Men’s Basketball: Terriers Open Home Slate Against Brown
Featured Image by Troy Bolduc
By Austin Rayamajhi
The Boston University Terriers Men’s Basketball team (1-1, 0-0 PL) is set to host the Brown University Bears (0-2, 0-0 Ivy) in the home opener at the Case Gym.
BU opened the season with a big overtime away win against rival Northeastern before getting crushed by one of two power conference teams they play in Northwestern. Brown has struggled to open the season, dropping both games so far, despite playing at home.
Last season, the Terriers were dominant at home, winning 12 of their 15 games in the regular season, including a 78-50 win against fellow Ivy League school Dartmouth. BU embarked on an 11-game home winning streak, tying their longest single-season streak since 1988-89.
The current regular season home win streak is the longest for the Terriers since they went on a 15-game winning streak over two seasons between 1995 and 1997.
The Bears’ first two games have been polar opposites. In the first game, against Siena, Brown shot 29.3% from the field and 16.7% from 3, while their game against the University of Vermont saw them give up 89 points in a heartbreaking double overtime loss.
Brown is coming off a season where they struggled to have significant success. The Bears failed to qualify for the Ivy League Tournament, as they finished below .500 in conference play. Brown also struggled on the road last season, finishing with a 6-7 record away from Providence.
The matchup between these two teams is happening for the first time since 1993, when Brown took down BU in a 63-60 win. Overall, the Terriers have 12 wins and 25 losses against the Bears.
Early on, the Terriers have been led by first-year forward Sam Hughes, who is averaging 15 points per game on a blistering 57.1% from 3. Third-year guard Michael McNair has also chipped in, averaging 13 points per game after a 20-point performance against Northwestern, and second-year center Ben Defty rounds out a trio of Terriers averaging double figures, as he has posted 11 points per game.
Third-year forward N’famara Dabo leads the way for the Bears, averaging a near double-double with 11 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Third-year guard Adrian Uchidiuno is the only other player for Brown averaging double figures, although he has struggled shooting the ball, shooting 25.9% on the season.
The Terriers hope to continue defending Case Gym against the first of four Ivy League opponents they play this season. The game is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, and is available to stream on ESPN+.