU ALL-TIME COACHING WINS
## COACH W-L YEARS
1. Dennis Wolff 192-132 94-pres
2. Mike Jarvis 101-51 85-90
3. Matt Zunic 96-58 52-59
4. Rick Pitino 91-51 78-83
BU BASKETBALL IN 96th SEASON
The Boston University men’s basketball program is in
its 96th season of competition. While it may be the 96th season
of basketball at BU, it has been 103 years since the school
first fielded a men’s basketball squad. The Terriers’
first year of competition was during 1901-02. Since 1980,
there have been 15 winning seasons, nine 20-win campaigns
(including the last three), six NCAA Tournament appearances,
and, including tonight’s game, five NIT trips.
ONE LAST NOTE: TERRIER MASCOT
The Terrier seems to be uniquely qualified to be the BU athletics’
mascot. Boston terriers (the dogs) were first bred in the
U.S. in 1869, the same year that Boston University was granted
its charter. BU students selected the Boston terrier, known
for its expression of determination, strength, energy, and
activity, as their mascot in 1922. That makes “Rhett”
82 years old! Or 574 in dog years!
TERRIERS ON THE INTERNET
Coverage of the Boston University men’s basketball team
and each of the 23 Terrier athletic teams can be found on
the internet on the official Boston University athletics website
at: www.bu.edu/athletics. Up-to-date game stories, rosters,
statistics, player information, and much more is just a click
away!
