Perfect Timing

By: Connor Lenahan

There is something really fun about going to a mid-major basketball school. Your perspective on everything changes. See, at Kentucky they are trying to win the national championship every single year. That’s the most lofty of lofty goals. This also means that you are almost certainly in for some form of disappointment. Boston University, on the other hand, is playing just to make the tournament. If we hit the field of 64 come March then the season is success. Should we make any way into the further rounds of the tournament then players jump from heroes to legends. That’s how it works here. You lower your expectations but increase your chances of being happy.

All in all it’s cool to be where we are at. Especially given the last two games. BU began the season in touch fashion. We won three out of our first ten games. Now this seems bad – it is – but context is key. One of those games was against Kentucky, which was an automatic loss (For those unaware, Kentucky has between 9 and 12 future NBA players on their current roster). But other games like Northeastern, St. Peter’s, and New Hampshire slipped away. Then there were good losses to Harvard and Dayton, two teams that made the tournament last year. That brings us to now. BU has won four of their last five and three in a row. This is especially terrific given that the last two games are in conference.

That’s another thing. Playing in the Patriot League as opposed to a larger conference like the Big Ten means that it’s highly unlikely that anyone besides the league champion makes the tournament. The champion gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. This makes the stakes for regular season games much higher. Yes, Duke cares about winning all the games they can, but should they lose to Virginia or not win the ACC title they will almost without question be playing in the tournament. BU doesn’t have that liberty. They need to win games in conference. Now they are.

On New Years Eve the boys clipped Holy Cross in overtime. Today they came out and dominated Lehigh in a game that the Terriers led by as much as 36. Four players – Eric Fanning, Cedric Hankerson, John Papale, and Cheddi Mosely – ended up with over fifteen points. Suddenly the team went from 3-7 to 6-7. Now the team sits atop the Patriot League standings as well. That’s the key. Those other losses are behind the team now. All that matters is the games to be played for the next three months. 2015 kicked off with a big win today.

It’s anybody’s game now. BU looks like it’s figuring things out at just the right time.